Hunter Moon (The Moon Series)

by Jeanette Battista

  “Sure, give it to me. I’ll see what he can find.”

  Kess did, keeping her eyes on Finn. She was worried too about what this might mean for Laila. She raised a brow at him, but didn’t say anything until she had hung up with Masud, who promised to be back in touch quickly. She waited a beat before saying anything.

  Rafe surprised her by speaking first. “What do you think happened to him?”

  Kess drummed her fingers against the top of her desk. “I don’t think he was called away on a Keeper mission. Wouldn’t they have taken care of his garage fees so his car wouldn’t get towed?” Finn nodded slowly, and Kess continued her thinking out loud. “That seems likely to get attention and we know that goes against how the Keepers operate.”

  “So what then?” Finn asked, although from the look on his face Kess knew what he suspected the answer was to that question.

  “I don’t know.”

  “The hunter.” Rafe said the one thing they were all thinking.

  “How?” Finn asked before Kess could. “He’s a Keeper, a one-man wrecking machine. How do you sneak up on him?”

  Kess shivered. The hunter was beginning to loom large in all their thoughts, she knew. But hunting hyenas and hunting a Keeper of Divine Order were entirely different. It didn’t make sense—how was this hunter able to hunt them at all? How did he even know about weres? And how did he determine who was a werebeast with enough surety to hunt them?

  She stood up, sick of sitting. She needed to walk, and she wanted to get out of the room and into some fresh air before she felt the walls closing in on her. But first she had to ask Finn a question. “Do you think you should call Laila?”

  “And tell her what? We seem to have misplaced your brother?” Finn’s generous mouth turned down in a frown. He shook his head. “Until there’s something to tell her, I’d rather her not worry.”

  “No, you’ll leave that up to us,” Rafe chided.

  Kess escaped from the ensuing verbal battle for the relative quiet of the pool and back yard. One question was on her mind: just where exactly was Mebis?

  Chapter Fourteen

  When Lukas called, Kess had been grateful for the distraction. Between Mebis’ strange disappearance, the missing hyenas, and the possibility of a hunter in the area, Kess was glad to focus on a mundane task like figuring out if Lukas was a werecreature. Best case scenario—he wasn’t and she could at least mark something off her checklist. Worst case, he was and then she had to figure out if he was hostile or not. Either way, it was something new to worry about.

  But now that she was out with him, Kess felt like she was betraying Cormac. With every smile at Lukas, with every shared laugh, she was certain there was a special punishment being thought up for her because she was betraying her boyfriend with another guy. She’d spoken briefly to Finn, who tried to reassure her, but it hadn’t worked. It didn’t matter that she was only going out with Lukas to try and determine if he was a new were in town. It didn’t matter that she was too on edge with thoughts of Mebis and the hunter and the Keepers to actually enjoy herself. All that mattered was that she was out on what she supposed technically qualified as a date with someone who was not her boyfriend.

  She couldn’t wait for the night to be over. All she wanted to do was huddle in bed with a movie with a lot of stuff blowing up or superheroes beating the snot out of each other and forget about everything for a night.

  Lukas said something that she didn’t catch. She gave him an anemic smile and reminded herself to pay attention. Her focus wasn’t being helped by how uncomfortable Lukas made her. When they first met, he seemed completely normal, but the longer she spent in his presence the more unnerved she became.

  Kess didn’t know what it was about Lukas that bothered her, but something was certainly setting off her warning bells. He’d been a perfect gentleman all evening: attentive, respectful, and interested. Still, Kess couldn’t shake the feeling that something more was going on beneath his surface of urbane charm. He was attractive, and Kess couldn’t deny that he was handsome, but it was tempered by the feeling that she had to be very careful around him.

  If he was a were, then it made sense. If he wasn’t, Kess didn’t know what secrets he might be hiding that would give off such a vibe. She didn’t think she was being paranoid—she’d spent too long on the run and honing her danger sense to ignore what it was telling her now.

