Surprise and dismay etched across Michael’s features and for a second, Luna thought she could make out a hint of anger in his blue eyes. “Dad didn’t lie. He never lied, and you shouldn’t have been listening in on our conversation,” he chided.
Luna turned away and closed her eyes. She wanted to shut out the world, to shut out the pain. Even dead, Michael still sided with their parents.
I’m always the damn outsider.
Maybe her return here had been a good thing, but not in the way she’d expected. She could say her goodbyes to the life she’d desperately wanted and leave the past firmly in the past. It could finally allow her to close this book of this part of her life and start a new one by herself.
But will I keep Michael in this new life?
Pain clawed at her chest at the thought of leaving her brother behind. A large part of her still resented him, for being the only one their parents wanted, the only one they’d kept close. But as Luna thought about it, she knew she couldn’t do it. She still needed him. He was family, despite how much pain they brought.
Besides, she knew if she tried to cut him out, he’d simply find her and tell her not to be so stupid. No matter how far she’d ran, he’d track her. He always could. It was as if she dropped an invisible trail of breadcrumbs that only he could see.
Breadcrumbs ... or stones?
A thought struck her, causing her to gasp out loud. She twisted in her seat and looked at her brother. “Michael,” she breathed. “What if our parents didn’t die in an accident? What if they were killed?”
“What are you talking about?” Michael asked. Scorn coated his words, but he kept his eyes firmly on the road ahead.
Luna wiped the tears from her face. “Sheriff Briggs said there were white stones at the accident. The porch was filled with them when that wolf’s leg was placed in front of our door. What if it wasn’t an accident? What if they were put there deliberately?”
Michael turned his face to look at her as they continued down the road. The overhanging canopy of trees cast the interior of the truck in shadows. “Don’t be stupid, Luna. No one murdered Mom and Dad. I’d know it if they had been.”
But I wouldn’t. Bloody typical. Usually this would be the point where she’d stop and retreat, but this time she wouldn’t back down. “Think about it, why would there be two piles of stones if -” A gasp tore the rest of the words from her mouth.
A man stood in the middle of the driveway, completely blocking their path.
Dressed in shimmering white robes that billowed in the soft breeze. His white-blonde hair reached to his ankles. Thin lips stretched into a grim line, his nose regal and straight. A haughty coldness burned on his pale features as he stared at them, not moving. Luna frowned, wondering whether a medieval fair was playing somewhere close by.
“What the ...” Luna heard her brother say, his brows knitting together.
The truck continued forward, but the stranger just stood there.
“Get out of the way, you idiot!” Michael told him, despite the windows being shut.
But still the man in white refused to get out of the way.
Michael didn’t slow down.
The crease between Michael’s eyes etched deeper into his face.
Luna’s heart started thumping in her chest. Great, we’re playing chicken on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere.
Suddenly, the stranger’s eyes pulsed with a mesmerising green light that blazed like emerald lightning. A shiver coursed down Luna’s spine. Something didn’t feel right. The air seemed heavy with something, but she couldn’t put her finger on what. The man in white lifted his hand, his palm outstretched.
Just as only a few meters separated them, the truck slid and fishtailed before it slammed into something that jarred them as if they’d struck a concrete wall. Airbags burst from their compartments, obscuring the world from her vision. Pain coursed through Luna’s head and down the back of her neck as the world plunged into temporary darkness.
Gritting her teeth, she sucked in a ragged breath and opened her eyes. The world returned in a blur of muted colours and haze before her eyes began to focus. The hood of the truck lay crinkled in heavy waves halfway up the car, the radiator burst. A peculiar green mist swirled on the air immediately in front of the robed man.
A second later, the air blistered with the sound of cursing over the pounding of her blood in her ears. “Luna. Luna. You OK?”
A groan slipped from her lips. Nodding, she rose a hand shakily to her shoulder and rubbed the tender area where the seatbelt threatened to slice through her body. Already, her skin burned. Luna mentally thanked whoever invented the thing.
