By the Pale Moonlight (Book One of the Moonlight Series) (33 page)

Before I could chicken out, I dropped down on
my haunches and hurriedly pulled the tiny weapon from beneath the
leg of my jeans. The wolf continued its advance, completely unaware
of the major hurt I was about to bestow upon it.

I stood and took a deep breath, praying my
aim held true this time.

Then the creature froze, its ears flat.

A second later, a thunderous growl hurled
from the darkness behind it.

Oh, God. No.

Out of the shadows of the doorway, Ty's
wolf-form emerged. He walked on all fours, each step deliberate.
His lips stretched back over his teeth, quivering with the rumble
resonating from deep within his throat. It matched the sounds now
coming from the wolf before me. It slowly turned to face Ty,
leaving me all but forgotten as they challenged each other.

A panic seized my chest, a thousand times
stronger than the fear I'd felt for my own well-being. Ty's body
went rigid, like a tight coil ready to spring loose.

"Ty, no!"

The wind ripped my words away as the two
launched themselves at each other.

They became a seething mass of limbs and
teeth. The acidic smell of blood burned my nose as they ripped into
each other. Howls of fury and pain punctuated each scratch and
bite. They moved with a fluidity and speed barely discernable to my
human eyes. The dim light made it impossible to tell who had the
upper hand, and I stood immobile and powerless.

They moved in my direction, and I quickly
scurried out of their path. One of them smacked hard against the
wall I had barely managed to vacate. Unnoticed by either of them, I
hurried toward the doorway. Relief flooded through me as I tripped
down the stairs, the shaking hand grasping the rail the only thing
keeping me from plummeting to my death.

More than halfway to the bottom, I stopped. I
couldn't leave Ty. I just couldn't.

Praying I wasn't too late, I scurried back up
the steps. Once outside, I scoured the rooftop for my lost
revolver. Neither of them noticed my arrival, each too hell bent on
tearing the other apart.

With the gun at last in hand, I cocked the
hammer and fired a shot into the air. The wolves pulled apart,
momentarily stunned by the blast.

There was just a moment to differentiate the
two. For once, luck was on my side, and the moon chose to show
itself. The bright light peeking through the thick cloud cover
illuminated their prone bodies. The black wolf had the upper hand.
It loomed over Ty, whose furry chest was matted with blood.

A rush of anger went through me. I set my
sights on the middle of the dark creature's chest and squeezed the
trigger.

A roar of pain split the night air. The wolf
stumbled backwards and away from Ty, a gleaming wetness on its
chest. I hadn't missed this time.

For good measure, I aimed and fired another
round. The power of the bullet swept the creature backward even
further. It hit the low wall and scrabbled with sharp claws to
catch its balance. My third shot was its undoing. With one last
howl, it finally went over the side.

As Carrie before it, its cries of fear and
anger preceded it to the ground below.

When silence once again took over the night,
my knees gave out beneath me. Tears burned my eyes, and I squeezed
them shut as wetness seeped beneath my lashes.

Oh, dear God. Please forgive me.

A crunch of stone snapped me out of my
self-recrimination.

Left without his previous adversary, Ty set
his sights on me.

He approached slowly, a predator stalking his
prey. I whipped the gun in his direction.

"Ty, please. It's me—Mac."

My words meant nothing to the animal before
me. I retreated back toward the stairs, my gun hand shaking. I
couldn't shoot him.

"Please, Ty..." I choked on the words. "I
don't want to hurt you."

He growled, the muscles in his shoulders
pulled taut.

"No! Don't!"

The words barely passed through my lips
before he sprang. His weight hit me square in the chest and it felt
like every one of my ribs would snap beneath the blinding pressure.
I hit the ground hard, the rough surface cutting into my back. He
glowered above me, his paws like steel clamps on my chest as he
pressed me down. Saliva dripped from his teeth, so close and
sharp.

I fumbled for the baton I had hastily stuffed
in my pocket. With a firm grip on the wooden stick, I jabbed him
hard in his lower torso. He roared at the sudden attack and flew
backwards off of me. Stunned by the blow, he lay on the ground
several feet away, his breathing ragged.

