Hunter Moon: A Grazi Kelly Novel #2 (13 page)

“Maybe she didn’t forgive you?” Randall said
with a smirk. Seff rubbed his hair again.

“We’ll get your boy here home without a
problem alright? I know the county sheriff, I’ll get him to tell
his dad the kid got sick that’s all.”

“Okay. Are you sure? You’ll take care of
him?” I rubbed my hand across his forehead. He was feverish. He
looked the same. Dark brown hair, incredible good looks. Only he
was different now. In my eyes anyway.

I wasn’t familiar with the Sebby the spell
had called forth. It was not a side of him I liked. I wasn’t sure
what to think of him now, but I knew I wouldn’t rest until I find
out exactly what had happened to him. I owed him that much. As a
friend.

“He’ll be fine. Look, I just texted your
guards, Sascha and Dimitri. They’ll be here shortly. We’ll see to
it Sebastian gets home, alright?”

“It’s not that I don’t trust you Mr.
Maccon-“

“Call me Rafe please, Mr. Maccon is my
dad.”

“Dude, she thinks you’re old!” Seff grinned.
Randall coughed, but I suspected he was hiding a laugh.

Rafe looked sternly at both of them and they
turned their heads down and to the side. He was clearly the Alpha.
A good one too since they were still smirking even with throats
bared. I couldn’t help but smile.

Ronan and I went back to the party to let
Angela know we’d be leaving. Only when we walked in, there was no
way we were leaving. My cousin, yeah you know the one.
Julianna
. Miss I-am-perfect was dancing.

Not on the floor like a normal prom queen
type. Nope. She was on top of a table. And as if that wasn’t bad
enough, Mr. Rapper-Wolf-Moon-player-dude was running his grimy
hands up her legs and looking up her non-existent skirt.
Great,
Jules. Just great.

Lizette and Jennifer were nowhere to be found
and my cousin was now seriously out of control. I narrowed my eyes
and felt Ronan at my side. He was angry too.
Great.
I
couldn’t get sidetracked by my own petty jealousy here. I needed to
put a stop to this. I took in the crowd, not many were paying
attention to my cousin’s show except for a familiar head of bouncy
red curls.

Angela was standing a few feet from
Julianna’s display. A look of complete shock on her face. I only
hoped she didn’t take a few pictures for NewsFlash. She saw me and
Ronan and ran towards us.

“OMG! Grazi! What are you gonna do? You have
to get her out of here before something happens!”

“Selfies!!!” Julianna stumbled off the table
and took her cell out.

She snapped pics of her and her new
boyfriend. They were slobbering all over each other in a way that
would turn her hair white in the morning. I took a fortifying
breath and ran over. I tapped her on the shoulder.

“Julianna, we have to go. Now.”

“Eew. Go away, Grazi. You ruin everything.
Besides I am having sooo much fun.”

“Julianna trust me, you don’t want to be
doing this.”

“Hey, she’s fine right here.” Thug boy gave
her thigh a squeeze and I grabbed his hand.

I could tell by the look of utter and
complete shock on his face that I was hurting him.
Oh well. What
the heck? It’s not like he doesn’t deserve it.
A little more
pressure and he cried out and dropped to one knee.

“Get away from my cousin.” I spoke very
slowly and clearly. Just to make sure he understood.

“Alright, alright. Jeez, what are you on
steroids or something?” He held onto his sore hand and walked away.
I could feel his hard stare from across the room.
Creep.

“Hey! That was my friend, Grazi. Not that you
would know what that is. Oh, hi, Ronan, you’re my friend too aren’t
you?” Julianna hung onto Ronan and wrapped her arms around his
neck. He looked unsure of what to do so I rolled my eyes and
motioned for him to pick her up. Even drunk she was beautiful
Oh
well, no one said life was fair.

“Come on. Sascha’s out front.” Julianna
tripped and Ronan lifted her completely off her feet. She giggled
stupidly and leaned back. I held her head up so she didn’t hit it
when we walked out the door. I’d probable regret that later.

“What’s wrong with pretty girl?” Sascha asked
as he held the door open for Ronan. I hopped in first planning to
take care of my cousin. But Julianna had other plans. She wouldn’t
let Ronan go so he was forced to squeeze in the back with both of
us.