  So when he’d invited her back to his condo because it was still early, she’d dubiously said yes. Kess figured if things went south, she could handle it, but she needed to find out what was up with Lukas. There were too many strange things going on in Miami and the surrounding areas that concerned her: the missing hyenas, the evidence of hunting, Mebis’ absence, strange signs in the Everglades. Kess needed to find out what was going on, and quickly, so she could figure out a way to deal with it before things got worse.

  Lukas unlocked to door to his condominium and ushered her inside. He had the air conditioning cranked, so the cold air made the main room feel a little like the walk-in coolers in the restaurants where Kess used to work. She shivered as she stepped into the living area, her eyes immediately drawn to its wall of windows. The lights of Miami and the darkness of the water beyond lay spread out before her like a picnic. It was lovely.

  “Some view,” she said, her eyes still on the panoramic view in front of her.

  “It is the main reason I purchased this place,” he answered from somewhere behind her.

  Kess turned and saw he was in the kitchen, gathering things for a snack. He certainly seemed to eat a lot, which argued for a were metabolism. But it wasn’t conclusive proof of his status. She walked around the front rooms, taking in the clean lines and minimal décor. The dining room was completely devoid of furniture.

  “Would you care for some wine?”

  Kess wasn’t twenty-one, but even if she had been, she would have declined. She didn’t think drinking around Lukas was the best idea. “No thank you, just water.” She watched while he took out a tall glass. “Where’s your powder room?”

  Lukas looked up, the bright blue of his eyes almost striking sparks in the overhead light. “Down that hall,” he pointed behind him with a smile, “on the left.”

  “Be right back.”

  Kess walked down the hallway, the only light coming from the kitchen and front room. It was dark, but she could still see. She saw the shape of a doorway on her left and ducked inside, her hand fumbling for the switch even as she closed the door.

  When the lights came on she had to put her hands over her mouth to stop a shout of horror from escaping.

  Before her, on tables and stands and mounted to the wall, were animals. They were dead, and then stuffed into lifelike poses. Bile rose in the back of her throat as she took in the different species: bears, wolves, lions, tigers, and deer all stared at her with their dead glass eyes.

  She began a slow circuit of the room, unable to comprehend what she was seeing. Lukas was a hunter, that much was clear. The room was obviously his trophy room. So that left out him being a were, unless he was one of the sickest, most twisted weres she’d ever met. She shuddered to think that perhaps she’d found a werebeast that made her brother look well-adjusted by comparison.

  She had rounded the corner of a stuffed grizzly bear display when she realized it wasn’t a rogue psychotic were she was dealing with. On a low stand stood a hyena. Kess pulled out her phone and snapped a picture with the camera. It was possible that Lukas had hunted a hyena at another location for this particular trophy and that his presence had nothing to do with those of the missing hyenas.

  And it was also possible that pigs could fly.

  Kess continued on, trying to catalog each animal in her head. She didn’t know what could end up being important later. She was moving through the middle of the room, trying to get a close up of one of the wolves when she saw an animal that made her gasp.

  A golden jackal was posed in mid-run. Kess had never seen Mebis in his jackal f
orm, but she had seen his sister, Laila, and she had looked almost exactly like this. Kess’ eyes traced the ears and face, the lines of the back and haunches. But it was the front paw that gave it away and told Kess everything she needed to know. One of the front paws was mangled; in fact the jackal had been posed with the damaged paw raised, as if it couldn’t bear weight.

  Kess snapped a photo with shaking hands. The jackal’s face was peaceful, almost curious. She wondered where he’d been when he’d been killed, wondered what he’d been doing and where. Too many questions. But Kess knew one thing: she had to get out of there.

  She quickly dialed Finn’s number. He picked up after only a few rings. “What’s up?”

  “I need you to come and get me. NOW.” Kess heard the tremor in her voice and realized how terrified she was.

  Finn made no jokes. “Where?” Kess gave him the cross streets where she would meet him. “On my way.”

  As she hung up, she heard the door open behind her. She’d had lots of practice pretending that nothing was wrong, and it came in handy now. Putting all emotion out of her voice—and keeping her face blank—she turned around. “I got lost on the way to the bathroom,” she said ruefully. “Hope you don’t mind me taking a look at your trophies.”