Every part of my body felt like it was on
fire, but I pushed through the pain, somehow managing to pull
myself up to a kneeling position. I pulled the capture gun free,
and with the help of my left hand, steadied my aim and fired a dart
into his side. It whistled through the air and hit home with a soft
pop. A weak snarl escaped him, but he soon quieted.

Long after his breathing grew shallow and
even, my fingers were cramped around the barrel of the gun, my aim
steady upon him. At last, I allowed myself to believe he was truly
asleep. I collapsed on the ground as the pain of the night's events
pushed past the adrenaline coursing through my body.

I wasn't sure how much time passed before I
was able to make myself move again. It didn't matter—time meant
nothing beneath the weight of my guilt and fear. Not just for what
had transpired that evening, but also for what I would soon have to
face. Someone would answer for Carrie's death. And for the other's,
whomever the creature was. I'd be damned if it would be Ty and me.
I would get us out of this.

Long before the first hint of daylight broke
across the dark sky, I forced myself to sit up. Every muscle in my
body ached to the point where it felt like my torso might
disconnect from my lower half. Somehow, I managed to crawl closer
to Ty. His breathing came in hard rasps, but they were steady
enough. His furry face fell just within the small circle of light
from the lone bulb above the door. Despite his ferocious
appearance, he was beautiful. Alive. Each breath he took was a gift
that lightened the weight on my soul.

At least he was safe.

"I'll be back," I whispered. "I won't let
anything happen to you."

I pulled myself up, my legs wobbling beneath
me. It was a slow and painful trek out to Ty's car, and I collapsed
against the soft leather seat for a long time before I was able to
start the engine and drive away. All the while, my traitorous
thoughts tried to form an image of what lay in the school
courtyard.

When I returned, Ty lay in the same position.
The first streaks of light were starting to play across the dark
sky, and I knew it would happen sooner than later.

At first, the changes were so minuscule that
I thought for sure they were simply a trick of shadow and light.
The first thing that convinced me was the thinning of the fur
around his face. In a matter of minutes, the pink flesh beneath the
thick hair peeked out at me.

Like a spectator watching blood sport, I
couldn't turn away. His body reminded me of a rubber band that's
been stretched tight and slowly allowed to return to its original
state. His hands, his feet—the very size of his body—seemed to
shrink before me and slowly melt back into his natural form. When
at last he lay before me as Ty, I collapsed across his firm stomach
and let my tears come.

I allowed myself only a short moment of
weakness before I got to work. Dressing him was no easy chore, but
I somehow managed to get him into a sweat suit and tennis shoes.
Waking him proved to be a bit easier, the drugs having partially
worn off. His groggy eyes seemed unable to register where he was,
but once they focused on my face, a dawning realization cleared the
haziness in their depths.

"Sssh," I whispered. "Everything's okay. But
I need to get you out of here. There's no time to explain right
now."

He nodded weakly and struggled to sit up. He
leaned heavily on me as we exited the school, but by the grace of
God I got him into his car. His clock read six forty-seven and we
had just enough time to get away before teachers and students
started to straggle in.

I drove to the lake, dreading the moment the
questions would begin. Ty lay heavily in the seat beside me, but
every now and then I felt his eyes upon me. When I parked the car,
I gripped the steering wheel tight and waited for the onslaught to
begin. I didn't have to wait long.

"Tell me everything."

I couldn't look at him while I recounted the
night's events. Instead I stared straight ahead, watching the light
break across the sky, the sun outlining the low lying clouds with
pink. When the sun peeked over the horizon, it turned the lake into
a glassy mirror that bounced the clouds back at the sky. It was a
beautiful November morning, but as I continued, a layer of despair
pressed down upon me.

He took the news of Carrie's death stoically,
only occasionally interrupting to ask clarifying questions.

"You didn't look to see who it was?" Ty
asked.

I shook my head, tears threatening to fall.
"I couldn't."

He nodded, his expression guarded.

