“You saved one of ours, and you were invaluable in finding the gem. As far as I am concerned, we are even.”
“Thank you,” I fumbled out, shocked that he would be capable of such benevolence.
He nodded once. “Skylar, I don’t necessarily like you, but I respect your tenacity and values. I am extending an offer to join the Midwest Pack.” I started to speak, but he raised his hand to stop me. “I don’t expect an answer now. You feel obligated to us; I don’t want you to accept under that pretense. Take the time you need to make an educated decision because it is quite a commitment. If I don’t hear from you, I’ll assume it is a declination, and I won’t hold any ill feelings toward your decision. But understand that if you don’t, and trouble finds you again, my pack will never help, because you have chosen the life of a lone wolf.”
I smiled, watching him as he left the room. I chose to be a lone wolf. Essentially, Sebastian just informed me that if I declined pack membership and ever found myself in trouble, they would turn a blind eye to it. And if I were ever a risk to them, I would be handled as most risks are.
“Want to go for a run?” Ethan asked from behind me as I stood on the back porch of the house. It was the same spot I had been for the past fifteen minutes as I contemplated going for a jog. It was hard letting go of the constant expectation of vampire attacks.
Ethan wasn’t speaking of running in human form. He wanted to run in the way he loved. I was prepared to decline, but when I turned to face him, I ended up nodding in agreement. The way he looked out toward the woods with an inexplicable yearning, I couldn’t resist.
I followed him off the porch and when he started to take off his shirt, I took that as my cue to go to the other side of the house to change. I crouched, naked, and wished for my wolf to emerge. Cool fall air whisked against my skin, making me regret that I didn’t decline the offer. Becoming increasingly frustrated when the change didn’t come easily, I tried to force it. Still, nothing happened.
After several minutes, Ethan padded around the corner in animal form. He looked at me, tilted his head and pulled back his lips. I think he was grinning. He sauntered over and rested his face against the crease of my neck. As I stroked the scruff of his neck, I could feel the pricks running up my arm, the surge of energy through me as my change started. Ethan had run into the woods by the time I had fully changed. He submersed himself so deep into the forest that I had to track him by his scent.
When I found him, he howled playfully then licked my face. Ugh. I turned away quickly, letting him know I didn’t like that. He nudged me and did it again. This time, I growled at him. When he pulled back his lips to smile, it was as warm and inviting as if he were in human form. He gently ran his nose along my face and then darted further into the woods. I chased behind him, staying close.
We ran through the woods for almost two hours until we were exhausted. When we neared the house, Ethan changed while walking toward it. I waited near my clothes for him to help me change back. Coming around the corner, he looked surprised that I was still in wolf form. He knelt down. “You need to do this on your own. I won’t always be around to help,” he stated speaking slowly, making it easier for me to discern his words. Once he stood and headed for the door, I snapped at him, barely missing nipping his hand. I couldn’t believe he was going to leave me like this. He responded with a wry smile.
I flopped down on my paws. I can do this. I closed my eyes coercing myself to relax into my natural form. But it couldn’t. I tried for nearly a half hour as Ethan stood inside watching me from the door. When he started toward me, I growled, baring my teeth. A warning that if he didn’t help me, I wasn’t going to miss this time. His lips flattened into a thin line, suppressing a grin. He knelt in front of me. “It shouldn’t be hard, not for you. Human form, you want it. Just relax into it, Skylar,” he stated softly.
I spent a good five minutes glaring at Ethan until he finally left. A long time later, I was finally in human form. I dressed and scurried quickly to the house. The alluring smell of food met me at the entrance.
“Hungry?” Ethan asked when I walked into the kitchen.
I nodded; starving was more like it.
We ate mostly in silence. Periodically he would ask me questions about my plans. That didn’t lead to very good dialogue because I had no idea what I would do. I planned to sell the house. Even if I could learn to walk past my mother’s room without having an emotional breakdown, the house was too large for one person.
“Sebastian asked you to join our pack,” he acknowledged as he took our empty plates to the sink and cleaned them. He kept his back to me for a while, his breathing slow and rhythmic as though he were considering something.
I remained quiet. I knew there had to be some ulterior motive to Ethan being here with me at this moment. Their actions were rarely selfless.
“Is that what the run and dinner was all about? Are you here to influence my decision to join the pack?” I asked, slightly annoyed. I realized it was being petty and irrational, but I couldn’t help my aggravation. No matter how I tried to push the feelings aside, they wouldn’t budge.
He looked stunned by my accusation, which he soon traded for a look of pure offense. “No. I was going for a run anyway. I thought you could use the a little escape from the house; perhaps it was a poor decision on my part.”
He stared past me, engrossed by his thoughts. He quickly redirected his attention to me. Speaking slowly, his words seemed weighted by his thoughts. “Pack life is all that I know. It’s the way I was raised, and if it weren’t, I doubt I would chose otherwise. But, it’s not for everyone. Not all people who join the pack are assets. Some become complications and others … acceptable liabilities. Sebastian seems to think you would be an asset to the pack and your unique qualities an acceptable liability.” He looked at me perceptively. “I disagree.”
“You don’t want me to join this pack?” I asked, failing miserably at hiding my hurt and disappointment.
“I think the life of a lone wolf would be best suited for you,” he responded hastily, without giving the question a second thought.
I had a hard time finding the words to respond. The immature brat in me wanted to call Sebastian right then and accept his invitation, just to annoy Ethan. The rejection stung.
