Blue Moon

by J. A. Belfield

  “She’s right.” My hands came to rest on my hips. “I know she is.”

  “Have you spoken to her about Josh drinking the tea yet?”

  “No. I doubt there’s a lot we can do about it now. Even if Jess comes up with a solution, I know nothing about the art of potion making or spell casting.” At a hopeful glance from Nathan, I added, “Despite my distant upraising.”

  He nodded again—seemed to be doing a lot of agreeing.

  “So, I take it the plan is still to play nice to the witch and pretend I like her?”

  “I know it’s going to be hard for you, Jem,” Nathan said.

  I scowled. “You have no idea.”

  His head bobbed—maybe he had no other answer.

  “And we watch Josh like a hawk?”

  “Yes,” he rumbled.

  I dipped my chin. “Of course, we wouldn’t have to watch him at all if—”

  “We know, Jem.”

  “All I can say is, you’d better hope Jess finds out what they’re up to. And if she finds out what they’re up to, and it isn’t good? You’d better hope she comes up with a fix.”

  I caught the wince in each of their gazes. To rely on an outsider for help went against everything they believed in—especially when that outsider arrived in the form of a female, a human, and to top it all, something resembling a witch.

  9

  Momentary disorientation greeted me as I blinked in the darkness. A partial moon provided a sequinned glow to the furnishings of the bedroom and glittered with each raindrop that hit the windowpane. Beyond the glass, ever changing clouds ruled the dark sky.

  The dream I’d left behind had taken me beyond sleep. I rolled out from beneath Sean’s leaden arm and climbed from the bed. Rummaging through the laundry pile, I found a sweatshirt and a pair of his thick socks and pulled them on before a glance to the left brought the outline of his fantastic body into view. With a smile at his soft, slumber-fed breaths and the serenity of his features, I grabbed a blanket from the chair, wrapping it around myself, and headed for the bathroom—the place with the best view of the forest.

  Despite being a female, despite some of my most terrifying moments occurring in the forest, I’d never been afraid of it. Its appearance only enchanted, drew my body into the pull of its sanctuary. I opened the window to maximum capacity, climbed onto the sill and rested with my feet dangling against the brick of the house.

  The rear of the property provided more shelter than the front, but even the lushness of the thick socks provided inadequate protection against the cold wind, and the gale tugged at the edges of my blanket, its icy chill taunting the flesh of my exposed legs.

  As I watched, the high branches of the forest battled—wind constantly swirled, changing direction, and the structures stretched one way before reaching toward another with the grace of a natural ballet.

  “Jem?”

  I tilted my head at Sean’s low murmur behind me. Thanks to the encompassing whirlwind, even his scent had escaped detection.

  Soft footsteps crossed the bathroom to me. His body brushed mine as he took up position beside me on the window ledge.

  I turned to his naked, shuddering body and held out a corner of my blanket. “Want some?”

  He shuffled in closer. Still facing the room, his arms wrapped round me as I cocooned us in the folds of fleecy fabric, his cheek coming to rest against my shoulder. “What’s up, Jem?”

  “A dream. I think.”

  His lashes tickled my skin. “What’d you dream about?”

  “That night. The night of our binding.”

  We fell quiet for minutes. Only the onslaught of nature and the mechanics of our bodies made sound.

  “Did you get anything else?” he asked after a while.

  “I get the sense there were four people there. At first, earlier today when I remembered, I thought there were just the two of us and my mother. Now, I think there may have been a fourth person, and I can’t for the life of me get a clear picture of who it was. It just …bothers me.” I toyed with the strands at his crown. “The whole thing bothers me. You not remembering bothers me. I don’t know . . .”

  “It’s bothering me, too,” he said.

  I nodded, and we returned to quiet. At least my irritation at not having all the answers began to fade. With Sean beside me, my body and mind relaxed.

  “So …you planning to stay out here all night?” When I didn’t answer, he nudged me with his hip. “Aren’t you cold?”

