Ties to the Blood Moon 2nd Edition (26 page)

I wasn’t about to let him leave until I had a chance to speak. “Chief Okpik, I think I know how to become more powerful than even him.”

He stopped abruptly, but didn’t turn to face me. “I cannot ask such a sacrifice from you. No one can.” He knew, which meant he
could
read my mind.

“You’re not asking me, neither is anyone else. I want to do this. I’m
going
to do this. All I want to know from you is if I do will it help me to defeat him?”

“Yes, but even then, you must wait until the time is right. If you attempt to rush, you will lose and many will die.” He turned to face me, and stared for the longest time. “It will make you even more powerful than you think, but you must not tell a soul of your decision beforehand. Many will try to stop you, even if it means killing you. Your only hope is the element of surprise.”

I had been so entranced by what the chief had said, I totally forgot to ask him about the sun’s effect on me. I just shrugged my shoulders and went to find Luna. I figured pretty soon it wouldn’t even matter anymore.

Next on my list was trying to come up with a way to see William without Aunt Bev finding out. She might not have had any children of her own, but she wasn’t dumb either.

I was sitting on the couch waiting on Aunt Bev when an idea came to me. I bolted from the couch to Luna’s room. I barely knocked before pushing through her door and found her wrapped in a towel.

“Oops, sorry,” I laughed. “I forgot you said you were going to jump in the shower.”

“It’s okay. I thought you’d be gone by now,” she added.

I sat down on the side of Luna’s bed. “Nah … waiting on my aunt and your mom. They’re somewhere checking on a pregnant woman. Aunt Bev said she’s due any time.”

“What? You’re kidding! I swear he doesn’t look that old.” He really didn’t look nearly that old. His face wasn’t even all wrinkled.

“His mistress, Akani, is only twenty-two.” Luna looked at me all serious at first, and my jaw dropped, then we both busted out in laughter.

After our laughter faded, I thought very carefully about what I was going to say. “Um … I need a tiny little favor.” I held my index finger and thumb close together.

Luna instantly look worried. “What?” she asked with a long face.

“I’m going to break up with William, but first I want to confront him.”

“I’m stoked that you are dumping him, but what does it have to do with me?” she asked, sitting at her dressing table, brushing her hair, and looking at me through her mirror.

“I’m getting to that part,” I uttered. “My aunt won’t let me see him, and I want to see the look on his face when I break up with him. So … do you think you could cover for me just this once? Please-please-please?” I begged.

“I don’t know, Gen,” she said, shaking her head at the same time. “If you get caught, my mom and Bev will kick our butts, and you know it.” Luna stopped brushing her hair while really thinking about it.

It was hard to keep the thought of breaking up with William in my head, but I had to just in case she caught a glimpse of the future. She did that sometimes, although thank God, she still hadn’t developed her power completely or I’d be busted for sure.

She dropped her shoulders and sighed. “Oh … all right. Tell me where and when. But, I swear, Gen, if you get caught you’re on your own. I mean it.”

Even though I was squealing on the inside, I didn’t dare show it. I lowered my eyes. “Thanks, Luna. You’re a great friend … really.” I crossed the room and gave her a quick one-armed hug. “I’ll text you after I figure out everything.”

All I could think about on the ride back home was William. The kisses we’d shared on the plane coming home—our first kiss—was more than I even dreamed it could be. The feel of his soft lips against mine. The tenderness of his caresses, then the passion that followed.

We had connected in a way that few people ever get to in life, but then I had found out the whole thing had been a big fat lie. A set up to somehow lead me away from taking the throne. What hurt even more was the fact that I had given him my heart, and through his betrayal he had ripped it from my chest and broke it into a million pieces.

I was glad the sun had set. Although it wasn’t dark, dark, it was twilight, which was the closest thing Haven got to darkness in the warmer months. The dim light would make it harder for Aunt Bev to see my tears.

“Um … I meant to tell you, the chief said I need to train with Luna and the boys before we go after Zane. So Luna said they would pick me up tomorrow, and we’d go to their river camp for a couple of days. I hope that’s all right.” I held my breath, waiting for an answer.

“All right. I guess it is for the best.” She gripped the steering wheel with both hands, and I saw her knuckles turn white. “Gen, are you sure this is what you want to do?”

“What? Train? Uh, yeah,” I answered sort of sarcastically, but didn’t mean to.

“No. I mean everything.” She seemed frightened by something, I got that. But what I didn’t get was the feeling it had anything to do with me.

“It’s not a matter of what I want. This is my destiny. It’s why I was born,” I answered, repeating her words from earlier.

She began to cry, so I scooted across my seat and wrapped my arm around her shoulders. “I promise everything’s going to be fine. We’re going to find mom and bring her back.” I laid my head on her shoulder, and she leaned her head against mine. “I love you,” I whispered. It was the first time I had told her that since I was about nine.

“Aw… I love you too, sweetheart,” she uttered.

I squeezed her tightly one last time before I scooted back over into my seat, and turned on the stereo. My favorite Motion City Soundtrack song, “Everything Is Alright” was playing but I reached to change it anyway, figuring it wasn’t Aunt Bev’s type of music.

I relaxed, settling deeper into my seat, and closed my eyes. I hoped that as long as Aunt Bev and my mom had each other they would be all right … even if I didn’t make it back alive.

Chapter 42

Now that I had things with Aunt Bev taken care of, I needed to talk with William. He had sent me a bunch of text messages earlier, but each time I saw it was him, I cleared my phone. Just thinking about him made my heart ache to the point I felt like a part of me was dying.

Hey ;o)
I messaged him while lying in bed, hot tears stung my eyes, but I quickly wiped them away.
You have to be strong.