“Why don’t you want me … ” The words came too quickly to be censored. “ … in your pack?” I added awkwardly.
“Do the reasons really matter?”
“I guess not,” I stated trying to sound just as aloof as I stood up to leave.
He reached out to grasp my hand, but I quickly withdrew before he could touch me. “Skylar, it’s not that I dislike you. Quite the contrary, I actually find you quite tolerable. You are a chaotic mess, and it’s … endearing.”
Seriously, was that supposed to be a compliment? “And you’re an ass. We’re quite the pair aren’t we?” I snapped back.
He held a look of casual indifference, the insult rolling off him, “I will always want what is best for my pack, and you aren’t good for us,” he continued.
“Message received.” I responded in a curt voice as I stood to leave. “Thanks for the run and dinner,” I asserted half-heartedly as I headed back to the room and as far from Ethan as I could possibly get.
“You’re quite welcome.”
He was a smug one. Before I could close the door, Ethan called to me from the bottom of the stairs. I didn’t answer initially, but when I heard him coming up, I poked my head out. I figured if I kept him downstairs, he would just leave me alone.
“It has been quite interesting knowing you.” There was such finality to his words that I was sure I wasn’t going to see him again, if he had anything to do with it.
“Same here,” I declared through tightly clenched teeth, wishing I possessed the skill to make my words come off as cold and stringent as he did. I closed the door firmly behind me.
Steven waited patiently as I gathered the remainder of my things. During the drive hom
e, he promised to visit me in a week, to see how things were going. I hoped he would, though I found it highly unlikely. Between school and pack obligation, Steven was a very busy person. Life was going to get in the way, and I doubted he would have time to visit or stay in touch with the “enigmatic mess” of a werewolf.
“Do you think the vampires will retaliate?” I asked once he pulled up in front of the house.
He shook his head. “Once they realize you are alive—which they will, they will assume you are still under our protection. A war between the were-animals and the vampires would leave them with too great of a loss. Demetrius isn’t willing to accept that with nothing more to gain than revenge or to make an idle point. He’s aware there is power in numbers and he has already lost several powerful members to this. For now, you are safe from vampire attacks.”
I let out a sigh of relief. He smiled modestly. “However, don’t be complacent. You have enemies now. Michaela won’t soon forget how amusing she found you. Gabriella will begrudge your existence because of what you did to Chase. It would be wise if you were careful,” he cautioned. He looked out the window for a long time; when he spoke, his voice was weighted with concern. “The things you can do with magic,” he said as he turned to face me, “keep it to yourself. Gavin’s not the only one who hates abnormalities. The Creed really doesn’t like it. They’re not like Josh; he’s kind. Things like that don’t bother him,” he stated. I wasn’t sure if he could elaborate, but the look on his face was enough of a warning to keep my mouth shut.
I nodded. Before getting out the car, I hugged him. “Be careful, Sky.”
When I walked into the house, I dropped my bags inside, next to the front door. I stayed at the window until he drove away. I had a lot to think about regarding my life, including joining the pack. My life had definitely changed. My existence was known. I had piqued the interest of too many people—the wrong people. I was pulled into a world that I didn’t know existed, and there wasn’t a rabbit hole in sight for me to jump out of.
There were so many questions I needed answered, and I didn’t know where to start. Who killed Maya, and why? What was it about me that made it so easy for me to be bound to something as dark as the Gem of Levage? And Claudia, who was she really? Like everything else in this world, there seem to be more to her than just being Ethan and Josh’s godmother. The odd painting that commanded my attention seemed to offer more than mere aesthetics. There was something ominous about it, and I felt like I had missed something in it, and it was haunting me at this very moment. Finally, what did it say about me that I had the ability to expunge the most powerful purveyor of dark magic?
I grabbed my bags and started toward my room when I noticed a figurine of Fantasia’s Mickey apprentice placed on the side table in the living room with a note:
Here’s to dancing brooms and shooting stars. Josh.
MESSAGE TO THE READER
Thank you for choosing Moon Tortured from the many titles available to you. My goal, as the author, is to create an engaging world, compelling characters, and an interesting experience for you. I hope I have accomplished that. If you enjoyed Moon Tortured, and even if you didn’t, let other readers know your thoughts about the book by leaving a review.
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
It is humbling to have such wonderful people take the time out of their schedule to not only read my manuscript, but also offer constructive criticism, invaluable feedback, and support throughout the process. I am truly thankful for my mother, Shawn Arroyo, Gregory Caughman, Tiffany Dix, April Franks, London Gibbs and Marcia Synder. This book is not solely my creation but a result of the time you all gave to improve it from the original.
I would like to offer a special thanks to Sheryl Cox and Stacy McCright. Sheryl, I can never truly express how grateful I am that you made the time between working fulltime and going to school, to read each draft, coach me and offer your skills and experience selflessly. You treated my manuscript as though it were your own, and worked tirelessly to support, and encourage me throughout the process. I can never repay you for that level of dedication. Stacy, I don’t believe you have the same twenty four hours in your day as everyone else. You didn’t hold your punches and gave freely of your compliments as well as criticism, which after developing thicker skin, I learned to appreciate. I developed a love/hate relationship with each critique you emailed me and quickly learned to accept them for what they were—a challenge to improve.
I would also like to thank Wayne Purdin, my editor and Reese Dante @ http://www.reesedante.com, for the cover art.
Last but definitely not least, I would like that thank my readers for giving my book a chance and choosing to follow Skylar through her journey.
Moon Tortured (Sky Brooks Series Book 1) Page 35
