Riley's Redemption (A Moon's Glow Novel)

by Christina Smith

  He pulled away and stared at me, a lined etched in his forehead. “What do you mean?” he asked carefully.

  “I memorized it on the way home that night.” When his eyes widened in surprise, I asked. “Didn’t you see me staring at it?”

  He lifted a shoulder. “Yes, but I just thought you were in shock about the cure.”

  “I was and that was why I read it over and over. I couldn’t believe what we had just heard and reading it repeatedly helped me accept it.”

  His eyes narrowed at me. “Have you accepted it? Do you want to be cured and be human again?” There it was. The big question we had been avoiding for a day and a half.

  I leaned back on the balls of my feet, thinking over his question. “I don’t know. Do you?”

  He eyed me apprehensively. “I’m afraid to say. I don’t want to influence your decision. I know you objected to being a werewolf at first, but since you’ve forgiven me, you’ve been so happy.”

  I inhaled and exhaled slowly. This was such a huge decision for us and it would affect the rest of our lives. “On the count of three, we’ll say what we want together. Okay?” When he nodded, I began the count. “One, two…three.”

  “I want to be human,” we both said at the same time. His face lit up with happiness when he took in my words.

  “Do you really think there is a chance?” I asked.

  He grinned. “If you remember the address, anything is possible. I believe Sebastian.” He tightened his arms around me; his hot breath tickled my cheek. “Do you?”

  “Yes, I do. Like he said, just because he needs blood to survive doesn’t make him a liar.”

  “I agree.” He leaned into kiss me. At first it was just a touch of his lips and then he took it further, the emotion over our declaration underlining the kiss.

  After a few moments we pulled apart. “Are you ready?”

  I nodded. “For anything.”

  He grinned again as he picked up our suitcases, heading to the front door.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  The Journey

  “I still think this is a trap.” Joe repeated for the third time since we had left the Riley Estate two hours ago. We were all crammed into the SUV heading to Virginia. That was where Isaiah lived and if he wasn’t there we’d be driving the rest of the way to North Carolina. The second address on the paper was for a cabin in the Appalachian Mountains. “By this time tomorrow we’ll probably be some vamp’s chew toy.”

  I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at his words. He had been surly since we left. Complaining about leaving his job for a wild-goose chase and for getting all of our hopes up when it was obviously a lie. “There is no cure” he had said many times and frankly he was beginning to annoy me. Maybe there wasn’t, but we couldn’t ignore the possibility.

  “Whose idea was it to bring Debbie Downer back there?” Adrian mumbled, which made me smirk. From the rear-view mirror, I saw him spin around in his seat to glare at Joe. “Could you give it a rest? Some of us are looking forward to this trip; cure or no cure.” I turned to glance at Adrian and smiled. He was holding hands with Sadie and she was gazing out the window at the scenery that passed by.

  As if she could sense me staring, she looked my way. My eyes flicked to their joined hands and back to her. She grinned, winked and gave me a shrug. I knew things had been different between them since Sebastian threatened to take her, but I was still surprised at their PDA. It must have taken the fear of losing her to wake Adrian up. If I knew that would have happened, I would have found a way to threaten her life before.

  Joe’s face smoothed out a little. The scowl that had been a permanent fixture since we left, washed away. “I’m sorry guys, you’re right. It would be nice to see the mountains, no matter what happens.”

  Lauren grinned and leaned toward him, touching her lips to his. She must have been relieved that he was finally willing to keep his negative thoughts to himself. The tension between Nate and Joe was at an all-time high. Joe was still angry at Nate for putting us all at risk for his own curiosity and Nate felt guilty about Sebastian’s visit, but was annoyed by Joe’s constant warnings.

  We stopped for lunch and dinner and quite a few bathroom breaks, because Lauren kept downing flavored water like she’d been in the desert for months. The chitchat was low, but the music that Lauren insisted on listening to was beginning to give me a headache. It was some new band she had seen play at Manic and they obviously enjoyed their guitar riffs. There was plenty of them and really loud. By the time we made it to Richmond I was willing to grovel to get out of the car.