Her eyes finally glanced up. The man in white still stood in front of the car, his arm now back at his side.
“Stay here,” Michael said, the bite of command in his voice. Metal creaked as he climbed out of the vehicle.
Luna didn’t say a thing. Not that she could. Her head pounded from the impact and her heartbeat pulsed in her ears, robbing her of any words. Despite it all, though, she couldn’t help but be confused. She couldn’t see a tree or anything else they might’ve hit. They still remained in the centre of the path.
What the hell had caused the accident?
Luna lifted her head and watched her brother march over to the stranger. The green mist dissipated with each second allowing her a better view. She didn’t know much about trucks, but even she knew green mist wasn’t a good sign.
Then again, why would anything coming out of a vehicle be green?
Michael’s words forced her out of her confused reverie. He stood in front of the robed stranger, his fists rolled into tight balls. Despite his back to her, Luna could see the anger lining his body. “What the hell is wrong with you? Get out of the goddamn road. I could’ve killed you.”
Harsh laughter scraped at her ears even at a distance, a cold mocking chuckle that sent shivering racing up Luna’s spine. Something about the way those green eyes focused on her brother caused a knot of foreboding in her stomach. She didn’t want to leave the truck, but something urged her to. Trusting her instincts, she forced her trembling fingers to unbuckle her seatbelt and quietly opened the door.
Finally, the man in white stopped laughing and opened his mouth. “You could not have killed me, dog, but I can easily dispatch you. Return to me what is mine and I will let you and the human live.”
Human? Why is he speaking like that?
Both men ignored her as she walked to the front of the truck using one hand on the vehicle to support her. Now only a few feet away, Luna examined his face. Standing several inches taller than her six-foot brother, his body seemed slender beneath the white robes. Pure silver streaked his white hair, as if weaved with shafts of moonlight. The sunlight that filtered through the tree canopy highlighted the intense green of his eyes, much brighter than her own, but no warmth shone within them. He spoke with a thick British accent Luna couldn’t place, even after all the years she’d spent there. It sounded heavy, almost otherworldly, to her ears.
Rage painted the lines on Michael’s face. “I don’t even know who you are. How could I have something that belongs to you?”
Michael’s confusion echoed her own. Luna glanced around, looking for the cause of the accident but found nothing– no roots, no potholes. Nothing.
How the hell could the truck crash without anything to hit?
Emerald green eyes glittered with anger. “Do not be insolent, child. Your ancestors have kept it from me too long, transporting it as far as the New World to try to hide it, but I will not be denied. Perhaps I shall take the woman until you bring it to me,” he threatened, fixing that cold stare on Luna’s face. Shivers crept all over her body, as if icy fingers had penetrated her skin and traced lines beneath the surface.
Michael took a step forward, his body shaking with anger. “Leave my sister out of this. I don’t know what you are or what you want,” he said, his voice deceptively calm given how white his knuckles were.
>
For a split second, Luna feared her brother would strike him. He may have stood several inches taller than Michael, but he looked as if one good punch could break him in half. Yet there was something about the robed man that belied a hidden strength. Luna couldn’t understand the contradiction, or why he intimidated her to the point she wanted to flee.
That hard, thin mouth curved upwards. “I’ll do as I wish, dog. Now fetch me what is mine,” the stranger said, stepping away from Michael.
And towards her.
Luna trembled. Beneath her skin, those icy fingers gripped her in their frozen embrace. Her feet refused to budge, and her heart raced within her chest.
Michael grabbed the tall man by the shoulder and attempted to yank him backward, his face straining with rage and effort. But much to Luna’s surprise, the man remained unmoved and Michael’s hand slipped off, sending him sprawling in the gravel.
What the ...?
Finally, Luna’s feet obeyed her, and she stepped backwards.
