“I’m sorry. Losing a parent can’t be easy.” We rode in silence for another couple of minutes. Then he said, “So you lived with your parents?”
“No. I mean, not for a few years now, but I was going to move here with her until she got settled.” That was the truth, at least. I had intended to move here with her. At my father’s request, we were both to move here and find Elias. Though, I hadn’t been able to contact him yet, since I wasn’t sure who to trust to ask about him. And I had no clue where he lived or much about the man at all. Could I trust Milo with helping me find Elias?
He turned the truck onto the short cul-de-sac that dead-ended at the small, single-story house my mother had leased for us. It was the only building on the court. “Nice little cottage. Private, too.”
He got out of the truck and hurried over to the passenger side, where I had just opened the door on my own.
“I got this.” He held out his hand for me, so I took it while he glanced around the area. There were no other houses on this court. Just a lot of redwood trees and dozens of bushes, most of them overgrown. “Almost too private,” he mumbled as I stepped out of the truck.
Mom rented this place as a hideout for us after my father was murdered. I think she would have liked it here. The cottage had wood siding with a river stone border at the bottom. The kind of house I used to draw as a child, with a front door in the middle and a window on each side with an A-frame roof. But this cottage also had a deck that wrapped around the right side to the back where there was another door.
The nearest neighbor was on the next street over, about an eighth of a mile away. I’d heard there was a witch’s coven close by, too, but I hadn’t had a chance to check that out, not that I wanted to or was even thinking of doing it. Mostly because I couldn’t go out in the daylight and walking alone through the woods in the dark was a stupid idea if there ever was one.
“My mother enjoyed the simpler things in life.” I smiled at Milo. “Privacy was one of them.” I started toward the front door where overgrown azaleas graced each side of the pathway. The small lawn needed some tender loving care that I couldn’t tend to in the daylight, and gardening in the dark had its own set of challenges. Needless to say, the area exhibited the lack of attention with its two-foot-high weeds and dead brush and an occasional dandelion. I supposed I should hire someone to take care of all of that.
Milo strolled along beside me, and I gave him a curious glance. “I think I’m capable of getting inside on my own.”
“My mother may have raised me by herself, but she did teach me the proper ways to treat a lady, so if you don’t mind, I’ll just make sure you get in safely.”
When we reached the door, I took the key out with a shaky hand and tried to put it in the slot in the knob, but my hand trembled so badly, I kept missing the lock and nearly dropped it.
“Here, let me.” He took the key and placed it in the lock.
“Thanks. I don’t know why I’m so shaky.”
“It’s completely understandable after what just happened.”
I’d been so calm out there on the highway while I watched my car go up in flames and when the sheriff came and asked all those questions. But now that I was standing outside of my temporary home, or should I say hideaway, I was suddenly falling apart. I sucked in a deep breath of air as Milo shoved open the door. He stood where he was and let me walk in. I turned to him, managed to find the willpower to speak, and mustered a smile. “Thanks for the ride, Milo Hart. And the jacket.” I shrugged out of the heavy leather and handed it to him.
“You’re welcome. I’ll come by tomorrow morning and check in on you.”
“Really, you don’t need to do that.”
He looked around at the wooded area. “Yeah, I do. My mom would never let me live it down if I didn’t.”
I smiled at that and shut the door to the cottage and leaned against it as I waited for the sound of the truck starting up. I was almost sorry to hear it pull away as the roar of the engine faded in the distance. It was nice to know there were still knights out there in this big evil world we lived in.
I stepped into the kitchen. It only took a few strides. The place was small. Tiny even. And now the quiet, little house seemed empty and foreboding.
Milo’s company would have been nice and might have kept the jitters away, but I still wasn’t ready to let my guard down. Especially after what had happened tonight. What if Milo was right and someone had rigged my car to blow up? That would mean that someone knew I was hiding out here in Dark Moon Falls.
