Blood Moon (Howl #2)

by Jayme Morse

  Blood Moon

  © 2012 by Jody Morse and Jayme Morse

  Blood Moon is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents in this book are products of the author’s imaginations or have been used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons or locations is coincidental and not intended by the authors.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, please purchase your own copy.

  Thank you for respecting the hard work of these authors.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without permission in writing from Jody Morse and Jayme Morse.

  Connect with the authors at:

  http://www.jaymemorse.com/

  http://www.jodymorse.com/

  Chapter 1

  ****

  The yellow lilies grew in patches over the cold ground, covering the dirt where Lilly Phillips had taken her last breath. Samara didn’t even know it was possible for lilies to grow this time of year but since the lilies had appeared within the days following Lilly’s death, Samara liked to think that it was a part of her, trying to offer a tiny ray of hope through the crispness of autumn.

  Sitting on the ground in front of the lilies, Samara felt her eyes fill up with tears. If Samara could change what had happened that night or find some way to bring Lilly back, she would. But she couldn’t. It was too late. Lilly was gone for good.

  Samara heard footsteps from behind her. She glanced over her shoulder as her mate, Luke Davenport sat beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. “If someone sees you out here, they’ll think you’re guilty,” Luke said, motioning towards the yellow crime scene tape next to them.

  “Well, I feel guilty,” Samara said, sniffing. This was the first time she had allowed herself to grieve over Lilly. With everything else going on in her life right now, she wanted to at least try to stay strong. But staying strong wasn’t going to change the fact that Lilly was gone forever . . . and that it was partly Samara’s own fault.

  “Feeling guilty doesn’t actually make you guilty,” Luke said gently. “What happened that night wasn’t your fault. It wasn’t anyone’s fault besides Jason’s.”

  Samara sighed. She wanted to believe him, but she knew that none of this would have happened if it hadn’t been for her involvement that night.

  Closing her eyes, Samara’s mind drifted back to the night of the fight, remembering the sound of the body as it hit the ground with a loud thump. At first, she had been unsure who the body belonged to. Aside from Seth and Jason, all of the other wolves on both packs had a similar shade of gray fur and the moon just barely lit up the night sky enough to make out the outlines of each wolf.

  Samara howled, fearing that the dead body belonged to someone who she cared about. Could it be Declan . . . or Luke?

  I’m fine, Luke had told her. Looking at him, Samara breathed in. Thankfully, he was still alive. Samara glanced at the wolves that remained standing around her, as the others scampered away from them.

  Turning to the body, Samara watched as the gray fur slowly disappeared, revealing fair skin. As the wolf’s ears were replaced by human ears, Samara howled again. She’d felt the saliva cling to the inside of her mouth, as she felt the bile rising in the back of her throat.

  Lilly lay on the ground, her body lifeless.

  Shifting back into her human form, Samara took a step closer to her. Just as she was about to lean over and feel for a pulse, she felt someone grab her wrist.

  “Don’t touch her,” Colby had instructed. “You’ll leave your DNA on her body. Just let her be. She’s already dead.”

  “How do you know?” Samara had asked, her voice barely a whisper. At the time, she had thought that Colby was wrong, that there was no way he could know for sure that Lilly was gone without feeling for a heartbeat, the way you would know if a human died. After all, werewolves were technically part human, weren’t they?

  “Because that’s what happens when a wolf dies,” Colby had told her gently. “They return to their normal state . . . to their human form.”

  Staring at Lilly, Samara felt her eyes fill up with tears. Whirling around, she glanced in the direction Jason had gone in. The forest was silent. He was gone. As Samara considered shifting back into a wolf so that she could go track him down, Kyle shook his head. “Now’s not the time to get revenge, Sam. We need to plan it out more.”

  “Yeah, let’s go back to my house,” Colby had said gently, tugging at her arm, pulling her away so that she couldn’t do any damage or incriminate herself. Giving in, Samara allowed Colby and the other guys to whisk her away to the Jackson’s house.

  On the way back to Colby’s house that night, though, Samara had insisted on stopping at a pay phone to notify the police about Lilly’s death. Even though the guys in her pack were adamant about it because they were afraid that it would somehow link them to the death, Samara had insisted that it was the only way she would be able to sleep at night without feeling guilty. None of them could possibly have known that she wouldn’t be able to sleep anyway after what had happened, but Samara did find some peace in knowing that the death had at least been reported and that Lilly’s parents wouldn’t have to wonder if she would ever come home that night.

  Kyle had been the one to make the phone call to the police, mostly because he was the only one who was willing to risk it since he had known Lilly so well, and partly because he was really good at changing his voice. For the phone call to the police, Kyle had put on a fake British accent, claiming that he had been hiking in the woods by Starlight Lake and had come across a body.

  When he slid back into the car, he’d said, “They don’t buy it. I can just tell they don’t.” Of course they didn’t buy it. Who went hiking at night? Samara knew right then and there that this was going to turn into a murder investigation. She only hoped that the police would somehow be able to link the crime to Jason on their own, but she had her doubts. How could they link the case to a human when he was in werewolf form when he had killed her? “Do werewolves even have DNA?” Samara had asked.