  “My feet are bloody freezing.”

  “Come back to bed with me.” Without awaiting a response, he gripped and slid me to sit across his lap before leaning around to close the window and shut off the breath-stealing gusts.

  I reached up a hand, cupped the back of his neck and brought him down to brush my lips across his. “Promise me you’ll watch out for Josh.”

  His eyes stared into mine. “You know I will.”

  “Promise me, Sean, you won’t let her take him from us.”

  “I promise.”

  I folded into his arms as he lifted me. Back in bed, his body, his scent, the comforting whispers of his deep, velvety voice caressed me into a state of calm, and sleep once again moved in.

  • • •

  The winter sun hung low in the sky Tuesday morning, but whilst it gleamed at me in the rear-view mirror of the Porsche, it couldn’t obscure the fact I had a black Lexus on my tail.

  I’d have shrugged it off as nothing, but the deal with the witches and the black Lexus from the week before brought my niggle to the surface.

  I hadn’t gone with the others that morning, which only added to my worry.

  The second time, when I had a bad feeling about a Lexus parked outside the supermarket, I’d left the house alone, too.

  The third time resulted in a black Lexus in tow as I flew around country lanes toward Derby.

  Coincidence?

  I peered for about the four hundredth time in my rear-view mirror. Whoever drove the Lexus seemed to know to keep their distance.

  If I slowed, they hung back and retained the gap.

  When I sped up to lose them, they did, also.

  I turned right, they turned right—turned left and they followed.

  Definitely not coincidence!

  After about forty minutes of the Lexus clinging to my rear bumper, I scanned the road signs for a lay-by alert.

  If they had any sort of intentions toward me, surely they’d take the opportunity and follow. “Only one way to find out,” I murmured.

  Another five minutes passed before a sign forewarned of an upcoming lay-by. I checked my speed, dropped down to sixty, down to fifty. When the turn-off came into sight, I flicked my indicator to give the Lexus fair warning and slowed even further.

  The black car matched my speed through every reduction.

  Spinning the wheel to the left removed the Porsche from the road.

  I recognised the escalating roar of a floored accelerator a split second too late.

  As the black Lexus whizzed past at rocket speed, the only glimpse I caught of the driver was a flash of rich chestnut-coloured hair.

  “Shit!”

  I slammed the gearstick into first and wheel spun from my stationary position.

  A flash of bottle green to my right hit my periphery before it collided with my yellow, and I stomped down on the brake. The tyres struggled for traction on the gravel road. I stopped only a fraction short of impact.

  The Jaguar’s driver sent me a disapproving headshake on his passing.

  Ignoring him, I pulled out behind and continued my chase, but winding curves made it impossible to get by.

  The black car vanished from sight.

  • • •

  Ethan w
alked my way before the Porsche had even come to a standstill when I pulled in through the site entrance.

  My eyes narrowed as his head ducked in through the window, as his lips brushed across my cheek—a most unusual action for Ethan unless I’d done something worthy of praise.

  “Heads up, Jem,” he whispered.

  Head tilted, I forced my lips to spread. “What for?”

  “She’s here.”

  My smile wavered.

  “And she’s not alone.”

  I reached up to his cheek, held him close to conceal my vanishing smile. “Did she bring her sister?”

  He gave a nod, his mouth set in a firm line. “And I think Marianne brought her along to try the same with Dan as she has with Josh.”

  My chest constricted. “Why would you think that?”

  Ethan’s expression matched my emotions. “Because Marianne wasn’t the only one to walk in carrying a bloody thermos. That’s why.”

  At his words, I clambered from the car, all concerns over the black Lexus gone. “Did your dad talk to Kyle and Dan?”

  “Not yet.” His arms drew me into a bear hug as he angled my face away from the apartment windows.

  Did I look that panicked? “So, Danny doesn’t know?”