Now I was glad I hadn’t inquired about Elias at the bar, but damn, I needed to get in touch with him somehow. My decision to move into this house wasn’t such a bad one, in my opinion. No one knew I was here, well, except Milo and the cops, but I had to trust they were okay. I sighed. This place seemed safe because there were no nosy neighbors stopping by to welcome me and ask questions. Besides, after my mother was murdered, I had to leave that town. It would have been only a matter of time before her killers figured out where I was, if they didn’t know already. In truth, moving here had been my only choice because I had nowhere else to go.
I shivered.
Maybe it was time to start trusting Milo. After all, the sheriff and deputy trusted him. I wish I’d asked him about Elias before he’d left.
I shook off the eerie feeling and turned on the kitchen light, shrugging off my boots and using my foot to slide them toward the wall by the door. This was the time of day I usually had my lunch, but I wasn’t hungry. Or thirsty. I wasn’t much of anything. I’d eaten a small piece of toast before I went out to the Wolf Inn for that much-needed glass of wine.
This house was more like a vacation rental. A cottage in the woods with only one room. A double bed in the far left corner. The kitchen consisted of a wooden counter along the opposite wall, a sink, a stove, a small, stainless-steel fridge, and a tiny, golden colored, granite-topped island.
An open, wood-burning fireplace in the center of the room gave the place a nice cozy atmosphere when it was lit, so I piled wood into a little teepee and stuffed wood shavings underneath it like my dad had taught me and then lit a ball of waded paper under it. Within a couple of minutes, the wood caught, and the blaze warmed the small space almost immediately.
Except for the sound of the fire crackling, the quiet in the house was beginning to get to me. I headed to the small sofa and picked up the television remote. I didn’t have cable, nor did I have internet. I didn’t even own a computer. And thanks to the bomb under my car, I now had no cell phone. But the small screen was hooked up to an antenna, so at least I was able to get a few local channels. I flipped through the meager selection and stopped at an old 80s movie. One of those feel-good teen flicks, sure to fill me with all sorts of pleasant emotions so I could stop thinking about my car, the bomb, and most of all, Milo’s sexy smile. Well, I doubted the movie would help with that last one.
The evening had worn me out. I didn’t usually sleep much at night, spending most of my awake time during the day. But I’d gotten up around ten, and now I was exhausted and found it difficult to keep my eyes open and soon drifted off to sleep with the TV keeping me and my dreams company.
Until a loud crash jolted me awake, and I screamed.
7
MILO
I bolted up from the back seat of my truck at the sound of a woman screaming. It took me a few seconds to remember where I was and that the scream was most likely coming from Skye since there were no other houses around on this dark court. What in the hell possessed her to live in this house? Alone?
Another scream came from inside her house. I shoved open the driver’s door and took a couple of steps toward the house, stopped, thought about shifting into my wolf so I’d have that advantage, just in case, but changed my mind. I could always shift later. After all, Skye had never seen my wolf before, and that might scare her even more.
I tried to open the front door, but it was locked. I looked in the window but didn’t see
anything. I banged my fist on the glass, and then I saw her. Her hair was all messy like she’d had a fitful sleep, tossing and turning. Beautiful. I bet that’s what she’d look like after a romp in bed with a wolf like me. Now wasn’t the time for thoughts like that if she was possibly in danger, and I switched to pounding on the door. “Skye, let me in!”
She opened the door a crack. “Milo? What …” She looked around and behind me. “What are you doing here?”
“I heard you scream. Are you okay?”
“Yes. I’m fine. But brr. You better come inside.” She rubbed her hands up and down her arms as she shut the door behind me. “Why are you here?”
“I was going to leave, in fact, I did leave, but something in my gut told me I should come back. I turned around and parked outside and decided to stay in my truck. Just to make sure everything was okay.” I looked around the small living space. Barely large enough for one person. This little cottage she lived in, in the middle of practically nowhere. Okay, it was still in Dark Moon Falls, but more on the edge of town, out near the witch’s coven.
