Dead by Morning (Rituals of the Night Book 1) (18 page)

“Yeah, I’ll be fine, and you’ll be here to keep an eye on him so I won’t be alone. He only goes into that mood when it’s just me and him.”

“Actually, I was thinking I should head home now,” Max said looking at her apologetically.

“Why?” she asked feeling a bit of fear at the thought of being left alone with Chance…even if he was unconscious.

“If he’s here then his dogs will stay around here. I’ll be safe long enough to get home this way,” Max said. “Please, Luna. Please do this for me.”

She looked at him and then Chance’s limp form as he continued to lie on the couch. “All right, Max, you can go, just please be careful, you don’t know if the dogs will follow you or not.”

He nodded. “Of course, and thanks, Luna, I won’t forget this,” he said, and in a flash he turned and crossed the room. He opened the door and disappeared as he closed it quietly behind him.

Luna watched him go in silence. His leg had been horrible, and that wound could’ve easily been on his throat. If he died, then her hope of stopping Chance would die with him. Without Max to guide her, she was blind and helpless. As weak as the injured bird that Chance had crushed.

She sighed and sat down on the couch beside Chance’s legs. What could she do until he woke up? Her eyes were beginning to droop as her exhaustion kicked in. She hadn’t gotten much sleep last night, and she was feeling it.

She glanced at him momentarily. He was still out cold. His silver blond hair was swept out of his eyes, and his eyes were still closed. She stared at him for a moment as she realized that he really was handsome. His nose was small and his lips were thin, they were completely proportional to his thin face. It was easy to see why girls swooned over him.

Luna leaned back against the couch and closed her eyes as she thought. She knew that his irresistible charm would spell out doom to the girls that fell for it. He was evil and when no one else was around him he showed it. Was there any way to stop him when no one saw through his spell until it was too late? He was like a cobra waiting to spring on an unsuspecting mouse.

And then there was Max. Chance wanted to kill him. Even though Max would never fall for Chance’s spell, what would happen to Max since he had broken his own rule and pulled the killer dogs out of the dream? If Max wasn’t careful and made one more mistake, he’d fall prey to their cruel jaws. And what had happened to Susan? Had she slipped to someone or had Chance simply grown tired of her?

Luna turned and looked at Chance once again. Did the boy on the couch beside her really have something to do with Susan’s disappearance…and Kate’s as well? Or was he just as much a victim of DreamWorld as Max and Luna were?

                                                                      Chapter Thirty-Two

Chance peeled open his eyes as he felt pressure on his chest. He looked to see Luna was lying on him. He smiled, ready to make a retort when he realized that she was sleeping. He smiled deeper.

He lifted her up a bit and pulled off his shirt before he took his alcohol bottle and set it gently in her hand. The worse he could make her look, the better it would work for him. She mumbled something in her sleep and Chance glanced at her before he heard the front door open. He looked up to see David carrying a bag of groceries, but at the sight of Luna and Chance together he nearly dropped his bag.

“What is this?” he asked with barely veiled anger.

Chance glanced up at him. “I’m so sorry, sir, it was Luna. She was really upset and crying when she called me. I came over to see what was wrong and saw she was drinking. I tried to comfort her and she passed out.”

David was silent for a moment. “Where’s your shirt?”

“She used it to blow her nose, sir,” Chance said.

“I see,” David said. He went into the kitchen to set down the bag before he came back into the living room.

“You said she was drinking?”

Chance gently lifted Luna’s hand that clutched the alcohol bottle. David looked at it and shook his head in disappointment.

“This is unacceptable.”

“I agree, sir.”

“Sad or not I think she needs to be punished for this,” David said.

Chance nodded glancing down at Luna. “I think she should be grounded for a while.”

David nodded. “It sounds reasonable. Would you mind keeping an eye on her? I’m planning on grounding her for about a week, and I want you to be her supervisor.”