  Ethan shook his head.

  My pulse increased. “Where’s Nate?”

  “I was just looking for him when you showed up.”

  “And Sean?”

  “Upstairs. He’s my next stop if I don’t find Dad.”

  I glanced around Ethan’s shoulder toward where the witches had to be. “Okay, go find your dad. I’ll see if I can stall Danny from drinking the tea.”

  Ethan released me and strode off toward the cabin as I took a deep breath and headed for the shit-covered fan.

  • • •

  In three seconds, I’d taken it all in.

  Daniel sipped with caution at the thermos in his hand, nose twitching like crazy at the steam drifting from its content. Josh mirrored him but with no hesitation—gulp, swallow, gulp, swallow. Two witches, one as smug as a bird with a worm, the other twitchy as heck when her gaze landed on me, sat with them.

  I should have known I would arrive too late, should have realised Josh would encourage his brother to drink the tea.

  An unspoken curse echoed in my mind as I lifted my lowered head, smoothed out my frown and crossed the room. “Marianne.”

  The witch smiled. “Hi, Jem.”

  I wondered if my expression looked as false as hers.

  Unfortunately, Josh’s lack of understanding of the opposite sex lent him no favours. He’d been right in saying women were manipulative, but he had no realisation of just how much talent existed in the gender-oriented art.

  I turned my attention to Marianne’s clone and extended my hand. “Amber, right? You didn’t exactly catch me at my best the last time we met.”

  She allowed my hand a brief shake. “It’s good to meet you properly, Jem.”

  “So,” I said to Daniel, “who’s on lunch run duty today?”

  I hadn’t spoken to Josh since he’d yelled and stormed out on me, and I paid him no attention then, either. I’d caught him watching me, though, since my apology to Marianne, and spying when he thought I couldn’t see. Hoping Josh would come to me when ready, I’d ignored him every time.

  A small smile played on Daniel’s lips. “Um …you?”

  “Nuh-uh.” I shook my head with a grin. “No way. I did the lunch run three times last week. It’s your turn, Dan.”

  He lowered his thermos, let loose his puppy eyes. “Please, Jem. If you get behind, we can all chip in when we’ve finished. If I get behind, Nate gets on my case like a pit bull with a damn—”

  “I can hear you, you know.”

  Daniel whirled to the doorway.

  I smothered my smirk as I turned to Nathan’s huge form in the opening.

  He turned from Josh, chugging from his flask, to Daniel who still sipped at his.

  When he met my gaze, I tried to give a discreet expression of apology. Barely moving enough for the others to detect, he nodded. As Connor came up behind him, performing the same rapid evaluation as our Alpha, Nathan stepped into the room.

  Marianne smiled. “Mr Larsen?”

  “Connor,” he said.

  “We wanted to apologise for interrupting your meal on Sunday.”

  “Not a problem.” He remained in the doorway. “Water under the bridge, by the looks of things.”

  “Even still,”—Marianne took a step forward—“we’d like to make it up to you.”

  Connor didn’t speak, just raised his eyebrows as mine knitted.

  “We were hoping you’d accept an invitation for dinner with us,” Marianne said.

  Still, Connor remained mute. I figured he struggled with niceties to someone whose intentions toward his sons he didn’t understand.

  “On Sunday?” she continued.

  “We usually eat with Nate and his family on Sunday’s,” Connor said at last.

  “Well, that works out just fine.” She turned to Nathan. “Because the invitation was for all of you.”

  As Connor’s mouth seemed to struggle to respond, Nathan cut in with, “That’s very generous of you, Marianne.”

  A hint of triumph sparked her eyes. “So, you’ll come?”

  Nathan faced her. “As long as you understand Jem is considered a member of my family, yes.”

  “Oh, well . . .” At Marianne’s sideways glance, I sent her my best smile beneath Josh’s watchful gaze. She turned back to Nathan. “Of course, the invitation is extended to Jem, too.”