The man laughed again, his face a mask of amused contempt. “Stupid dog. I suppose I’ll have to teach you some manners before you go fetch,” he said, scorn coating his words. He turned his body to face Michael, raised his palm, and a ball of green light shot from his hand.
Panic tightened her throat as Luna watched her brother reeling through the air before his back slammed against a broad oak tree. The light flash left Luna seeing spots, and she wondered briefly if she’d hit her head harder than she imagined during the accident. For just an instant, Luna swore Michael’s eyes turned gold.
Telling herself not to be so stupid, Luna shook her head. The gold faded from his eyes. A trick of the light, nothing more.
The same with the green light. No one could shoot green light from their bloody hands.
Blood pooled at the corner of Michael’s mouth. Rage replaced fear, and Luna charged at the robed man. Fists curled tight, she swung with every ounce of strength she possessed, but he stepped lithely to the side and chuckled gently as she stumbled past him.
“Silly human,” he mocked, his green eyes flashing. “You have neither the skills nor the power to attack me. Though I do suppose it is rather noble to defend the family dog. It would be amusing if it were not interfering with my day.”
Luna righted herself and brushed a lock of hair from her eyes. Something wasn’t right with him. Something strange, something not quite human. “What are you?” she whispered, fear lacing her tone.
Whatever he was, he raised a hand and stepped forward. She thought she saw a flash of green light but couldn’t be certain. A second later, pain blossomed across her cheek. She slumped to the ground, the gravel biting into her backside. The taste of copper filled her mouth. Only when she raised a hand to her mouth did she realise blood flowed from her spilt lip. Trembling, she lifted her gaze.
Green eyes pulsated, sending another wave of fear crashing through her. Slowly, he inched closer to where she sat. “I am a god from across the seas, one of the eternal Fae, and you would do better to stay out of the affairs of your betters, human,” he told her, punctuating his instructions with a well-placed kick to the knee. Pain rippled across her leg and a cry tore from her mouth and echoed through the trees.
Michael appeared between them in a flash. She couldn’t remember seeing him move. “Leave her alone. She has nothing to do with this,” he bellowed, swinging his fist at the interloper’s face.
The stranger sidestepped the blow and matched it with one of his own. Luna winced as the sickly crunch of her brother’s ribs cracking rang in her ears, but Michael still stood on his feet, one hand grasping his side. In a blur of motion, the man in white followed it with an overhand blow to the back of his neck, forcing Michael to his knees.
All within a blink of an eye.
Panic flowed through her veins like wildfire. Knowing she had to do something, anything, Luna scanned the tree line looking for some kind of weapon as the stranger pummelled her brother repeatedly. Michael twisted his head and glanced at her. “Get to the house now,” he told her through gritted teeth. Blood oozed from a cut near his temple.
Luna shook her head. She couldn’t leave him to face this by himself. Whoever this man was, he’d kill him if she ran.
Laughter echoed between her ears, mechanical and cold, as the robed man struck her brother’s face again. “If you won’t learn to stay down, dog, I’ll put you down permanently. Your sister can get what is mine instead. I’ll be a little gentler with her though. Humans are fragile, after all.”
Terror snaked its way through her body at the sound of his words. Grunts of pain erupted from Michael’s mouth as another blow struck his chest. He tried to swing a fist at him but connected with nothing but air.
Get up, Luna, she ordered herself. Find something to get that madman off your brother. Anything!
Luna crawled to her feet, leaning heavily against the truck for support. Aches consumed her body, her mouth stinging. Surely Michael would have a gun in his truck. Didn’t every American have one? Or was that just stupid movies playing on stereotypes? Using her brother’s cries of pain to urge her on, she opened the passenger door. Reaching inside the vehicle, her fingers searched the glovebox, but found nothing but papers. Disappointment coursed through her.
Come on, think. Think!
The sound of blows and aching grunts rushed at her from behind, but Luna forced herself not to glance over her shoulder. She had to find something and soon.
New goal; look in the back of the vehicle.
