Moon Promise

by Carmen Fox

  She simply had disappeared.

  That night, I slept only for a few hours. My dreams hopped from face to face, without rhyme or reason, and left me more tired than before I’d gone to bed. Dozing on the sofa, on the other hand, didn’t help either, and I spent the hours between four and five a.m. trying to recapture the sensations Drake’s kiss had conjured.

  Coffee was the only thing that brought me back to a semblance of the old me.

  Even so, I kept monitoring my email account.

  My assistant had worked overtime, bless her, but looking into all of POOF’s members would take a while, maybe even a few days.

  After listening to my conversation with Cody again, I fell back onto the sofa and let out a scream. Leo had pegged him as a likely suspect, and I was slowly coming round to his way of thinking. Not that I’d dismissed Buck entirely.

  At this moment in the investigation, my leads were threefold. My assistant could dig up some unusual activity or undisclosed criminal history on one of the environmentalists. A second visit to Cody could shine new light on my search. Or my visit to the lake could uncover a case-breaking clue as to Raven’s whereabouts.

  I checked my phone and sighed. Lounging on the sofa was getting me nowhere. I brushed aside my fatigue and started my exercise routine before getting back behind the laptop.

  ***

  A taciturn Leo picked me up from home at twenty minutes to three, and we arrived at Jonah’s just as Natalie waved goodbye to the driver of a minivan.

  “Need my help?” I pointed my chin at the stairs.

  “We have a ramp at the side.” Leo led the way. “Jonah prides himself on being accessible to everyone.”

  No doubt this barb was aimed at Natalie, who—in his mind—would fail to change Jonah’s mind, no matter what. Whatever he needed to tell himself to be okay with this human invasion of the werewolves’ sanctuary was fine by me. I’d spent the entire morning combing through Buck’s and Cody’s social media accounts, and whatever the true difference between werewolf and human was, it was lost on me. My two prime suspects shared many friends, displayed similar political leanings, and had a morose streak.

  Jonah, back in a suit, greeted Nat and me with deliberate courtesy, while Leo made himself scarce. Within minutes, Liza appeared to serve tea and thin chocolate cookies and, after gifting me a prolonged smile, she excused herself again.

  One day I’d get her to tell me why she found me so fascinating.

  “Kensi told me you’re involved in the new project out by Dry River Farm.” Jonah sat in his usual spot, with Nat in the chair to his left and opposite me.

  Nat wore a white jumper that contrasted with her flushed cheeks. She sat straight in her chair and rested a hand on a file she’d brought from home.

  “It’s a wonderful project, but before I get involved, I wanted to ask you a few questions.” She tapped her folder with her index finger. “You seem to be the leading voice rallying against the project.”

  Jonah frowned before speaking in a clear, measured voice. “I’m not at all against the project. The land on which you want to build is my only concern. It used to belong to a small group of people. As their only possession, it sustained them entirely for a long time before it was passed down through the generations to me. It is my responsibility to manage this land—or what’s left of it—on behalf of that group’s descendants.”

  Natalie slid her folder to the side. “That I know.”

  Jonah’s eyes widened. “You do?”

  “I did my homework.” She brushed a streak of hair behind her ear. “I don’t know what Kensi told you about me, but I have access to a large amount of historical data about this town and the people that live here.”

  “I see.” He briefly glanced at me, and then turned his focus back on Nat. “Then you might know that Marlontown’s people have seen their rights to use the forest curtailed for decades. In recent years, things have gotten worse. Since the Kelo decision, a judgement that gave Colorado the right to seize a person’s property and give it to a privately owned pharmaceutical company, we’ve lost many private assets. Add that to disputes over ancient land lines...”

  I brushed my crumbles from the table and deposited them on the cookie plate. “The Triangle’s population has more than doubled over the past thirty years. It went from a place where everybody knew their neighbor to a place with a crime rate.”

  I, too, had done my homework on these towns.

