Moonlight's Peril (Moonlight Series Book 1) (4 page)

Chessa grinned. She’d never been much of a reader, but anything to break up the boredom was a blessing.
Maybe the story will take my mind off Dad.
She spent a lot of time shivering in the dark reliving how he died. She’d been bitten and was slowly dying.
No one can feel this bad and live.

“Please, let me go. My mom doesn’t have any money. If they’re waiting for ransom she probably can’t get the cash,” Chessa told Joy. “We could escape together.” She’d noticed more fresh bruises on Joy’s arms. “If they hurt you too, don’t stay.” She stared at Joy. “Help me, and we’ll run away.”

Joy gave her such a sad smile it made Chessa’s throat ache. A tear slipped down Joy’s check as she reached out and stroked Chessa’s hair away from her face. “If there were a way to escape I’d help you. I’m sorry.” Chessa tried not to cry.
Mom wouldn’t cry.

Chessa was so emotional, and it was more than just the captivity. She didn’t feel like herself anymore. Anger festered inside of her, and something even darker lurked beneath.

Joy handed Chessa a fresh carafe of water, then she left. Chessa guzzled the liquid but felt no relief. Frustrated, she took her book, and the water, to the best-lit area of her hell. The book was old, and the ragged cover was torn. The pages were frayed from use. Imagining Joy alone in a different dank cell, reading the book, gave Chessa the chills.

Five

“Don’t call me
woman
! That’s so sexist.” Overreacting to Law’s word choice was easier than dealing with living mythology.

Law turned his head. When he looked at Bianca, his eyes seemed to strip her soul bare. He chuckled. “I told you if you kept looking you’d find things you didn’t want to know about. They’re not going to like that you’ve seen them. This puts you in far more danger than you realize. Just do your daughter a favor and stay alive. If you want to save her, you’ll need to keep out of trouble. Go home and hunker down for the next twenty-four hours. I’m going to do what I can to protect you, but—Bianca you have to trust me.”

Trust was asking a lot, far more than she thought she could give this strange man. “How do I know you aren’t using your lackeys to make me believe I see something I’m not? You could be planning to move her tonight. This could all be a ploy to scare me away. The Wild Rose Valley PD would never believe I saw what I saw. This is the perfect way to discredit me.”

“You are trying way too fucking hard to find reasons not to let me help you. Killing you would be a hell of a lot easier than tricking you. I’m supposed to protect
my people
above all else, but I’ve just given you
my
vow. I don’t play games or tricks. This is life and death, woman.”

She shivered and let his second use of “woman” go. “If
your people
are being threatened by those things, isn’t that all the more reason to get the police involved. My friend Randal Masterson is a game warden. Maybe he can help?”

“No. This isn’t a problem the police or a game warden can solve. You don’t understand the stakes. These woods have belonged to something beyond human even before the first settlers made their way west to settle here. The Native Americans are smart enough to still believe, but city humans are too happy to make excuses for what they can’t explain.”

Humans?
She stomped her foot and threw her hands up in the air before taking a step closer to him and intentionally invading his personal space. “Stop being evasive. I saw. I believe. Now tell me what those hairy things are or I’m going to the police. Give me one good reason to trust you. Tell me the truth.”

“The first thing I’m going to tell you is to stop demanding those
things
be murdered. I need to know you can accept a simple fact—not everything different is evil. There are human murderers in prison, but not all humans are murderers, right?”

“Of course.”

“So if I told you those
things
had the same intellect as a human would you accept that not all of them are dangerous?”

Bianca gazed at the disturbed brush where the hairy bigfoot-looking thing had ambled away. She remained quiet. Her next words mattered. She’d seen the consciousness in the monster’s eyes.

“Okay,” she said.

“Okay?”

“I accept that not every human is a murderer, so it’s possible not all bigfoots are bad.”

“You didn’t see Bigfoot. There are no such thing as a bigfoot.”

She exhaled an incredulous cry. “You saw what I saw, right?”

A loud crashing through the woods interrupted the conversation. Her mind couldn’t even process the extent of the danger until it was too late to run. Both of the creatures were coming for them—her—full speed. Bianca didn’t even have time to scream before the darker-furred monstrosity pounced on her. The other skidded to a halt inches from Foster. The breath returned to her lungs with a gasp, and she gazed wide-eyed into the face of death. The suffocated feeling made her chest ache.