I didn’t like the idea of her being here alone. But then why did I care? I hardly knew her. And I’d wrestled with all of that for a few hours in my truck before I finally fell asleep. “Especially after your car blew up.”
“You slept outside in your truck?”
“Well, yeah. I didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable.”
And I sure as hell wasn’t going to pressure her to let me stay inside. I thought it would be best if I remained outside in my truck.
“Too late for that.”
I shook my head at her obstinate dismissal of the danger she might be in. “Listen, I know it sounds crazy, but I don’t think you should be staying out here in this remote place alone. Not after having your car blown up.” I searched my brain for some other reason. “You know there are bears around here. Big black bears.”
She smiled. “Yes. I know. And I have bear spray.” She held up a spray can that had been hanging by the front door.
“Bear spray?”
“Yes. It’s supposed to deter aggressive or charging bears. I bought it in town.”
I nodded and hoped it didn’t have the same effect on wolves. “Why did you scream?”
Now she laughed, and I was beginning to get annoyed, because I’d been sitting in my truck, well, sleeping, but still damn uncomfortable and fucking cold, worried sick about the woman, even though she’d stabbed me and was being frustratingly indignant about me saving her life. And here she was, standing in front of me grinning like everything was a big joke.
“Oh. I fell asleep with the TV on, and a loud scream from the show woke me up, and when I looked at the screen, something dark and large came out of the shadows and sliced some teenager’s throat. It was pretty gross.”
I sighed as the heavy tension in my shoulders slipped away. She’d screamed because of a horror movie? I shook my head. “You’re a piece of work.”
She glared at me. “You have some audacity. I’m sorry if I alarmed you, but I didn’t know you were out there keeping watch over me. Which was completely unnecessary and a little bit creepy now that I think about it.”
“I wasn’t trying to stalk you. Christ. Excuse me for being concerned, but, lady, your car just blew up, and if you think that’s normal, then you need to have your head examined.”
She frowned, then her face softened, and she sighed. “You’re right. I take it back.”
“Which part?”
“What do you mean?” She stood in front of me in her sock covered feet, not as tall as she was when she’d had her boots on, but still damn tall, with her arms crossed over her chest.
“Which part do you take back?”
“I don’t know. All of it, I guess.” She threw her arm out as if to wave the entire conversation away.
“The creepy comment?”
“Alright, yes.”
“What about stabbing me?”
She rolled her eyes. “I already told you I was sorry for that.”
“I want to hear it again.”
She blew out a breath of air. “Fine. I’m sorry for stabbing you.” She turned toward her kitchen. “Since you’re here, would you like some coffee?”
“That would be nice. Thanks.”
“You might as well take a seat on the sofa while I get it.”
If she’d known I was out there, would she have invited me in? I thought maybe she might have, given the way she tilted her head now as she swiped a stray strand of her hair behind her ear, an impish smile on her adorable face.
I stepped to the dark tan couch that had armrests as high as the back of it. Just the right height for my tall frame. Not exactly the time or place—but my mind immediately went to a place it shouldn’t. Skye bent over the arm of that sofa. Me behind her, my dick in my hand. She’s moaning, begging me to make her come already …
“How would you like it?”
My gaze snapped to hers. “Like it?”
8
SKYE
“Milo?”
He blinked at the sound of my voice as though he’d been somewhere far away. “Your coffee. How would you like your coffee?”
“Oh. Yeah, coffee. Cream if you have it.”
I grabbed the half and half and poured a little into each cup and glanced over at him. I had to admit; I was glad he was here. Glad he’d come back. Even if he’d stayed in his truck, that was rather gallant if I thought about it. I’d been so jittery by myself.
I walked over to where he sat and put the coffee on the small, round, glass table in front of him. Then he did something so peculiar. He splayed his hand over the high armrest to his right and squeezed it, moving it back and forth as though he were testing it for sturdiness—funny thing to do.
