Riley's Torment, A Moon's Glow Novel #2

by Christina Smith

  “You said to be here at eleven! Now get up.” It was Lauren who had interrupted my time with fantasy Nate. She slapped my leg and shook the bed. “Come on Meg, the guy will be here in an hour.”

  Reluctantly, I let go of the idea of returning to my fantasy—my life was waiting. I sat up slowly, feeling groggy, and slightly confused. Lauren was sitting on the edge of the bed dressed in a t-shirt and yoga pants. Her brown suede jacket was slung over her arm.

  “Good morning sunshine,” she said, grinning.

  “Why are you so happy this morning?’ I murmured, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

  “I had a good night.” Elation echoed in her voice. “With Joe.”

  All I could manage was a small smile for her. The dream still hovered in my mind, and I felt Nate’s loss. I missed him so much. All I wanted to do was get in my car and run to him, but I couldn’t. How do you forgive the person who took away your future? I was no longer a human, and I would no longer age. Could I even have children? There were so many questions and angry thoughts in my head. I couldn’t be with him until I figured it all out.

  “Where did he take you?” I asked, pushing away the unwanted thoughts. I climbed out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom.

  “He took me to dinner and dancing. Then he kissed me when he dropped me off at home. It was a really great night.”

  Even from the bathroom, I could hear the happiness in her voice, and it was a welcoming sound. The whole time Nate and I were together, she was pining for Joe. And now that we were apart, Joe and Lauren were finally happy. Was there a rule somewhere that all of us couldn’t be happy at the same time? I emerged from the bathroom, heading for the closet.

  “That’s so great, Lauren.” A thought popped into my mind as I reached for a sweatshirt. “I guess they didn’t find Charlotte?”

  “No, they followed the werewolves scent to Riley’s Department Store. It turns out that one of them is related to us. He’s one of the people that didn’t take the secret well. Apparently, he wanted to kill Nate when his father revealed Nate’s secret.”

  I gasped and spun around, the need to protect my mate overwhelmed me. “What?”

  She was sitting on my bed facing me. “That was twenty years ago, and obviously, the family turned him away. Little did they know that Charlotte would find him and turn him into a werewolf. He became what he accused Nate of being—a monster.”

  I couldn’t help but wince at the word. “Just like us,” I whispered, looking down at the pale blue hoodie in my hands.

  She sat up straight. “Megan, we are not like her. Do you have an urge to kill?”

  When I shook my head, she stood up and stepped toward me.

  “Stop thinking of yourself like that. You are the same as you were before you were turned. A bite doesn’t change that. You are a good person. You wouldn’t be my friend otherwise.”

  I smiled, feeling thankful for letting her back into my life.

  “I think it’s time for you to talk to Nate. Since I’m so happy with Joe, I want us all to move past this.”

  I shook my head turning away from her. “It’s easy for you to say that. Charlotte turned you and Nate. You both hate her for doing it.” I faced her again, my hands trembling at my side. My eyes burned with the threat of tears. “But I can’t hate the person who turned me, can I?”

  Her face fell, her eyes turning sad.

  “Even if my human side wanted to, the wolf he made me into wouldn’t let me,” I sighed.

  Lauren’s face was full of sympathy as she nodded.

  “When I thought Charlotte did this to me, it helped to be angry with her, to have a person to blame for what I had become. I wanted her dead for it.” I laughed softly, the sound lacking humor, as I stepped toward my dresser. I rubbed the crack on the cherry wood, my back toward my friend. I lowered my voice as I continued to explain what was keeping me from forgiveness. I had not planned to voice these thoughts, however, now that I was, I felt a weight lift from my weary heart. “But then suddenly, it turns out that it wasn’t the evil witch after all. The man I love who I was planning to marry did this to me. So, now what do I do with that hatred? Am I not supposed to be angry about it, now that it wasn’t her?” I spun around and stared at her. “I can’t hate the person who did this,” I repeated brokenly. An ache sliced through my core, and tears began to fall down my cheeks. Before I could push them away, I was wrapped in Lauren’s arms. The smell of her familiar scented shampoo was as much comfort as her arms.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered into my hair. “I never thought of it like that.” She pulled away to gaze into my eyes, her hands resting on my shoulders. “You take all the time you need, okay? I won’t pressure you anymore to forgive him. I’m not sure what I’d do in your situation. But as much as you’re confused about what he did, he’s in worse shape. He knows that you should hate him—he hates himself.”

