Riley's Curse, A Moon's Glow Prequel (13 page)

It was a long day of interviews and I was
thankful when five o'clock rolled around.

"Do you want to go out for a bite to eat?"
John asked, as he packed his black leather briefcase with papers.
"I'll sneak you a beer." His eyes lit up with amusement, all the
fear from earlier, evaporated.

I laughed, in reality I was three times
his age, but I didn't look old enough to drink. "No thanks, I have
some paperwork to get to." I packed up a pile of files, stuffing
them into a navy backpack. I couldn't use a briefcase like John
did.
What
teenager walked around with a briefcase
? "See you tomorrow," I called over my shoulder as
we parted outside the office. He was heading to the back where the
parking garage was located. Since I had parked out front, I headed
through the store, noting the workers finishing off shelves while
others stocked the ones that were finished. We were opening in one
month and so far everything was on schedule.

As soon as I stepped out into the cold
February evening, my senses tingled. Her scent wafted into my
nostrils, overriding the smell of exhaust from the cars as
commuters were heading home from work. I tensed more out of habit
than fear. "What do you want Sadie?" I asked, looking straight
ahead as a red Boxter slowed in the street in front of me. I knew
she was next to me leaning against the building. I stepped up to
the curb where my car was parked.

"I want to know why you have a problem with
me." Her voice carried over a horn honking and the voices of
pedestrians passing us on the sidewalk.

I sighed, feeling tried. She really was a
pain in the butt. "Call me crazy, but I don't hire killers." I spun
around to face her. She looked the same as she had earlier, but now
her face was bright red from the cold. "It's a policy we have."

Shock clouded her usually cheerful face. "You
think I would kill someone?" Her breath puffed from the chill in
the air.

"You are a werewolf, that’s what we do."

"I don't, I never have." She took a step
closer, placing her gloved hand on my arm. "Have you?" Her voice
was not accusatory; it was full of understanding and compassion

I looked away from her, ashamed. "I don't
have time for this, I have to get home. I have paperwork to get
to."

She pulled her hand away. "Okay, let's go.
I'm awesome at paperwork."

I simply gaped at her as she stepped around
the car, opened the passenger side door, and climbed in. "Are you
coming?" she called through the closed window.

With a shrug of my shoulders, I pulled open
my door, tired of arguing with her.

When we pulled up to my house fifteen minutes
later, Sadie stared out the car window. "You live all the way out
here?" I had found this small house just on the outskirts of the
city. It was a small blue sided one level house, with a small porch
stretched across the front. The best part of this location was that
it backed onto woodland that would never be developed, since it
came with the house.

I nodded. "Yes, this is my home." I turned
off the ignition and reached for my stuff.

She had already jumped out of the car, and
was wandering around the property. "You own all of this?" she
called from the edge of the lawn. She was staring into the trees, a
look of awe on her face.

Her enthusiasm was endearing. "Yes, I own as
far as you can see."

She grinned, her face flush with excitement.
"How is the animal life?"

Her excitement was contagious, and I felt my
lips turn up into a smile. "Plentiful."

"You are so lucky. You can let your wolf run
free any time you want." She was quiet for a few moments, taking in
the view before us. Finally, she turned to me, her eyes bright. "I
live in a tiny apartment. On the full moon nights I have to change
behind a dumpster and run thirty miles to the nearest ravine. I
don't have enough money for a car." She paused, taking one last
longing glance at the woods, before turning around, and heading for
the front of my house. I followed her, watching her delicate steps
through the lawn. Her small feet left footprints in the frosty
grass. Was she truly as innocent as she appeared to be?

Clomping up the porch steps she turned to me.
"So, are you making dinner? I'm starving."

After sliding the key into the lock, I pushed
open the door and stepped aside so she could enter. "Why don't I
also run you a bubble bath?" I said, with my voice as sarcastic as
I could make it.

She glanced around taking in the surroundings
of the house when she turned to me. "Sure, that sounds great." Her
eyes held a glint of humor.