I crisscrossed a couple of logs onto the burning embers in the fireplace and joined him on the sofa.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do now that I don’t have a car. Or a cell phone.”
“I can take you to get a new phone if you want.”
“That would be great. If it’s no trouble.”
“No trouble at all. I can also take you to a car dealer. Do you have insurance? It would be a good idea to call them later today.”
“Yeah. I’ll do that as soon as they open.” I stifled a yawn. “I’m sorry. I probably need a wee bit more sleep. I didn’t get much yesterday.”
He sipped his coffee and glanced over at the bed. “Look, I’m good now with the coffee if you want to catch some shut-eye for a few more hours before the sun comes up. I’ll just stay here on the sofa.”
“Okay. You sure you’ll be fine?”
“Beats the backseat of my truck.”
“I’m sure it does.” I was still amazed that he’d come back and parked outside to keep watch over me. Who does that? Only good, nice guys, that’s who, Skye. “I must have really been zonked out because I didn’t hear your truck come back.”
“Maybe the TV was too loud for you to notice. I’ll turn it down so you can sleep.” He picked up the remote and pressed the button until it was at a nice, soft level. Thunder crackled in the distance. “It sounds like there’s a storm brewing. Glad I’m in here instead of my truck.”
I hated the rain. I hated thunder and lightning. I jumped when the next one boomed through the night sky.
“Are you okay?”
I nodded. “It’s the thunder. I’ve never cared for it.”
“You’re safe inside. Try to get some rest.”
I headed to the bed, which was in the same room, only about ten feet from where he sat. I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to sleep, but I had to give it a try. I laid my head down on the pillow and listened for the next roar of thunder, shivered as I huddled under the covers in a ball, then closed my eyes when it ended.
The wind turned my umbrella inside out as the heavy rain pelted down, drenching me into the equivalent of a drowned rat. I hurried to the front door of my parents’ home. The house I grew up in. My hair wa
s plastered to my head and wringing wet. Once inside, I tried to squeeze out some of the water, but it was hopeless, and small puddles now coated the hardwood floor of the entryway. My mother was going to have a fit.
Lightning lit up the entire house, and I realized that no one was around. A few seconds later, thunder blasted out, shaking the walls.
I hadn’t knocked. After all, I used to live here too. It seemed strange, though. The house was quiet. Too quiet, except for the pounding rain that hammered against the windows.
The tan sofa where I’d expected to see my dad perched with his feet up on the coffee table was vacant. The TV glowed with some football game on the screen, but with the volume muted. It was Saturday night, and sports on the TV was a typical event even though it was in the middle of the night.
My dad recorded the games he liked to watch since he was usually sleeping while they aired live, except for the nighttime games. We’d always tried to live our lives as normally as possible even though we did everything during the night.
There didn’t seem to be anyone around, and I hesitated before moving any further into the house. What if they were in the bedroom? I wrinkled my nose; I hated thinking about stuff like that where my parents were concerned. Then I noticed a table on the other side of the sofa. It was on its side, and the lamp that was usually sitting on it lay broken on the floor beside it. The bookshelf that held all my dad’s favorite classics was tumbled over, and books lay scattered across the hardwood floor. What happened?
“Mom? Dad? Anybody here?” All I got was silence in return. Then I heard a faint sound of weeping from the second floor where their bedroom was. Had they been fighting? They’d never been violent, so I quickly shoved that thought away. Something else was going on. Something was wrong.
I attempted to hurry up the stairs and down the hallway, my legs sluggish as though I waded through a pool of water. I glared at the remnants of an antique hallway table broken to pieces as I maneuvered around the fragmented object. The sobbing became very loud as I stopped at the doorway of my parents’ room, my hand covering my mouth, my mom on the other side of the bed on the floor kneeling with her back to me. I could see my dad’s legs sprawled out on the floor in front of her.
Dark Moon Falls: Volume 2 Page 61