  “That’s progress, isn’t it?” Natalie balled her hands. “The dark side of progress, mind you, but isn’t that how societies evolve?”

  Jonah spread his hands, palms down, on the table and gave a single bob of his head. “Do you live in a house or an apartment, Natalie?”

  “A house.”

  “Does it have a garden?”

  “Yes.”

  “How would you feel if the government ruled that you cannot have barbecues with your friends or that you must enter the kitchen through a window? We want to choose how we live in our own four walls and on our land.”

  She sucked in her bottom lip, gaze adrift, and then glanced up. “Who is we? How can you be so sure the descendants feel as strongly as you do?”

  “Because I talk to them. We communicate every day.” Jonah intertwined his fingers, his demeanor almost pleading now. “That’s what happens in a close-knit community. Isn’t that why you moved to our small town in the first place? For the community spirit?”

  A shadow crawled over her expression. “I guess so.”

  They sat for a few seconds. The only sound was my chewing. And yet, their silence didn’t create a stiff, unfriendly atmosphere. They held eye contact, and Jonah even coaxed a shy smile from her.

  He shifted closer to her, his elbows propped on the table. “My fight is a fight for the community as a whole. Progress is necessary, but not to the detriment of those who were here first. For their sake, let’s walk, not run.”

  He was almost the perfect politician. The way he’d turned the pack’s sovereignty over territory into a matter for the whole town was masterful.

  “Jonah’s not the cult leader you were expecting, right?” I grinned at Nat.

  Her face turned a bright red. “I can’t believe you said that.”

  I laughed. “Yes, you can. It’s why you like me. You said so yourself.”

  She shot him an anxious glance, which he calmed with a charming smile.

  “Tell me.” His gaze locked with hers, as if the two were the only ones in the room. “What would you do in my place?”

  “I would do what you’re doing.” She ran a hand through her hair, before placing it near his.

  “So where does that leave us?” He stared at her hand and licked his lips.

  “Us?” Nat chuckled. “I don’t—”

  “I was referring to our disagreement.”

  If anything, Nat’s shade of pink deepened while she shifted in her wheelchair. “In light of what I’ve learned, I can’t in good conscience support the center now.”

  Her smile faded, as if the implications of her words only now dawned on her.

  Jonah didn’t look like he’d emerged victorious either. And why would he? Nat wasn’t in charge of the project, and the project would still go ahead, only without her input.

  “This isn’t my business,” I said by way of warning that I was going to stick my nose in it anyway. “But can’t you help each other?”

  “How?” Natalie sounded hopeful.

  “Jonah isn’t against the center. If he allowed it to be built on his land, the people running the project might welcome it, if the conditions are right. They could pay rent, and in that way he could continue to support the descendants. Meanwhile, the government would have no more reason to claim eminent domain.”

  “Kensi.” His tone tapered to a point. “The rest of the...locals might have other ideas.”

  I straightened my jacket and my back. “No one would openly object, since it’s a good cause. And explain that, if you work toge
ther on this, the newcomers may side with you in the future, too—against the government.”

  Natalie flashed a soft smile. “This solution won’t return the land you’ve already lost, but people around here would be glad to get behind you on this project. I certainly would.”

  Whatever went through his mind involved calculations and theoretical conversations, no doubt. I wasn’t naïve enough to think I’d suggested a solution for world peace, but maybe the two parts of the Triangle could find a way to become one whole.

  “Yes.” Jonah finally gave a pronounced nod. “Yes, I’d be okay with that.”

  Natalie’s smile opened into a beam. “We could hold a street party and invite everyone who has questions. Your people and newcomers like myself. An informal get-together, without lawyers and red tape.”

  Nat and Jonah had gone from adversaries to peas in a pod at lightning speed.

  Jonah noted down a few words on a pad before throwing his pen aside and taking Nat’s hand. “I like that idea. Neighbors shouldn’t be strangers. Would you help me organize it?”

  Her face glowed from her pointy chin to her hairline. “Of course. But I don’t know how much use I’ll be.” She dipped her chin at her chair.