  A sharp breath escaped my lips. “That doesn’t help, it just makes it worse. I shouldn’t feel guilty for my feelings.”

  “Then don’t. Feel what you have to. Yell at him, punch him, do whatever is necessary, he’ll understand.” She paused, squeezing my shoulder. “And so will I.”

  When I nodded, she continued the hug. I didn’t realize how much I needed someone I trusted to give me comfort. Before I knew what was happening, I was crying again. And being an awesome best friend, Lauren held me until my sobs subsided.

  By the time Adrian arrived to pick us up, all the evidence of my crying jag was gone. I had showered, yanked my hair up into a ponytail, and dressed in my gym clothes. The sun was hidden under thick dark clouds. There was no rain, but the air was freezing. Since I had turned, it wasn’t easy to make me cold. But today, as we had waited for Adrian, I hugged my coat close to my body as a frigid wind whipped around us. Strands of hair came loose and danced in my face.

  “Hey, who’s your friend?” Adrian asked, when he pulled into the driveway.

  I climbed in the front seat of his Jeep while Lauren got in the back. “This is Lauren. She was turned into a werewolf at the same time I was,” I lied. “I want her to learn to protect herself too.”

  He turned to Lauren with a small smile. “I heard about your kidnapping. I’m sorry that happened to you.”

  Lauren nodded, her face blank, not yet willing to trust my new friend.

  His brow rose as he turned back to the front. “Okay,” he said, putting the Jeep into gear. “Are you ready?”

  I nodded, giving Lauren a pointed look that was supposed to say, “Give him a chance.”

  She shrugged her shoulders in a “What did I do?’ gesture.

  The drive to the gym was quiet and just a little awkward. The inside of his Jeep was clean except for two candy bar wrappers in the cup holder and his duffle bag in the seat next to Lauren. The pine air freshener hanging from the mirror was a little strong for my taste. It could be my extra senses working overtime. It didn’t seem to bother Adrian.

  It wasn’t until we were halfway there that anyone spoke. Unfortunately, it was Lauren. “So Adrian,” she said breaking the silence. Her hand was resting on his seat as she leaned forward into the front. Adrian peered at her through the rear-view mirror. “Did you know that the girl who kidnapped us had four other werewolves with her?”

  His face held no reaction as he nodded his head. “Yes, Megan told me.”

  “Isn’t it odd that you are in town at the same time as Charlotte?”

  He shrugged. “I didn’t know she was still here, Megan didn’t mention it.”

  I shifted in my seat so I could glare at Lauren and then focused on Adrian. “I just found out yesterday after you dropped me off. Nate caught the scent of one of the guys with her on the island, so they assume she’s here as well.”

  He tilted his head and glanced at me through the corner of his eyes as he stopped at a red light. “Did this werewolf lead him to the girl?”

  Lauren answered before I could. “No, but he talked to him, along with two of his frie
nds. They confirmed that she’s here.”

  He pulled back out into traffic following a bright yellow station wagon, his face still neutral. “That’s good, I hope they find her. She should pay for her actions.”

  I was hoping that the inquisition was over, but no such luck. Lauren was suddenly like a dog with a bone.

  “Nate found the three werewolves at a restaurant around lunch time yesterday. I wonder where the fourth one was.” It was obvious what she was implying. Lauren believed that Adrian was the fourth.

  “I wouldn’t know, I was with Megan, and I haven’t met any others.”

  Lauren folded her arms in front of her and narrowed her eyes at him. “Hmm,” was all she said as she sat back into the leather seat.