  “Not at all,” Lukas answered, his eyes resting a moment too long on her. “What do you think of them?”

  Hideous. But Kess forced her lips into a smile and lied expertly. “Very impressive.”

  Something flickered in his eyes. Surprise, perhaps? “You are very kind to say so.” He inclined his head in her direction.

  “You must have traveled widely to have amassed such a collection,” Kess continued, thinking that flattery would help in this situation. She was alone in a room with a man who hunted weres. He carried no weapons that she had seen, and she hadn’t had anything from him that might have been drugged, but it didn’t stop her from wanting to put as much distance as possible between herself and this man.

  He nodded. “It has only been in the last three years that I have been able to devote my full time to hunting.”

  She wanted to throw up. Three years? In three years he’d managed to kill all of these weres? How had no one ever heard about it? “Is that what brings you to Miami?” she asked, making sure to keep her voice light and playful.

  Lukas looked at her intently, and Kess suddenly got the distinct impression of his eyes tracking her behind a rifle’s sight. His smile was hard and terrible. “Perhaps,” he admitted. “It is always difficult to find truly unique prey to hunt.” His eyes swept her from head to toe.

  “I can only imagine,” she replied, steel in her voice. She moved past him, walking quickly back to the main room. She couldn’t stand another moment trapped in a room with those dead weres.

  “I’ve prepared a small plate for us,” Lukas said, following her out. A platter of fruits and nuts and cheeses was set out on the coffee table.

  Kess turned to face him, making sure her expression showed her disappointment. “I’m sorry, but an urgent matter has come up at home. I’ve got someone coming to pick me up.” She wondered if he’d meant for her to stumble onto his trophy room—if he was playing with her. If so, he’d find out how little she enjoyed such a game.

  “Nonsense. I’m happy to take you home.” Did she hear the faintest sound of frustration in his voice?

  Kess shook her head. “My ride is probably here by now.” She put some regret into her voice, as any normal girl would. “But I do hope we can see each other again.” She gestured to the food on the coffee table. “Especially since you went to so much trouble. Rain check?”

  “Of course.” He walked her to the door. “We’ll be seeing each other again very soon.”

  Kess nodded, determined to keep the smile plastered to her face, only letting it drop when the door closed behind her. She walked quickly down the hallway to the elevator, bypassing it for the stairs. She took those two and three at a time, only feeling a sense of relief when she pushed open the door that led to the lobby and the open air. She hurried up the street to the corner where she said she’d meet Finn.

  He was already there, astride Sek’s red Ducati. Kess grabbed the helmet from him and stuffed it on her head, then flung her leg over the back of the bike. She put her arms around Finn’s waist, hoping that the shakes wouldn’t hit her until after they got back to the house. “Get me the hell out of here,” she said, her words muffled through the face shield.

  Finn cranked the engine to life, speeding them away from the room of dead weres and into the safety of night.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Finn knew that tone in Kess’ voice, so he didn’t ask questions when she said she needed a pick-up. Something was wrong—really wrong. He ended the call and shouted to Rafe to let the kid know that something was up.

  “What?” Rafe sounded annoyed as he poked his head up over the book he was reading.

  “Don’t go anywhere,” Finn said, keys to the bike already in hand. “I’m going to pick up Kess and it sounds like she’s got some bad news.”

  Rafe sat up, suddenly tense. “Is she okay?”

  “I won’t know until I get there.” Finn was already walking down the hall to the garage. Rafe followed.

  “Call if you need anything. I can send Masud and the others,” the werehyena said, as he hit the button to open the garage door.

  Finn grabbed a spare helmet and locked it on the back of the motorcycle. “Hopefully you won’t need to.” He gunned the engine and was gone.

  It didn’t take him long to reach the meeting point. He had the helmet unhooked and ready when Kess came around the corner looking pale and frightened. He didn’t know what the heck had happened, but he hadn’t seen her look like this since she’d heard her brother was in town when they were all up in the mountains. He didn’t say a word, just handed her the helmet. He could feel her body shaking as she threw herself onto the seat behind him.