My only response was to scowl.

Her lips twitched. "I'm kidding. I'll go if
you don't want me here." She stared at me innocently, her eyes
pleading. How could I turn her away? She reminded me of a stray
puppy dog.

"Fine, you can stay for dinner. Make yourself
at home." I hadn't even gotten the words out, before she tossed her
bag onto the sofa, and sprawled onto a chair.

Ignoring her, I pulled the papers out of my
bag, placing them on my desk, and then began to prepare a couple of
steaks. I liked them rare, and I knew my guest would as well. After
I cleaned the potatoes, I put them in the oven and grabbed two
drinks out of the fridge. I handed her one, before taking a seat in
the chair across from her. "So tell me about yourself. Do you live
alone? Do you still have family? Why don't you have money for a
car?"

She twisted the lid off of her juice, and
grinned before taking a sip. Once she swallowed she said, "Yes, I
live alone. Yes I still have family, but they think I'm dead so I
stay away. And I don't have a car because I look like a teenager,
and can't get a better job. I still go to high school for crying
out loud."

Surprised by this, my eyes widened. "You
do?"

She spun the bottle cap on the coffee table,
and nodded. "Yeah, I got tried of hearing people nag me about
school, so I go. If I had money I'd go to college. That would be
fun. I've been to three different high schools, and have had it up
to here with graduation ceremonies, but not once have I been able
to go to college." She sighed leaning back onto the plush brown
sofa.

Remembering something that she had said
earlier I asked, "Why does your family think you're dead?"

She sighed, playing with the material of her
pants. "It’s a long story; do you really want to hear it?"

"We've got time, those potatoes will take
forever." I leaned back in my chair, drawing lines in the
condensation on my bottle.

"Okay then, here goes. I lived in New York
with my family. We were quite well off, my parents are both
lawyers. My brother was in university studying law and I was
seventeen and in high school, getting straight A's. You see, I was
also going to follow in the family footsteps. I took all the
prerequisites needed for law in preparation." She paused, a look of
sadness crossing her face. "But all my work and studying was for
nothing, because a few months after I turned seventeen, I got sick.
At first we thought it was the flu, but it lasted for months. After
about the fourth doctor telling me that all I needed was rest, my
parents took me to a specialist. We found out that I didn't have
the flu…it was Leukemia. And I was too far gone for any medicine to
help."

My heart went out to her and her family. A
few of my family members had died from cancer, and it wasn't a
pretty sight.

She changed her position on the couch,
sitting up and wrapping her arms around her knees. "I was in the
hospital for months. By the end, I could barely breathe. I had made
friends with a young doctor named Miles. He used to visit me,
bringing me books, magazines and candy, even though I couldn't keep
anything down. One night, after my family left to go home and
change clothes, he came to see me. I knew I didn't have much time
left, and I was actually hoping for death, anything to ease the
pain."

A tear fell down her cheek, and my heart
ached for her. "What happened?" I whispered.

"He brought us in some sodas and chips, to
watch a movie on the television. When the movie ended, and the
screen went black, the room was dark. I couldn't see his face. But
he whispered something to me."

"What?" I asked softly, captivated by her
tale.

"He said 'How badly do you want to be cured?'
I told him I wanted it more than anything. Then he asked me if I
was willing to leave my family forever. I didn't want that, I loved
them dearly, but if I died, I wouldn't see them anyway. I asked him
what he meant and then he explained, but first he told me that I
couldn't tell a soul, not even my parents. Once I made my promise,
he told me that he was a werewolf and by biting me, it would cure
me of all ailments. Then he explained that I would never age and
I'd turn into a wolf once a month or by will, if I chose it." She
paused, lifting her feet up onto the coffee table.

I cringed at the sight of her mud caked Mary
Janes, resting on my mahogany table.