  I had never been so happy to end a car ride in my whole life. I almost cheered when he turned onto Bay Road, the street where the gym was located. Tommy and Lola were just coming out of the building as we arrived. Once again she asked Adrian to let anyone who might stop by to come back in an hour. And as the day before Tommy remained silent, so far I had seen him twice and had yet to hear his voice.

  The heavy bag was already in place, and after we peeled our coats off, Adrian pulled two sets of boxing gloves out of his bag and helped us put them on.

  “Lauren, have you ever done any kickboxing or any other fighting moves before?” he asked.

  She stood next to me, eyeing the bag with trepidation. “No, I’ve never had any reason. I’ve always felt protected by my family.” Her voice was cold, her eyes matching the temperature of her tone.

  “Lauren,” I said in warning. I had no idea she’d be so rude to my new friend. I knew she was a little unsure of his motives, considering I had just met him, but this was not like her. Lauren was one of the kindest people I knew. The problem was, she wasn’t the same the girl I had been friends with for the last six months. As she told me yesterday, the bite had brought on other changes besides turning her into a hairy animal. It was wreaking havoc on our emotions.

  She held up her hand to stop me from saying anything else. “But, now that I’m a werewolf, I would feel more confident if I could defend myself against others.”

  I smiled and bumped her with my hip. I knew my friend was in there.

  Adrian clapped his hands together. “Okay. I’ll go through the moves again for you to see and to remind Megan. First, I’ll go get another bag for you to practice with.” He headed to the back corner and disappeared into a small room.

  “So, what do you think?” I whispered, so Adrian wouldn’t hear.

  She moved closer, leaning into my ear, her scent was stronger than ever. “I’m not sure we can trust him yet, but you’re right. If he was with Charlotte, why would he teach us to fight?” Her voice was as low as mine.

  I lowered my voice even more since she was so close. “Exactly, and once you get to know him, you’ll like him as much as I do.”

  She opened her mouth to say something, but when Adrian emerged carrying a blue leather heavy bag over one shoulder, she closed her mouth and pressed her lips together. She took a few steps away from me.

  We watched as he hung the bag, noticing the muscles on his arms flex. He was wearing white sleeveless shirt like weightlifters wear. Once the bag was in place, he turned to face us, his dark eyes flashing with excitement. Yes, he was definitely in his element here.

  “Megan, can you show Lauren the stance?”

  Lauren’s brows rose as I turned to her, taking the position I had learned yesterday. As I did this, Adrian explained what I was doing.

  “Bend your knees, hands up to protect your face, elbows in tight to protect your rib cage,” he said. “Very good, Megan.”

  I grinned at him, proud of myself for remembering.

  Adrian and I gazed at Lauren. “Your turn,” I said feeling a gurgle of excitement of my own erupt from my belly.

  She sighed and assumed the position.

  “Good,” Adrian commented, sounding like a teacher. “Ready to give the punches a try?”

  Lauren snuck a peek at me and then gave us a sharp nod.

  We each stood in front of a bag, and when she remained motionless, looking uncertain, I shot my arm out in a jab, rotating my shoulder. The feeling of strength that made me feel powerful yesterday returned. I did the move a few more times and then stopped when I realized Lauren had yet to hit the bag. She was starting at me, her face expressionless.

  “You’re really good at that.” Her voice was filled with admiration and surprise.

  I beamed, feeling myself puff up with pride. “It’s fun, give it a try.”

  “Okay, here goes,” she said hesitantly. She went into her stance and then swung her arm out; rotating her shoulder the way I had, with a low thud. When the bag bounced back, she grinned. “You’re right, that is fun.”

  We both went through all the punches with Adrian occasionally correcting us—me only once, Lauren a few times. The room was quiet, except for the thumps from our punches on the bags, and a few squeals from Lauren who was enjoying herself as much as I knew she would.

  When we moved onto the kicks, she smiled over at me and winked. It was all the thanks I needed.

  When our hour was up, Adrian had to remind us we could return tomorrow in order to get us to leave. There was a class starting soon, so we reluctantly took off our gloves and put on our coats.