  “When we’re humans we have human DNA. When we’re in wolf form, we have animal DNA, which can’t be linked to our human DNA,” Colby had replied knowingly. “Plus, no one would ever think to link wolf fur and paw prints to human hair or fingerprints.”

  It figured that Jason would somehow be able to get away with his crime.

  When Samara and the guys had arrived at the Jackson’s house, where she had stared at the ceiling in the guest bedroom, not allowing herself to cry in front of any of them. If she let it out in front of her new pack – the pack that she was positive she wanted to belong to now – they would think she was weak . . . and who wanted a weakling on their pack?

  Now, in the forest in front of the lilies with Luke, it didn’t matter. If she didn’t let her sorrow out now, it would eat at her insides, threatening to boil over unexpectedly. Burying her head in Luke’s shoulder, Samara cried. Luke’s strong, warm hands stroking her back were the only thing that comforted her as she let it all out.

  *

  On that same Wednesday afternoon, which was three days after Lilly had died, Samara found a police car parked in the driveway when she got home from getting a soda with Luke after their moment in the woods. She hoped that her eyes were no longer red and puffy. Not that it was a crime to cry. Hopefully, the police wouldn’t find it suspicious if they did notice that she had been crying.
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br />   The cops hadn’t identified a cause of death and, from what Colby had told Samara, it was an unwritten rule that no one in the werewolf world could go public with details about a murder that had taken place while they were in wolf form. Samara didn’t agree with it, but if the details about these type of murders ever did come out, there would be the risk of people somehow finding out that werewolves existed – which would put all of them in danger. Even though Samara wished that she could break the rule and tell the police what she knew, she wasn’t about to be the one to open her mouth about it.

  As Samara approached the car, Detective Scotts swung open his car door and stepped out onto the black pavement. “Samara? Do you have a few minutes to speak with me again?”

  Samara sighed. “Look, I’m not trying to sound uncooperative or anything, but you’ve already interviewed me three times since Sunday. Am I a suspect or something?” She had told him the same exact story all three times – that she hadn’t been anywhere near the woods that night. After the fight, they had raced back to Colby’s house. Samara hadn’t wanted to leave Lilly, but the pack had convinced her that there was nothing they could do.

  Detective Scotts ran a hand through his dirty blonde hair. “I’ve never said that you were a person of interest.” He paused. “Do you think that you should be?”

  Samara shook her head, trying to keep a neutral face that wouldn’t make it obvious that she was lying. She really wished that she could tell someone – anyone outside of the werewolf world – that she knew what had happened that night. It made her feel guilty knowing that Lilly’s parents had to wonder who had killed their daughter and that most of the town was under the impression that some crazy, deranged killer was out on the loose. At the same time, she knew she wasn’t completely lying to Detective Scotts. Jason was the one who had killed Lilly, not her.

  Realizing the detective wasn’t going to go away without talking to her first, she said, “It’s chilly out here. Let’s go inside.” Samara led him to the front door and, once they were in the living room, she motioned for him to take a seat on the sofa. She sat down on the love seat across from him. “What do you want to talk to me about today?” She hoped that the frustration wasn’t too obvious in her voice.

  Samara hadn’t been sure how the police had linked her to Lilly’s death, aside from the fact that she lived near Starlight Lake. They had investigated her neighbors, but it didn’t seem like any of them were suspects. At least, Samara was pretty sure that the detective hadn’t questioned them again after their initial interviews.

  Maybe Samara was just a really bad liar . . . or her guilt was so blatantly obvious that Detective Scotts could just see right through her. Under ordinary circumstances, she might have been grateful for this, except this was different. Samara wasn’t allowed to tell the truth even if she wanted to.

  “One of the more interesting findings about the investigation is the hair that was found in the woods, not far from Lilly Phillips’s body. Do you know anything about that?”

  Samara confidently met the detective’s gray eyes, knowing that looking down at the floor would make her seem guilty. “No.”

  Detective Scotts smiled at her knowingly and pulled out a bag of the hair clippings, which were nearly identical to Samara’s own dark chocolate brown hair color. “That’s rather interesting because the hair was found about two hundred feet away from your house.” He held up the evidence bag, which contained the hair, and gestured towards Samara’s own dark locks. “And the color is a perfect match for your own hair. Are you sure that you don’t have something to tell me, Samara? Were you in the woods the night Lilly died?”

  Tell him it’s not your hair and to check it for DNA evidence, Luke told her firmly. Luke wasn’t in the room or even nearby. Since Luke was Samara’s werewolf mate, he could communicate with her mentally, and no one else could ever hear what they were saying to each other in private, whether they were in human form or wolf form. This mental communication, which she now referred to as mind-speak, was one of her favorite parts of being a werewolf. She and Luke were always connected with each other – even though it could get annoying at times when she wanted to keep him out of her thoughts. If there was something that she didn’t want him to overhear, though, she could block him out.