  “Excellent.” I offered her a jiggle of my eyebrows. “I’d love to come.”

  Marianne grinned as if she’d won the lottery. “Sunday it is then.”

  • • •

  “I’m surprised you accepted Marianne’s invitation, Nate,” I said later that evening.

  Lifting his focus from his newspaper, he glanced across from his armchair in the corner of the living room. “I wanted to find out where they live.”

  Good idea. I gave a slow nod.

  “And I’d rather Josh and Dan, if that’s who they’re really intent on getting there, had us as escort. Better that than them spending more time alone with them. The last thing we need is Danny turning up with a bracelet to match Josh’s.”

  “You’re right. She wasn’t happy, though, when you insisted I be included.”

  “No.”

  “She didn’t hide it very well, either. It got to her, I think.”

  “Probably. But she hid it well enough for Josh to miss it.”

  “She could fart in the bath and laugh it off as the weather, and Josh would miss her bullshit.”

  Low chuckles emanated from Sean and Ethan.

  Nathan’s lips twitched. “Possibly,” he murmured, returning to the printed news in his lap.

  Tired from my lack of sleep the night before, I yawned. My arms stretched up, muscles tensing with the movement, and my back arched into a shuddering finale.

  “What was keeping you awake last night?” Ethan asked.

  I rubbed at my face. “Did I disturb you?”

  “Nah. I just heard a noise, checked to see who it was and went back to bed.”

  A swing of my legs laid them across Sean’s lap as I snuggled into the sofa cushions. I twisted to look at Nathan. “Did I wake you, too?”

  He studied me for a few seconds before giving a small nod.

  “So much for trying to be quiet,” I mumbled.

  Nathan folded his newspaper and set it aside. “Something on your mind, Jem?”

  “No more than the rest of you.”

  When Nathan and Ethan continued to stare, Sean said, “S
he dreamt about our binding ritual.”

  Ethan leaned forward and rested elbows on knees. “D’you remember more?”

  “Just that I think there were two people there with Sean and me that night. Not much else, really.” At his raised eyebrow, I added, “I couldn’t see them. I don’t know who it was.”

  “Maybe it’ll come to you.” Sean’s finger trailed the length of my calf down to my ankle.

  “Or,”—I stretched into him, practically purring at his contact—“maybe it will come to you.”

  • • •

  An hour later, the mechanical whir of the disc drawer announced Ethan’s feeding of a film into the DVD player, and Sean lifted his head from the sofa back, opening his eyes. “Good idea. Action, horror …?”

  “You wake up for a film, but not to talk to me?” Ethan said over his shoulder.

  Sean chuckled. “I wasn’t asleep.”

  “It’s action,” Ethan said, messing with the channels.

  “Cool.” Sean lifted my legs and climbed to his feet. “Anyone for snacks?”

  “Not for me,” I mumbled.

  “Crisps,” called Ethan after him. “And Snickers.”

  As soon as Sean left the room, Nathan aimed his stare my way. “If you’re tired, Jem, wouldn’t you be better off with a blanket?”

  My lips formed the word, ‘what’ as my eyes narrowed.

  With his eyes, he gestured to the stairs.

  I frowned as I pushed up to look at him properly.

  His head and hand tilted toward the stairs, and again after a quick glance toward Ethan.

  Although I’d no idea of his motive, I swung my legs round and unfolded into an upright position. “You’re right. I’ll grab one from the bedroom.” I paused in the hall. “Baby, I’m just going up for that thick blanket. You want anything?”

  “No, I’ll share yours.”

  I gave a nod he couldn’t see and continued upstairs into our bedroom. The blanket from the night before sat in a crumpled heap beside the bed—the exact spot Sean had tossed it to after he’d dragged me beneath the duvet into the warmth of his arms. Remembering our love making session in the middle of the night brought a smile to my lips—until Nathan’s steps sounded behind me.