“Not the middle, I need air.” She scooted
across my lap and pushed me towards the middle seat. Next to Ronan.
We were both so tall the only way we fit was if I half sat on top
of him.

“I’m really sorry.” I said to him and I meant
it. My cheeks were flushed and the ridiculously small outfit I had
on was making me self-conscious.

“No problem.” His voice was deep and
gravelly. I looked into his eyes and noted they were glowing. His
Wolf looked at me and I saw approval and something else in his
gaze. It made me blush.

“Wow. Your eyes glow! Pretty.” Julianna
hiccupped and pointed at Ronan. Then she went back to concentrating
on her breathing.

“I don’t feel so good.” She hung her head out
the window her perfectly groomed hair blowing in the breeze in a
million shades of gold. She was turning a little green though.
Serves her right
.

“I think I’m gonna puke.”

“No kidding. Just wait till we’re home.” I
told her.

We arrived in twenty minutes. That was the
beauty of living in the suburbs. Everything was twenty minutes
away. Whether you wanted to get to NYC, walk on the waterfront in
Hoboken, do some snowboarding in Vernon, ride horses in Sussex or
whatever. It was twenty minutes away, give or take.

Ronan carried Julianna to our back porch. I
figured it would be easier to sneak her in that way. He stood her
up, but held onto her weaving form as she leaned against the door.
I unlocked it and turned to thank Ronan.

He was closer than I had anticipated. He
reached up to brush back a strand of my hair. I found myself
drowning in his eyes.

“Wish someone looked at me like that.”
Julianna murmured and then
flash
. She was still taking
selfies.
Totally in love with yourself, aren’t you, cuz?

“Goodnight, Maria. I’ll text you when Dimitri
gets back with word of Sebastian.”

“Thank you.”

I tiptoed with Julianna up the stairs. I was
strong enough to carry her, but that didn’t make it easy. She was
dead weight. It was no use though. Aunt Theresa was waiting on the
landing to her room.

“Oh my God! What did you do to her? Vito,
Vito!” She grabbed Julianna from my hands. I guess she didn’t
realize Julianna was all but passed out because my cousin slid to
the floor and hit her head.

“Oww!” I closed my eyes at her slurred
speech. She sounded so drunk. And me? Well, I was standing there in
an itty bitty costume with the one person in the world who
seriously hated me. Julianna’s mom, my Aunt Theresa.

“You did this! Vito! Vito!” My aunt waved her
finger in my face and I bent down to help Julianna.

“You just get away from her! Vito!”

“What is it, Resa? Julianna, you okay? Grazi,
what happened? What the hell do you girls have on? Oh never mind,
come on baby, upsy daisy.” Uncle Vito lifted his daughter up and
started towards her bedroom.

“Oh my God, Vito! What did she do to my baby?
What did you do?” Aunt Theresa was yelling again and pointing at
me.

“I didn’t
do
anything to her. She
showed up at the cosplay party. We weren’t together except for when
she got sick and needed a ride home-”

“Liar! You did this! You must have given her
something!” Aunt Theresa was hysterical trying to get Julianna to
talk when all the poor girl wanted to do was pass out. Uncle Vito
rubbed his sleepy face and tried to reason with my aunt.

“Theresa, she’s drunk. Grazi didn’t pour the
booze down her throat, now come on. She’ll be fine in the morning
and we’ll talk then okay?”

“No, it’s not okay!”

“
Shhh!
Zitto!
You’ll wake
ma!”

“Too late,” Nonna walked in with a cup of tea
and a damp washcloth in her hands.

“Theresa, get her to take some of this.” My
aunt may not like me, or Nonna for that matter, but she knew better
than to refuse one of my grandmother’s homemade medicinal teas.

She took the cup and started ministering to
her daughter. I actually pitied Julianna right then. I had my head
down. I tried to back out of the room, but Nonna stopped me.

“Maria Graziana, where do you think you are
going? I think you have some explaining to do,
si
?”

“Yes, Nonna.”

“Go take off that
costume
,
si
,
then meet me in the kitchen.” I hurried to change in my room. I was
surprised to see Ronan sitting on my window ledge.

“Oy, did you get caught then?”

“Yeah. My grandma’s angry. I have to go
downstairs. Will you wait for me?”

“Of course.”