“She’s a threat,” said the blond-furred monster. Bianca turned to gawk at the impossible. It looked Law in the eyes. That voice sounded so familiar. Carter?

Carter dropped his son off at the community center every third Monday after his monthly weekend because his ex-wife was terrified of him.

“Tobias is getting older, foolish. I’m making the call to kill her. We need new leadership and your claim on her means nothing. She’s human,” said the Carter-creature as he paced around Law. Bianca tried to swallow past the dry spot in the throat. She pulled her face away from the confrontation between Law and the monster to look into the brown eyes gazing down at her. It growled, and saliva hit her face. She tried not to breathe.

“I’m not a threat to you. Who would believe me?” she said, making eye contact with the monster on top of her. He barred his teeth at her, growling. Talking wasn’t a good idea.

“The old ways have kept us safe,” Law said.

“It’s time for new ways. It’s time for a new generation,” said Carter.

“Tobias is still your alpha. The old rules stand, and she’s mine,” Law replied. The confidence in his tone gave Bianca hope.

Carter growled. Law growled back.
Law growled.
The dark-furred creature turned to look, and so did Bianca. She held her breath as Law’s body twisted and contorted. Fur sprang out to cover his skin.
Suddenly overnight beard isn’t so weird anymore.
Only a hint of humanity remained in his face as he glanced down at her. Then nothing human lingered.

Law was one of them, but he didn’t look like a movie monster as Carter, and his friend did. Law morphed into an honest-to-God wolf with beautiful silver fur. Carter attacked, and Law sprang up to meet his adversary mid-air.

Bianca lay helplessly pinned under the werewolf.
Oh dear God, these guys are really werewolves. Please God, let this thing still be male.
She jabbed her knee up, hard and fast. The creature yipped, and Bianca used every ounce of her strength to get out from under him. He rolled to his side and emitted a half-grow half-groan. Taking advantage of Carter’s friend’s moment of distraction she picked up a large fallen branch.
If Law planned to kill me, I’d already be dead.
At that moment, she gave him her trust.
Bianca swung hard, cracking Carter in the back of the head.

Carter hadn’t expected the assault and Law used the surprise to launch another attack. The blond wolf gave a high-pitched yelp as Law bit into his neck, hard. Blood splattered. A growl came from behind her. Bianca turned. The dark-furred one was up on his feet and looked pissed. She considered running but knew she’d never make it far. Fur boy took two steps in her direction before Carter tumbled into him.

Law jumped them both. She backed up, unsure if she should run or stay and help. Since she didn’t know the terrain or where her car sat, she held her branch ready to fight but longed for the gun she’d left behind with her dropped pack. The horrible sounds of the battle etched in her memory.

Law stood outnumbered. She’d never seen wild animals—or whatever the hell they were—fight before, but she was impressed. Her survival hinged on his, and she’d never rooted so hard for someone in her life. Watching the struggle, she considered lunging out with her feeble weapon but realized she’d only be in the way.

At a hundred and sixty pounds and five-six, she wasn’t a delicate little flower, but fighting very big beasties wasn’t in the scope of her physical ability. Then she realized these guys probably killed Lucas. They had to have Chessa.

“Don’t kill them!” she screamed with sudden, terrifying lucidity. “They have Chessa.”

Her pronouncement caused Law to lose focus. The pair pressed their advantage. Cursing herself, she decided she couldn’t stay out of the fight. If she’d die anyway, at least she could tell Saint Peter she’d gone down in a blaze of glory.

Bianca swung her branch as hard as she could and put all her weight behind the assault. Carter yelped as wood connected with his lupine skull. His teeth snapped shut. He yowled, and his buddy’s attention went to her with a growl. Law used their surprise to pounce. He and Carter rolled while the dark furred monster stumbled, unsteady even with four feet. The dark one bolted as Law ripped a good chunk out of Carter’s hindquarter. The coward followed his friend.

Bianca stood in anticlimactic shock as she focused on the direction the werewolves had fled.
Werwolves.
The word echoed in her brain. When she pulled it together, she turned to look at her unlikely ally.