  Outside, the clouds were even darker. The sky had opened up with raindrops the size of quarters.

  In the car, Lauren surprised me. “Thank you, Adrian. That was fun,” she said, beaming.

  His lips twitched as he gazed at her through the rear-view mirror. “You’re welcome. I’m glad you liked it.” He tuned on the jeep, and started out of the lot. Once he was heading to the end of Bay Road, he turned to me. “So where to? Your house, or do you want to go get some lunch?”

  Lauren smiled and shrugged her shoulders when I glanced her way. “Lunch sounds good,” I replied. I left it up to him to choose the place, and we offered to pay. It was the least we could do for him helping us.

  Chapter Twenty

  The Nephews

  Nate was supposed to be working from home. All the time he had taken off had left piles of work that needed his attention. He thought someone was taking care of his job in his absence, but by the number of files Will had dropped off this morning, he was wrong. It was difficult to concentrate on profits and expansion when every time he blinked, the image of Megan below him flashed in his mind.

  He had dreamed that he had snuck into her room and crawled into bed with her. It was the same dream that had haunted him ever since she’d left. Her fiery hair had been splayed out over the pillow as her hooded green eyes gazed into his. Her skin had been silky soft as he trailed his finger over her cheek. It had been so real. He had felt her warmth as he slid under the blanket with her. It was where he was supposed to be.

  He woke up every morning with an emptiness that consumed him. He had lived alone for over a hundred years and had never really felt lonely until now. When Megan was in the cottage, her presence echoed in every room. And even though her possessions remained, it was just a constant reminder that the owner was gone.

  He knew he had to give her time to adjust to what he had done, but it was getting more and more difficult every day to be away from her. He had stopped running with Lauren at night for fear he would be unable to prevent his wolf from going to her. Nate knew what he had done was so horrible that she needed to be the one to come to him. He had promised to give her space and damn it, he’d give it to her.

  With his determination to find Charlotte, the wood piles were no longer getting any higher. He now used his frustration to scout for the wolves. Charlotte was still his main focus, and he would take out his pent up frustration on someone who really deserved it. He had hoped to get the reports done so he could go out and search some more. With that many werewolves in town, there had to be all kinds of scents in the area. Now that he knew her gang was killing, he was on even more of a timeline. T
hey needed to be stopped, before the town realized that normal animals weren’t behind the killings.

  With only a few more reports to look over, he could go out and resume the hunt. Just as he was on the last one, his phone rang. The shrill sound made him jump; the cottage was extremely quiet in Megan’s absence. It was Will on the phone, asking him to meet him at the main house. All he would tell him was that Lionel found something he wanted to discuss.

  Ten minutes later, Nate was letting himself into the main house. He hadn’t lived there for over a hundred years, but it would always be his home. If he sniffed hard enough, he could almost smell the scent of his mother’s rose perfume. And if he closed his eyes and listened long enough, he could hear the echoes of laughter of his sisters Mary and Rose as they chased little William around the house. Choking back a sob, he pushed open the double oak office doors.

  “What is it, Will? I want to head out and look for Charlotte.” His voice held more irritation than he had intended, but it was hard to concentrate with that woman running around town. He should be out there looking for her, not doing work reports or talking about work related issues. Sitting around his cottage all morning had given him too much time to dwell on his troubles. He needed to take action, and he would as soon as he was done here. He took a calming breath and wandered inside the cozy room. It was filled with shelves that held everything from books to trophies and pictures to old coins. Air puffed out of the cushions as he fell into one of the black leather arm chairs. Will glanced up from his computer. Lionel was sitting in a chair on the side of the big wooden oak desk. He was the son of Will’s cousin Richard and also the family’s computer expert.

  Lionel’s shoulders jerked at the sound of Nate’s voice. He turned his attention to his uncle and adjusted his glasses; his face took on a gray hue. Lionel knew Nate’s secret, but although he took it well, he always seemed a bit scared of Nate. As if he thought that his uncle would wolf out at any moment. Nate was comforted by the fact that Lionel was nervous of almost everything. So he didn’t take it personally.