Chance nodded. “I don’t mind it at all, sir.”

“Great. I’ll tell her when she wakes up.”

Chance nodded again and watched as David left, closing the door behind him. He smiled to himself; his plan was working to perfection.

                                                        ~~~~~~~~~~

“Wake up, Luna,” a soft voice whispered, and Luna felt warm breath sink into her scalp.

She groaned in her throat but didn’t open her eyes. She was tired and comfortable; for once she wasn’t having a sleep plagued with nightmares. She snuggled closer to her bed as she wanted the warm soft covers to pull her back into deep sleep. As she rested her ear on the surface once again, she realized it wasn’t fabric…and then she remembered that she wasn’t in bed.

She struggled to open her eyes against the exhaustion. She finally managed to peel open her groggy eyes and realized all she saw underneath her face was ivory skin on a chiseled chest. She followed the skin up to meet Chance’s blue eyes. It was then she realized he wasn’t wearing a shirt.

“You’re finally awake, huh?” he said smiling widely at her.

Instantly, she shot up off of him as fear and disgust pierced through her. “What…What’s going on? Please tell me I’m imagining this,” Luna said as she looked away from Chance.

“I know I’m incredibly gorgeous, but it’s all real,” he said confidently.

“Why aren’t you wearing a shirt?” she demanded almost not wanting the answer he’d say.

He smiled again, wider this time showing all of his teeth. She stared at him in quiet horror. What the hell had happened in the time she had fallen asleep? She didn’t remember a thing.

“Put your damn shirt on before David sees you,” Luna said angrily.

Chance smiled yet again. It was so wide that it looked painful. “He already saw us together so don’t worry about that.”

“Together?” she echoed. “What do you mean ‘together’?”

“You’re a trophy to me, Luna,” he replied.

He knew what he was saying made no sense to her and that made him smile even more. It was fun to him to taunt her and keep her confused. If she was confused, she was clueless. And if she was clueless, then she was helpless.

“What do you mean by that?” she demanded.

He shrugged. “Oh, by the way David is furious with you.”

“I wonder why that could be,” she snorted.

Chance tilted his head to the side and Luna recognized that innocent look again. “Is it ’cuz of your drinking problem?”

“I don’t have a drinking problem!” she snarled.

“Then what’s that in your hand, Love?” he asked.

Luna looked down and for the first time she realized her hand was clutched around the neck of Chance’s alcohol bottle. She stood up and dropped the empty bottle to the couch at Chance’s feet.

“That’s
your
bottle! Not mine!” she said. “You had it when you came over.”

“So you say, Loon,” he replied shrugging. “You have no proof.”

She rolled her eyes and stormed to the kitchen. Oh, how she wished that Max had stayed with her instead of going home! Max was her proof, without him it would once again be her word against Chance’s.

Luna thought for a minute as she made her way over to the table and sat down. If Max had stayed then none of the situation would’ve happened.  Chance seemed to know what had happened in that time…but she knew he wouldn’t say it…to her at least.

Half the school would know by Monday, she was sure. David knew too apparently. She shuddered, how she wished she would’ve never answered the door to him! This day was turning out to be one of the worst of her life.

Luna doubted she could ever leave the memory behind her. And to think she had thought Chance was a victim for even a second! Suddenly, she heard the front door close with force. Great. David was home from wherever he had been. Immediately David’s attention flicked to her as he noticed her sitting at the table. She had never seen an angrier look on someone’s face.

“Luna, I am very upset with you,” he said. “I don’t understand what’s gotten into you.”

She looked up at him and frowned. “I don’t know what happened, Dad, I’m serious! Chance came over drunk a few hours ago –you can even call Max and ask him because he was over- and Chance passed out on the couch, and Max left. I was so tired that I fell asleep next to him, and I woke up on him.” She shuddered at the memory.