  Why? Samara responded to him through her own thoughts. Telling the detective to check for DNA evidence didn’t seem like such a good idea. It might actually somehow link the hair to her since she had been the one who was wearing the wig that night.

  Just say it and I’ll explain later. Oh, and also mention that you do sometimes walk through the woods just to be on the safe side, Luke replied.

  Samara glanced over at the detective, realizing that he was giving her a funny look, obviously wondering why she was taking so long to give him an answer. “I have walked through the woods behind my house before, but I wasn’t out there the night Lilly died. I’m pretty sure that’s not my hair, but if you don’t believe me, why don’t you check it for DNA evidence?”

  The detective stared at her for a few minutes, as though he was examining her face to see if she was telling the truth. Finally, he sighed. “Do you have a hair brush that I may borrow?”

  Samara nodded and got up. As she made her way to her bedroom, she thought frantically to Luke, What the heck is going to happen if he does do a DNA test on this hair? He’s going to think that it was me!

  Stop panicking, Luke replied, if he does a DNA test, it should put you in the clear. Remember that it’s not actually your hair. It was a human hair wig, which means that the DNA evidence will show that it doesn’t belong to you. It will be a match for whoever the wig actually came from.

  Oh, you’re right, Samara thought back, allowing herself to relax. She knew that she hadn’t actually used her real hair during the fake initiation with the Vyka, but that didn’t stop her from panicking. She would never be able to fully relax until Lilly’s murder case was closed – if it ever would be. The police would never be able to find a proper cause of death unless if one of the werewolves came forward, which wasn’t allowed. When she returned to the living room, she handed the detective her brush, which was coated with her dark hair.

  “Thank you,” Detective Scotts replied, placing the brush in an evidence bag. With his hand on the front doorknob, he said, “I’ll have these two samples compared before I see you again. I have no more questions for you today. If anything comes up, I’ll be in touch. Please call me if you remember any details that could help us in our investigation.”

  Samara closed the door behind him, slumping against it. This is really stressful, you know, she told Luke.

  I know. I’m sorry that you need to go through it. Luke’s voice was filled with sympathy.

  So, are you looking forward to meeting my family tonight? Samara asked, purposefully changing the subject. She felt guilty for complaining, while she knew that her old friend, Josh, was probably miserable without his mate.

  I’m a bit nervous about that actually, Luke replied.

  Oh, come on. You’re supposed to be a big bad wolf, Samara teased. Why would you be nervous to meet my parents?

  Luke chuckled. Werewolf or not, I still like to make a good first impression. And it’s not like I’m meeting just any girl’s parents. I’m meeting my mate’s parents.

  Well, don’t worry. I’m pretty sure you already made a good impression on my mom or she never would have agreed to this, Samara replied. It actually had surprised her that her mom had been so agreeable to letting Luke come over to dinner so that she and Samara’s father could get to know him better. Her parents were pretty strict and didn’t want her dating until she was much older, so this had been out of character.

  I guess you’re right, Luke agreed. Now, let’s just hope that I have the same effect on your dad. Hey, I gotta go run some errands. I’ll be at your house around six?

  Sounds like a plan. Samara glanced at herself in the mirror and smiled. Everything was turning out to be okay – which was a good
thing because a week ago, her life had been completely crazy and full of decisions that she needed to make.

  It hadn’t seemed that long ago that Samara had first been bitten by the wolf. Her days were no longer filled with constant worrying about what she was, and who had bit her, because it had turned out to be Colby Jackson, one of the nerds in her high school class who also happened to be the Alpha of the Ima pack.

  Even though Colby biting Samara is what sparked her transformation as a werewolf, she was going to transform by her sixteenth birthday, anyway, because it ran in her bloodline. After she became a werewolf, Samara found out that her Grandpa Joe McKinley was one of the most powerful (and famous) werewolves in history. Until he died a mysterious death, her grandpa had belonged to the Vyka pack, which Samara was also supposed to belong to. When Colby bit her, he had changed everything about her fate; it gave Samara the option to choose to become either a Vyka, like her grandpa, or an Ima. Since Samara didn’t like – and was a little terrified of – the Vyka Alpha, Jason Masterson, she had already decided that she was going to become an Ima. The only problem was that it would put a strain on her relationship with her brother, Seth, and her best friend, Declan, who were both on the Vyka pack. Samara knew that she had to do what was best for her, though, even if it meant that she would lose some of the people in her life.

  Her initiation with the Ima pack was supposed to happen on Thursday night, but Samara was trying to keep her mind off it and focus on getting through tonight first. There were going to be problems if Samara’s parents didn’t want her to date Luke. Luke Davenport was her mate; there would be no breaking up or dating other boys. They were just going to have to accept him for who he was. Samara had a feeling that might be easier said than done, though.

  *

  “He’s late,” Mr. McKinley said as he sliced thick pieces of garlic bread from a loaf.