Law stumbled, and his body returned to that of a man. A very naked man. Her eyes widened and her mouth parted with astonishment as he collapsed in the dirt. She hadn’t expected him to go human so fast. Law was the victor, but he sure didn’t look the part. His wounds made her wonder if
winner
was the right term. Seeing him so injured made her stomach knot. The quick flash of something deeper than empathy took her by surprise.

“Was that Carter Montgomery?” Bianca asked. Law groaned but nodded an affirmative to her suspicions. “Now I know why he gives me the creeps.” Her body moved on autopilot as she held scraps of Law’s shredded flannel shirt to his gaping injuries. His big body rested in a puddle of blood.

“What you saw wasn’t a bigfoot,” he said between gritted teeth. “We are
loup
-
garou
.”

“A what?”

“Basically, we’re werewolves.”

“Basically…”

“The cultural myths get so much wrong. Help me up.”

She did. He wasn’t light. Looking around she realized she’d have to be his crutch because he’d never make it back alone in his condition.

“They’ll have scouts on the road. You’ll never make it back to town.”

She didn’t want to go to his “farm”. Deep down she still hoped this was a hallucination. Returning to Wild Rose Valley had to be safer than staying out here. “I want to go home. I’ll be safe in town.”

“No place is safe for you now. The police won’t help you. Lucas’s death wasn’t national news. Didn’t you find that strange? It was both gruesome and mysterious.” Law trapped her face between his hands. “This town is a safe place for my kind, not yours.” His gray eyes seemed unnaturally bright as she gazed up into his eyes. He clenched his teeth.

“Don’t talk. You need your strength,” Bianca said. She had no idea if that was true, but her mind needed a second to process everything. Guilt surged. She’d forced him to tell her. He’d kept her alive.

He moaned. “Knowing is a death sentence.”

Rage drove out all her kinder feelings.
Does that mean his kind murdered Chessa? “
If you knew where Chessa was, why didn’t you tell me?” Her voice rose as she slapped her hand against his chest, but he didn’t let her go.

“You’d have rushed off into the woods, and they’d have killed you. I’m not certain she’s alive. You have to face the fact she might be gone. I didn’t—don’t want you to die too.”

He was right, but that still didn’t make her less resentful. “It should’ve been my choice.”

“How much help would your daughter get if they rip you apart?”

“You’re right.” Bianca forced herself to meet his eyes.
I hate you for being right.
“How do I save my daughter?”

“Right now we need to save ourselves. I was trying to avoid this, but I think it’s too late. More will come. “Fuck!” He screamed in pain as he limped forward.

“We need to get you to a hospital—or a vet. Whatever.”

“I just need to keep moving.”

“Hiking can’t be good for your injuries.”

“A hospital wouldn’t be able to help me. I promise you I’m healing. Walking is best for me, running would be better.”

“Running? You could have a broken leg.”

“If I don’t move I can’t heal right. Trust me. I know more about what I am than you do.”

Bianca couldn’t argue. She let him lean on her. They made their way back to the trail.

Law’s whole body shuddered. “The adrenaline of a run would fix me right up, but I’m still hurting too much so I’ll just walk.”

He pointed to the left. “That way. We get your backpack and go to the farm.”

They walked a few steps. Bianca sucked in a quick sympathy breath as he groaned. She cringed every time he put one deliberate step in front of another. Uneven ground made every step a challenge. Her back ached as she did all she could to support his massive frame and take the weight off his bad leg.

Reaching the ridge top, Bianca found her backpack and managed to grab the strap as they passed without losing her grip on Law. She unzipped the side pocket as they limped forward. Bending her wrist at an awkward angle, she fished out her sweatshirt. Together they tied the garment around his waist. She’d already seen everything, but the act of giving him some modesty back made her feel better. They trudged on in silence.

The walk was far longer than someone in his condition should have been able to handle, but he moved better with every step.
My car, thank goodness!
Bianca’s strangled cry of relief startled a chipmunk; the little guy darted past their feet. Every muscle in her body hurt. Because of the secluded location, she hadn’t bothered to lock the car doors. The keys were in the ignition. She helped Law get into the passenger seat before going around to collapse on the driver’s side.

“The farm,” Law said. She could hear his agony.

“Are you sure we shouldn’t go to the hospital?”