Hi beautiful ;o) I was wondering if you had already forgotten about me.
he texted right back, like he’d been waiting by his phone.

No. I couldn’t forget you.
Not after what you’ve done.
I wanted to say, but didn’t.
I want to see you.

When? Right now?

Nah, I can’t. How about tomorrow night? Can we meet and go to your family’s cabin?
I needed him to think everything was fine, and I wanted us to be alone.

Okay. Tomorrow night it is. I’ll pick you up at seven. ;o)

No. I’ve got something to do. I’ll meet you at the cut-off.
I couldn’t take a chance of my aunt catching me with him. Like I said, the woman was far from stupid.

Sleep didn’t come easy for me that night. All I could do was think about William, and cry. Why had all of this happened to me? Just a year ago, I was a normal teenager with normal problems. It seemed like overnight my whole world had flipped upside-down, and I was an Adlet princess werewolf and by the end of the next night God only knew what I would become.

I woke up crying out for William, my gaze flitted across the room. It took me a moment to get my thoughts in order before I realized I had the same nightmare, again. My mom’s screams sounded so real to me, my heart ached. There was something different about it this time though. In my last dream, William had coaxed me to jump from the cliff with the promise of catching me, which he did not.

This time, William screamed for me to run away while he fought with Zane, trying to hold him back. When I reached the tree line I stopped and turned around at the exact same time Zane drove a long knife into William’s heart. William told me he loved me, then collapsed, and I woke up.

I thought about the nightmare for a long time and when I finally glanced at the clock on my nightstand it was nine-thirty. I wasn’t sure exactly what time I had fallen asleep, but I never wanted to sleep again.

What if I had judged William too harshly? What if somehow Joseph had been wrong, and William wasn’t working for Zane? If that was the case then wouldn’t William have told me? I was so confused. Every time I thought about the situation a huge knot formed in the pit of my stomach.

Even after everything I had learned, deep down I was keeping alive the tiniest bit of hope that just maybe William wasn’t an evil monster like Zane after all.

I sat up and stared at the ring the chief had made and placed on my finger. In the dimness of my room it still sparkled. I rubbed the stone against my shirt to polish it and when I looked at it again I could have sworn it glowed. I rubbed my eyes, then turned on my lamp and looked at it again. It sparkled from the light, but it didn’t glow. “Okay, Genevieve,” I mumbled. “You’re losing it, girl,” I smiled dimly, falling back into my pillow, and scooped my cell off the nightstand.

I text messaged Luna to make sure she was awake before sending her the details for tonight. I made sure to tell her to memorize the message, and then delete it so unwanted eyes wouldn’t see it.

It was one of the longest days ever. I was anxious as hell, so I tried to stay away from Aunt Bev as much as possible to keep her from noticing. Living in the same house, there was only so much I could do to avoid her.

When six o’clock rolled around I was already freaking. Seriously, like mid-heart attack freaking. All the pieces of my plan had been laid out and were starting to fall in place. This was good. I thought if I could get through the night, I could get through anything.

I put on some old clothes and threw my back pack over my shoulder. When I hit the landing at the bottom of the stairs I stopped and took a few deep breaths, trying to keep from falling apart in front of Aunt Bev.

“Hey, I’m only going to be gone for a few days. You’re acting like I’m never coming back,” I said, trying to keep my tone light, but my voice broke up a little, too. I really hated lying to her about something so important and life changing, but I felt I didn’t have a choice.

We hugged each other tightly for a long moment before I finally had to pull away and leave. If I would have hugged her any longer, I would have broken down and told her everything.

While backing out of the garage, Aunt Bev leaned against the open doorway leading to the kitchen with her arms wrapped around herself. I rolled down my window and waved, and she waved back. I saw her wipe her eyes as she turned to go inside.

When I pushed the shifter into first gear, I glanced back at the house. The garage door slowly closed and I felt a sudden ache inside my chest, like a part of my life was ending. I guess in a way it was.

I pulled into the little gas station on the edge of town, grabbed my bag and hurried into the bathroom. When I emerged a few minutes later, I had on a tight blue jean skirt, a silky black camisole top, a short-cut blue jean jacket with the cuffs turned up, and a pair of black spiked high-heels. The guy behind the counter couldn’t stop staring at me. His mouth gaped open and he stumbled, almost falling behind the counter when he tried to reach a pack of cigarettes for a customer without taking his eyes off me.

I tried to hide my amusement, but couldn’t. A man coming into the store held the door for me, and after I walked out he continued inside, but let the door close on his girlfriend or wife, whichever she was. That was all the convincing I needed. I had to know I picked just the right outfit for my tryst with William. I wondered when the time came if I would have the strength to not to let it go too far.

Chapter 43

The minute I saw William waiting at the cut-off I began to have second thoughts. My heart hammered so hard I could hear it inside my ears. When he flashed his headlights and pulled out in front of me, my cue to follow, there was no turning back.

When I pulled up behind him at the end of the drive, I couldn’t believe the size of the cabin. That was definitely an understatement for what I saw. I thought my aunt’s house was a pretty good size, but I swear his house easily made three of hers.

William opened his car door and stepped out. The second we made eye contact my heart started aching for him in a way I had never imagined. It grew worse as he walked toward my Jeep. I thought I was having a heart attack and then I realized I had forgotten to breathe. Why was it that with what I knew about him, he could still have that kind of effect on me? Maybe that’s what my mom meant when she had tried to explain what love felt like.

When I was in eighth grade I had come from a school dance and told my mom I was in love. She sat me down right then and had the sex talk with me. I already knew a lot about it from the girls I hung around, but my mom insisted on explaining it anyway.