I grabbed a robe and pajamas and headed for
the bathroom. I took a few minutes to change and when I came out
Ronan was flipping through a paperback on the window seat.
Stephen King. Hmm. Good choice.
He’d be fine.

I walked quickly to the kitchen careful not
to make any noise. I could hear my aunt and uncle still arguing
about what had happened in their bedroom. Rebecca was still asleep
and Julianna was snoring away. Completely oblivious to the drama
she had caused. She probably wouldn’t care anyway.

“Nonna?”

“
Si
,
viene qua
.” I entered the
kitchen and saw my grandma sitting down with her own cup of tea.
She had another poured for me.

“Maria, what is happening to you, it is scary
for me,
si
, very scary. I am old now, my children, one is
grown and one is gone. I know I have not been here for you lately,
but please, if you are getting in trouble I want you to come to me.
Is it drinking, drugs?
Che cosa?
”

The look on my grandmother’s face made me
cringe. I was overwhelmed with guilt and anger.
How could she
think I did drugs? What did I do to make her think that?

“Nonna, no! I was really at a costume party!
Julianna was with her friends and I was with mine. I went to get
some air and when I came back she was like that and her friends
were gone. Uncle Sean sent his car for us. We should thank
him.”

“Hmm, your Uncle Sean, maybe so. Okay, it’s
late and I’m too old for this. Go to bed.”

“Okay. I am sorry, Nonna. I tried to help
her, really I did.”

“I know.
Buona notte, cara.
”

“Goodnight, Nonna.” I kissed her on her
springy white curls and she patted my arm. I took the stairs two at
a time and hurried back to my room.

I didn’t see him at first. He was no longer
sitting up by the window sill, book in hand. He was sprawled out on
my bed on top of my comforter. He breathed softly. I just stood
there dumbfounded for a moment or two.
There’s a boy in my room.
On my bed. Okay, he’s sleeping, but still.

I wasn’t sure what to do so I simply stared.
The soft moonlight poured in from the window and highlighted his
hair. It went from dark auburn, to red, to gold. It had gotten so
much longer in his few months here. I liked it.

He looked so peaceful. Not the anxious,
always on the move, and sometimes irritable Ronan that I was
familiar with. This Ronan was
different
. Maybe even a little
bit more approachable.

I realized with a yawn that I was tired too.
I sat on the bed, careful not to disturb him. I got under the
covers and closed my eyes. He turned and put an arm around me. It
was warm and safe.

I snuggled closer. I thought it would feel
strange, but it was as if this was the most natural thing in the
world. Lying next to him. When I was with Sebby I was always so
self-conscious, but with Ronan there was no need to hide who I was.
Interesting.

I inhaled.
Mmmm
. I liked his scent.
That unique combination that was all Ronan. Like a forest of
evergreens. Tall, strong, dependable, eternal. I must have drifted
off just breathing him in, listening to his soft exhales.

The dream came again.

It was dark. There was no light coming from
the floorboards above me. I was there again. In the damp basement.
No tunnels this time. It reeked of murder. The cold room was ripe
with it.

A newer corpse lay on the ground facedown
drained of blood. I could sense the fear and pain the poor man had
suffered. I crept towards the stairs and listened.
Silence
.
I pushed opened the door with my muzzle and ignored the filth that
greeted me.

There was more than last time. I hadn’t
thought it possible to fit any more garbage in one place. The
stench of the rotten food, waste, and debris permeated the air. I
vowed to take shallow breaths.

Not easy for a Werewolf. Panting is kind of a
thing with us. Makes you taste the air too.
The better to smell
you with.
It was gross sometimes. Like now.

I hurried down the hall until I came to a
familiar door. An additional lock was placed on the outside of the
door. I growled low. They were expecting company maybe. Just not a
Werewolf.

I extended my razor sharp claws and swiped at
the lock. Once, then twice. I cut the metal lock to shreds and
caught it in my mouth before it hit the floor. I spit it out gently
as I could.

When I entered I had to stop myself from
howling. The poor boy was sprawled face down on the bare mattress.
He had been fed on and recently too. Death surrounded him. I could
smell it. Oh Lord, I could see it too.

A dark cloud hovering way to close for it to
be good. I growled at it but it did no good. The cloud stayed.
Maybe he was already dead? I prayed to God that I was wrong.