  Finn didn’t ask anything until they got back to the house, but as soon as he pulled the Ducati into the garage and cut the engine, all bets were off. “What’s wrong?” Rafe was waiting on the steps that led inside and as soon as he saw the bike, he leapt to his feet.

  Kess pulled off the helmet. Her color looked better, but her face was still worried. She hit the switch to close the garage door. “Let’s talk inside.” Finn noticed that she looked behind her even after the door was closed.

  The three trooped inside, with Rafe giving him the hairy eyeball every two seconds. Finn shrugged and mouthed “I don’t know” behind Kess’ back as she led them to the library. Finn couldn’t say he was surprised; if there was something delicate to be discussed, Kess always chose the library for the conversation. It was like a security blanket in room form for her. Finn and Rafe entered, and then Kess closed the door.

  Before Finn could speak, Kess said, “I’ve found the hunter.”

  Silence. Whatever he’d been expecting her to say, it hadn’t been that. After a few moments of quiet, he asked, “How can you be sure?”

  Kess pulled her phone out of her bag. She hit a few buttons, then handed the phone to Finn. The werewolf took it and walked over to Rafe so the kid could see too. As they scrolled through the photos Kess had taken, Finn felt his stomach clench. He stopped on the one with the hyena. “You recognize this one.”

  Rafe was quiet, his face a blank mask. Finally he said, “I would need to see it larger before I could be sure, but yeah, it looks like the missing hyena.”

  “Keep going. It gets worse.” Kess had her arms around her torso, hugging herself.

  “Are you sure these were all weres?” Finn asked, unwilling to believe what his eyes were showing him.

  “Keep going,” was all Kess said, her voice sounding like broken glass.

  Finn continued flicking through the photos, then stopped as he came to the one Kess had been talking about. “No.” He sounded like he’d been punched in the gut.

  Kess nodded sadly. “Did you see the paw?” She had t
ears in her eyes as she said it. “I’m pretty positive that’s Mebis.”

  Rafe took the phone from his nerveless fingers, continuing to scroll through the photos. Finn let him, saying, “Oh God. Laila.” He dropped his head into his hands, sitting heavily in one of the leather chairs. He couldn’t begin to guess how his werejackal girlfriend would react to the murder of her brother. Not well would be putting it mildly.

  “Who is this guy?” Rafe asked to the room, sounding like he was going to revisit dinner.

  Kess dropped into a chair as well, clearly exhausted. “His name’s Lukas Jaegar. He’s that guy I met a few weeks ago that I thought might be a were. Turns out he’s something much, much worse.”

  “Did he show these to you?” Rafe handed Kess back the phone, then wiped his hands on his jeans as if touching it made him feel dirty.

  “Not exactly.” Kess ran a hand through hair grown knotted by the wild bike ride. “He pointed me in that direction, but I thought I was going to find the bathroom. Instead I found this.” She tapped the screen of her phone. “It’s almost like he wanted me to find it,” she began, her words chosen carefully. “Like he wanted to see my reaction.”

  Finn looked up, still reeling from the picture of the dead jackal. “Why?”

  Kess picked at the seam of the leather chair she sat in. “I don’t know. Maybe he wanted to see what I would do, but there seemed to be more to it than that. It’s like he wanted to push me into something. I don’t know.”

  Rafe suddenly stood up, beginning to pace. “He’s here to hunt.” He gestured to the phone. “What animals was he missing?”

  Kess went back through her memories, taking a visual inventory of everything she’d seen. “He had most of the big predators, and the scavengers that run with them: lions and tigers and bears,” she paused and looked at Finn.

  “Oh my,” he said, half-heartedly. No one laughed.

  “But no leopards or jaguars?” Rafe shook his head. “I’m not liking this.” He pushed his long bangs out of his eyes so he could better look at Kess. “He’s here to hunt, K. And you’re next on the list.”