“That’s a lie,” David said. “I saw the alcohol bottle in your hand! It was completely
empty!
If anyone was drunk, it was you! And to make things worse you’re trying to pass off the blame onto Chance. He’s a good kid, unlike you.”

“Dad! I’m telling you the truth,” Luna said. “Listen to me. That was
Chance’s
bottle. I’ve never drank alcohol in my entire life. And nor do I ever want to! I want to go to an Ivy League school not be an alcoholic.”

“Then how did the bottle get in your hand?” he asked.

“Chance put it there when I was sleeping!” she exclaimed.

“Why would he do that?” he asked calmly.

“To get me in trouble,” she said. “This is exactly what he did before!”

David shook his head. “Fighting and now drinking. Luna, what am I gonna do with you? You’re turning into a problem child. I never thought I’d see this day.”

“I did nothing wrong!” she said desperately.

“I’m gonna call Rose again and tell her what’s happened today. I don’t know what else to do,” he said walking over to the phone.

“Dad, don’t! You have no reason to…” Luna said frowning.

David put up his hand and she could tell he was done arguing with her. There was nothing she could do. She stood up angrily and stomped back into the living room. Either way she had to deal with someone thick-headed. Chance was still lying on the couch with his shirt off…much to her annoyance. She sat down by his feet.

“David’s calling Rose now, and I’m sure I’ll be in loads of trouble,” she said to him.

“Good, you’ll get a cure for your problem,” he said.

Luna frowned. “Chance, you know very well that I don’t drink. I can’t believe that you did this to me. Why did you put that in my hand?”

“I didn’t,” he replied shrugging and his face remained calm. “You drank it.”

“No, I didn’t, now tell me what you’re trying to do by getting me in trouble,” she growled staring fiercely into his blue eyes.

Chance looked around the room like he was looking to see where David had gone, and then looked back at her. “Do you really want to know?”

She nodded. “Duh, that’s why I asked.”

“I wanted to get you grounded,” he said.

“Why?” she asked him in disbelief.

He shrugged but didn’t answer. “I knew an empty alcohol bottle would do the trick, and I was right.”

“How did you do that?” Luna asked him in disbelief. “You were passed out. I remember that because you passed out
on
me.”

Chance grinned again. “I didn’t pass out, I wasn’t even drunk.”

She stood up as she stared at him in disbelief. It was then that she remembered that she and Max had been arguing about his secret while he had been ‘passed out’. She was sure Chance had been listening to every word of that conversation.

“What is the point?” Luna growled at him finally.

“If you’re grounded, then you and Max have to stay separated,” he said. “I know you told him my secret, I heard you two talking.”

“You’re unbelievable,” she snorted.

“So I’ve been told,” he said and his eyes flashed with an amused glint.

Luna shivered. “I think you’d better leave now.”

Chance stuck his tongue out at her but didn’t move. “I’m not going anywhere, honey.”

“Get out now before I kill you!” she screeched at him.

“Luna!” David’s angry voice bellowed from the other room.

Instantly her anger at Chance evaporated, and she sat down by his feet again. She realized she had probably just made worse on herself.

“Yeah, Dad?”

“Be nice to Chance,” he scolded.

“Why?” she challenged.

“The entire time you’re grounded he’ll be your supervisor,” he said.

“What!?” she screeched.

“He’s gonna come over every day to make sure you do your homework and don’t sneak out of the house,” he said.

“And when did you decide all of this!?” she said, screeching with disbelief.

“He asked me if I would do it when you were asleep,” Chance put in. “How could I say no?”

“I thought it would be a good idea, because he can keep an eye on you even at school,” David piped up.

“Dad, please just let Mom kill me instead,” Luna said nearly pleading.

“Luna,” David said and by his voice she could tell he was very unhappy.

Luna closed her mouth and looked at Chance. He was smiling at her again, and the sight made her stomach churn. He was sure he had won. She would be stuck for an undetermined amount of time in her house like a prisoner with a murderer as her guard.