Praying Michael would have anything in there she could use – a toolbox, maybe a flare gun - she climbed over the seat and began searching the floor with unsteady fingers. Elation ran through her as she spied a tire iron in the back. It may not have been a gun, Luna thought, but she’d take it over nothing.
Stretching out her arm, the elation morphed into satisfaction as the cold metal sat within her palm. Pushing the back door open, her head clearer and her nerves steadier, she hurried out of the vehicle.
As soon as she stepped forward, a silvery light exploded across her vision, followed by a blur of shadows. A startled gasp shot from her mouth and she twisted her face away to avoid being blinded.
Perhaps she really had hit her head harder than she imagined.
Shaking her head, Luna told herself her brother didn’t have time for her wandering musings and turned back, determined to help her brother no matter what she thought she saw.
But he’d disappeared.
Instead of pummelling her brother, the robed stranger now wrestled with a large grey wolf. Sunlight glinted off its coat, making the grey appear like strands fashioned from pearls. A snarling jaw revealed incredibly sharp teeth, and growls ripped from its throat. It lunged towards the silver-haired man, tearing the fabric and sinking its teeth into his flesh. Crimson bloomed across the white robes, and pain etched across his face. The wolf lunged again, its mouth clamping over his right wrist, but a sharp kick to its side sent it flying through the air several feet away.
Luna gasped as her eyes shot to the wound. Blood dripped from the ragged edges, but within seconds knitted back together again. Horror swirled through her mind. That can’t be, she told herself. Humans can’t heal instantly like that.
She scanned the trees for her brother but found nothing but the wolf, now rising shakily to its paws. For a moment, she wondered if it had heard the fighting and came to rescue Michael but that seemed absurd. Would a wolf really save someone?
And where the hell was Michael?
A dark blur of fur leaped from the trees, aiming for the robed man’s throat, but found its own ensnared by his grip. “Bad dogs should be put down if they don’t obey their masters,” he told the creature, bringing it closer and squeezing it in his arms. Yelps of pain escaped from the wolf’s jaws, but no matter how hard it struggled, it couldn’t free itself from his grasp.
Nausea welled up in the pit of Luna’s stomach as the creature’s eyes blazed with agony. She had to help it.
It was now or never.
With his attention focused solely on crushing the wolf to death, Luna pushed aside the fear and rushed towards him. Raising the tire iron above her head, she swung down, aiming for his temple. The plan was simple: knock him out, hope to hell that the wolf didn’t turn on her, and find her brother.
A sickly snapping sound echoed through the air, swirled with the nauseating echo of ribs cracking. Then came a sizzle, and the scent of burning flesh filled her nostrils.
The stranger dropped the wolf with a bellow, and turned to Luna, his face lined with pain and fury. His hand shot upwards, covering the side of his face where the tire iron had struck. Without the burden of the wolf, he turned to her and grabbed the weapon with his free hand, a snarl revealing snow white teeth.
Luna’s body froze in terror as those eyes flashed emerald lightning once more. The sound of flesh burning rang through her ears once more and he recoiled in pain, cradling his hand against his chest. Bile rose up in her throat, and she swallowed heavily.
Green eyes narrowed to slits, promising a world of pain. “This isn’t over. If it recovers, tell your dog that I will return for what is mine. He will crawl before me and beg for my mercy.”
With more bravado than she felt, Luna jabbed the tire iron towards the man’s chest only to see him jump back to avoid the blow. “When my brother comes back, you should be far away. I won’t be responsible for what happens if he finds you still on our property.” Despite the false boldness in her voice, her words held a faint quiver to her ears.
Still cradling his injured hand, he shook his head as his lips pressed into a grim line. “I will wait wherever I choose, human. Your kind should not meddle in my affairs. If never ends well for you. Tell him Lyulf demands the return of the artefact. I will have it back. You have one day. I will be back and if it is not returned, I will kill everyone in this town until it is.”
House of Wolves (Silver Moon Series Book 1) Page 7