  “I would find your input useful.” His pitch approached what was best described as a bedroom voice.

  Cute.

  But what the hell was I still doing here?

  Jonah offered Natalie the last of the chocolate cookies, which she accepted. He didn’t even ask me.

  I got up and shoved the chair against the table’s edge. “I’ll go and find Drake. We have stuff to do.”

  “He’s next door.” His gaze traced the way Nat nibbled around the cookie’s edges. “Thanks, Kensi.”

  “I imagine there will be lots to discuss if we want to make our project work.” Natalie bowed her head.

  “We should meet up regularly to discuss our progress. What day would work best for you?”

  I lifted my hand in a wave neither he nor she saw. Whatever was going on between them, Jonah would need to be careful. As an alpha, he’d be acutely aware of the dangers of letting humans into our lives. Still, one way or another, a close friendship with a human would do this pack a world of good.

  I entered the room next door. Drake sat in front of the TV, while images of a spewing volcano flashed across the screen. He’d folded his arms, so his biceps flexed at the sleeves of his T-shirt. Even in his relaxed state he struck an imposing figure. Some might consider bumping into him in the dark a scary proposition. For me, the notion unlocked all sorts of naughty possibilities.

  “Hard at work, I see.” I leaned against the doorframe and smiled, because I found it difficult not to.

  He turned off the device and skulked toward me, using his werewolf grace to devastating effect. “Just waiting for you, smartass.”

  With lightning speed he pulled me into his arms and embroiled me in the sweetest kiss—quick, hard, yet passionate enough to make me realize I’d never have enough of him.

  Whatever was in the air today, Jonah and Natalie weren’t the only ones gripped by attraction.

  Fourteen

  Drake pulled onto a side road that led to a parking lot by the woods. “We’re here. The lake’s about twenty minutes that way.”

  One car, complete with child seats and a Baby On Board sticker was parked at the other side of the lot.

  Drake killed the engine and reached into the glove compartment, with his head almost between my knees. Seeing his hair in my lap, guessing which way his mouth could wander any second... My legs loosened, opened a fraction, and I clawed at my seat, nails deep.

  He pulled out a bottle of water and handed it to me.

  I released the seat to accept the bottle, my fingers stiff.

  He snapped the compartment’s lid shut and sat back up. “Drink up. It’s hot, and you’re not used to the heat.”

  No kidding, dude.

  I tipped back my head and gulped the water, so it might purge the naughty thoughts from my heart.

  Leo’s sedan pulled up next to Drake’s truck. We’d almost left the house when Jonah’s brain finally caught up and he asked what we had planned for today.

  I explained quickly that a search of the lake area could hold vital clues. In all likelihood, we wouldn’t find a thing, but we had to try. Jonah concurred and even suggested we hire a couple of helpers: Leo, who’d been taught survival and tracking skills by his father, and Buck, who had “the best nose in town.”

  Surely it was pure coincidence that Leo would not be able to chaperone Jonah’s and Nat’s discussions.

  If two’s company and three’s a crowd, four was definitely a horde. Drake and I would have to keep our hands to ourselves, unless we wanted everyone to know about the shift in our relationship. Neither of us was ready to admit to anything yet. The question was, would Leo be fooled?

  Drake, dressed in a casual T-shirt that didn’t hide much of his ink, leaned against the bonnet of his truck, while Leo moved his weight from foot to foot. The sun was burning at a more pleasant rate today. In fact, it would have been the perfect day for a picnic.

  After a few minutes, Leo’s phone beeped.

  He checked the message. “Buck’s stuck in town. He’ll be here in an hour.”

  “How about we get started?” Drake pushed himself off his vehicle. “He can join us when he gets here.”

  Leo and I exchanged a glance and nodded our approval.

  The parking lot was a small plot of land with a parking sign. A few feet in, a typical nuclear family took a snack in a designated picnic area, complete with tables and benches. A human family, I suspected, since I detected no warmth between them and the two protectors.