I watched his profile, wishing I understood
what he was feeling and thinking. Dark smudges marred his eyes and
stubble lined his jaw. Thankfully, he remained unharmed. Whatever
damage the wolf had done to him had all but healed, though the
original marks across his chest remained.

"I'm sorry about Carrie," I said.

"So after you shot the other wolf, that's
when you juiced me?"

"What? Oh...y-yeah." I once again turned to
face the rising sun. "The gunshots took you by surprise and that's
when I hit you with a dart." I gulped hard, hoping he was too
distracted to pick up on my lie. I simply couldn't tell him the
truth. Not now.

"But that...thing. It didn't hurt you?"

"It tried, but no." I shivered slightly and
pulled my cardigan tight around me. "It's time to go."

He ran a hand through his dark hair. "I feel
like I could sleep for a week."

"I know. Soon, I promise."

When we got to school, the parking lot was
cordoned off as I suspected it would be. A police officer tapped on
the driver's side window, and I struggled to roll it down. A slight
tremor took up residency in my hands. In the rearview mirror,
several cars lined up behind me. Students began sticking their
heads out the windows, shouting bewildered questions to each
other.

"Yes?" I mumbled. "What's going on?"

"I'm afraid there's been some trouble up at
the school, miss. Classes have been canceled until further
notice."

"What happened?" Ty's voice sounded more
controlled than mine. Only the firm set of his jaw alerted me to
the emotional turmoil he was in.

The officer paused. He looked tired of
pleading the fifth. He couldn't have been more than a few years
older than us, and he still had the look of someone trying to
become an adult. Someone who could bear being in the know about the
darker side of life. I wondered if I still had that look or if I'd
already passed into adulthood.

"A student has died," he mumbled, shuffling
his feet.

"How'd it happen?" Ty asked.

I dug my fingernails into the soft leather
covering the steering wheel.

"No official word has come yet." The officer
glanced around nervously.

"What about unofficially?" I asked.

He studied my face. I struggled to keep a
calm façade. For a moment I thought I'd pushed him too far.

But then he blurted it out. "They're saying
suicide. That she jumped off the clock tower." He stared up at the
school, a hint of horror in his eyes, the illusion of what was
probably his alma mater shattered forever.

The knot in my stomach tightened even
further. "She? You mean she was alone?"

His eyebrows furrowed together. "Normally
that's how it's done."

I shot Ty a look, my pulse rate exploding
into overdrive. "I guess we should be going then." I turned to the
officer. "Thanks."

"Holy shit, Mac," Ty said as I pulled
away.

I shook my head. "It isn't possible."

Numb, I turned the car toward home. We were
at the exit when I spotted a small pick-up truck parked along the
road leading to the school. Caleb had the driver's side window
rolled down, a lit cigarette in his hand. As we passed, our eyes
met. He acknowledged me with a quick jerk of the chin. I glanced at
Ty, but thankfully his head was propped against the head rest and
his eyes were closed. I swallowed hard and looked back at Caleb. He
had the window rolled up and the sun's reflection on the glass made
it impossible to see his face.

There would be questions now.

o0o

Despite our exhaustion, Ty and I parked
ourselves in my family room and flipped through the news channels
for any mention of our school. Word came mid-morning. I tried not
to flinch when Carrie's picture flashed across the screen. Nor cry
when no mention of a second person was made. After we were
satisfied Carrie's was the only body found, Ty flipped the TV off
and threw the remote across the room.

"I'm telling you, I shot the damn thing three
times in the chest. With
your
silver bullets. Even if it
somehow managed to survive that, there's no way it could live
through that fall."

Ty remained silent, his shoulders tense.

"Are you mad at me?" I asked.

"Yes. No! Jesus, I'm not mad at you..." He
shrugged and paced the room. "It's just...dammit! We're back to
square one."

"I know."

"It could be anyone." He slammed his fist
against the wall. "How the hell am I supposed to protect you?"

I didn't have an answer. It was apparent that
leaving Ty alone in the shed was no longer safe. The person could
come back at any time to set him free again.