"I agreed, not entirely believing his story,
but at that point I was so weak I couldn't think straight. He took
me that night, carrying me in his arms. It was in the middle of the
night and no one noticed. Later I found out he faked my death
telling them that I was already sent to the crematorium. He took me
to a hunting lodge where he retreated once a month for the full
moon, and then he turned into a wolf. I was so groggy with fatigue
and pain that it barely fazed me. The bite didn't even hurt.

"After that he taught me everything about
what I had become. He hid me in the cabin and on weekends would
bring me provisions and news on my family. He was really kind to
me. I will never forget him."

"Where is he now?" I asked. "Why aren't you
still with him?"

"He found his mate. And after everything he
did for me, I felt like I was in the way, so I moved on. He gave me
money and a car, but it died about a year ago. I've been a bit of a
drifter ever since."

I realized by listening to her story that I
really didn't know much about werewolves. "What do mean, his
mate?"

"Don't you know anything about werewolves?"
she asked, echoing my thoughts.

"Not much."

Just as she opened her mouth to speak, I
smelled the potatoes, and I knew it was time to put the steaks on.
"Keep talking, I'm listening."

I stepped into my small kitchen. She followed
me, and leaned against the door frame. I pulled the steaks out of
the refrigerator and placed them to broil for a few minutes just to
brown the outside.

While I finished preparing the meal and we
sat down to eat, she explained everything she knew about
werewolves, starting with a wolf's mate. Apparently every werewolf
has one, and finds them by scent. It’s a smell engrained into your
soul so when you catch the scent you know that person belongs to
you. Once you find them, you won't ever be able to leave them. The
concept was not something I ever wanted to happen. I've tried to
keep people away from me, because of Rowan. If he ever heard that I
had found my mate, he wouldn't be able to resist punishing me by
hurting her. And after Charlotte killed Lucy, I vowed to never get
involved again. It was too painful to lose someone I cared
about.

Next, Sadie told me to avoid silver.
Evidently, all the legends were true. It won't kill a werewolf
unless a silver bullet pierces the head or heart. But it burns at
the touch. If for some reason silver gets under your skin, get it
out. If it is lodged in your body long enough it will kill you.

The images her story created were not
appealing. I made a note to stay away from anything silver.

"And that’s all I can think of to tell you,"
she said shoveling potatoes into her mouth.

I watched her as she gobbled her food, as if
she hadn't eaten in a week. "When is the last time you ate?"

"Not since breakfast."

"That’s dangerous. You need to eat more
often."

"I know. I'm the one that’s never killed
before, remember?" I flinched at the reminder. "I was waiting for
you so I missed lunch."

I didn't answer her, instead, took a drink of
juice.

"So why do you hate werewolves so much?
That’s odd, since you are one."

I took a deep breath and told her my whole
story, starting when I was first turned. I told her about Lucy,
about how I wanted to marry her. I told her about my father and how
much he helped me. And finally about Rowan, and how he killed
him.

"Wow," she said when I finished my story. We
were done eating and she was helping me clean the dishes. "No
wonder you freaked out when you met me. That Rowan guy sounds
awful."

The scent of oranges from the dish soap
drifted out of the sink. "He is, and if I ever see him again, I
will kill him." My voice was fierce, full of conviction.

She wiped a plate off with a towel. "Well,
you'll need a gun with silver bullets for that."

"Do you know where to get some?" I asked,
setting the last dish on the tray, and wiping my hands on her
towel.

She shook her head as she placed the last
plate in the cupboard. "No, never needed any. I've only ever known
Miles and he was so great to me. I'm sorry for what's happened to
you." Her voice was full of warmth, and compassion.

"Thank you." She was so sweet and kind, I
wondered more about her life. "How old are you anyway?"

She grinned. "Compared to you, I'm a baby.
I'm twenty five. It was eight years ago that I was turned."

I smiled. "You
are
young."

She laughed and looked outside, it was dark,
thick snowflakes were falling, and a soft blanket of snow covered
the ground. "Do mind if I crash on your couch? I don't want to go
out in that." She pointed out the window.