  The kids waved, and I waved back. Drake and Leo ignored them and stomped down a passage, which led onto a less traveled path snaking through the woods. The temperature here was significantly lower, only one of the many reasons I loved the forest.

  “Are we walking randomly, or do you know where we’re going?” I nudged aside a low-hanging branch.

  “The photo was taken by the lake,” Drake said. “Not the tourist part of it, but private land our pack hasn’t yet returned to the humans. We call it Lake Marvin.”

  He bent low to force his bulk through two trees that stood close together, and made a sound that was half grump, half exertion.

  Even though I was tall, I was half his width, so I slinked through without losing my step. “Are you saying Raven took Cody to a place where werewolves could be running around?”

  “Looks like. Another reason for her to hide those pictures from her parents.”

  “This kind of reckless behavior could endanger the secret of our existence.” Leo shook his head. “She could have got herself into real trouble.”

  Raven had disappeared, so one way or another, getting herself into trouble was exactly what she’d done.

  A mesh fence stood in our way and warned away strangers with a Do Not Enter sign. Drake pushed open the gate, and we stepped through to the other side. A narrow dirt trail took us through the undergrowth.

  I inhaled the familiar scent. With its soft grassy ground and tall, leafy trees, the forest was perfect for frolicking werewolves. The path widened and ended in a clearing—and a huge, glistening lake. The weather would have been perfect for a dip, but that wasn’t in the cards for me. First, I wasn’t going to run around naked with Drake or Leo in the picture. But there was a more primal reason for my hesitation.

  Wild animals.

  Germany’s most dangerous creatures were adders—snakes whose bites were rarely fatal—wild boars and, of course, werewolves. I’d learned to avoid adders, and wild boars gave us a wide berth by nature. In other words, where I roamed, I was the sole predator even in my human shape, which made the Black Forest my ideal home.

  America, on the other hand, was teeming with things that wanted to kill me. Snakes, bears, spiders, crocs and alligators... Who knew what awaited me in that lake? Anacondas? Piranhas?
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br />   Drake pointed at a lone tree on the grass. “This looks like the one in the picture.”

  Even though the tree’s perfect roundness wouldn’t easily be confused with another tree, I retrieved the photos to double check. “You’re right.”

  “Okay, so we have the spot.” He took a careful look around the area. “Let’s assume Raven and Cody met here that day. Maybe they argued. Then what?”

  “He killed her?” Leo predictably suggested.

  I pocketed the pictures again. “Maybe, or maybe she stayed behind for another reason.”

  “It’s a nice place.” Drake pushed his hands into his pockets. “Great for hanging around.”

  “I don’t think so.” Leo stepped forward and faced me. “The weather wasn’t like it is today. Not exactly freezing, but look around. There are no benches.”

  “True.” I nodded. “According to her file, she didn’t own a car. And she wouldn’t have run all the way back to Marlontown, right?”

  “What are you getting at?” Drake asked.

  “She could have been meeting someone else. Someone who promised to give her a ride home.”

  Drake sat on the ground and patted the grass to his right. “So this could be the place then.”

  “The place?” I joined him. “You think she’s dead, too?”

  “Drake’s right.” Leo sat to my right, his body a smidgen too close to mine. “Maybe it’s time we seriously considered it.”

  Drake pulled up his knees and placed his arms on top. The abstract ink slung around his biceps, down to his elbows and beyond. Those were definitely good arms.

  “Okay, let’s think about this.” He turned his head to me. “If she’s alive, she was kidnapped, maybe by whomever she met that day, or she’s run away.”

  “Running away is unlikely for a werewolf, but not impossible for a young woman at odds with her parents.” I rubbed my chin. “So far, I haven’t been able to find anything to support that, and believe me, I’ve looked.”

  “Living with Birdie and Pike couldn’t have been easy, but she loved them.” Drake grimaced. “Loves. Her friends are loyal and concerned. I don’t see her splitting without telling anyone.”