  “Are you sure this is the address Meg?” Nate asked, after he had knocked on the large wooden front door for the fourth time.

  We were all gathered on a cement patio in front of a large red-brick, two story house. There were no cars in the driveway and when Adrian checked the oversized shed in the backyard, it was also empty.

  “Yes, I’m sure. He must not be here.” I glanced around the group. “Should we stop for the night and then head to his cabin?”

  They all agreed. No one was in the mood for much more driving. It had been a long day. It would have been a lot faster if we flew, but for some reason Joe wanted to drive. He must have wanted to prolong those nasty vamps gnawing on his neck for as long as he could. No matter what we said, he was still convinced that Sebastian was lying.

  We found a hotel and rented three rooms. I couldn’t stop smiling when I saw Adrian and Sadie ducking into theirs.

  Nate laid a map out on the table as I sipped a soda I had gotten from the vending machine. The cold bubbles tingled on my tongue as it flowed down my throat. It was refreshing after the long hot car ride.

  “This is a map of the mountains and according to the coordinates you gave me, this,” Nate began, jabbing his finger at a squiggly line on the paper. “Is where the cabin is.”

  I leaned down to read the longitude and latitude. “Yep. That’s it.” I squinted at the map, bothered by what I saw. “How do we get there from the main road?”

  Nate sighed, a smile playing at his lips. “It looks like we hike.”

  I felt my eyes widen. “Hike? That looks far.”

  He nodded sharply. “Two miles.”

  I groaned, as I fell into the small sofa in the corner of the room, the springs screeched at my sudden weight. “Oh, great,” I grumbled. “That sounds like fun.” I had never been much of an outdoors-girl, the one thing I had in common with my mom. When I was little my grandfather took us camping once. Conveniently, my father had to work, so it was us girls and my grandpa. It didn’t go well. It’s not like we were roughing it under the stars or even in a tent. We had a large, luxurious trailer, but even with all the amenities there were still bugs and those darn mosquitos drove me crazy. After only a day of mine and my mother’s whining, our trip ended suddenly.

  So needless to say, I wasn’t looking forward to tomorrow.

  The next morning we found ourselves driving down a main road and according to the map, we had to turn onto a small lane that was little more than a dirt trail. About two miles into the trek, the road turned upward and the twist and turns were making me a tad nervous. With my eyes closed we drove the rest of the way up the mountain until the road ended. We stopped at a small driveway at the edge of the forest, where a few vehicles were already parked. A small, steel sided garage with a padlock sat against a rock face.

  “Are we sure about this?” Lauren asked as we climbed out of the SUV.

  Each of us were wearing hiking boots, jeans and sweaters, with t-shits underneath. We carried backpacks that were loaded with provisions that we would need. I was told that the hike would take a few hours and with the bright hot sun, we were well stocked with bottled water. We had left Virginia at five this morning and had made good time, but by midmorning the sun was out, baking down on us. “Everyone ready?” Nate asked, holding his hand out for me to take. I slid my fingers through his and let him lead me to a well-worn trail. Since Nate held the map, we to
ok the lead.

  Thankfully the trail ran under a canopy of trees that provided shade, unfortunately with trees and plant life also meant bugs and mosquitoes. I was thankful for the long sleeves, no matter how hot it made me. We all had sprayed ourselves with repellant, but it didn’t seem to be working.

  About an hour into the hike, I had fallen behind. Joe was walking with Nate and by the looks of it there was nothing but awkward silence between them. Lauren and Sadie were singing camp songs behind them and Adrian had fallen into step with me. For some reason, he was smiling.

  “What’s with the grin?” I asked, as I swat at a mosquito for the hundredth time it buzzed in my ear. “This situation does not call for smiling.”

  He chuckled softly. “I think it does. I love hiking. I used to do it all the time before I was turned. My friend and I went out on weekends when we were in college.”

  I scowled at him. “I don’t see the point.”

  He pointed past me as we emerged through the trees, into a clearing. “That’s the point.”

  I turned my head to see what he was talking about and gasped. Sprawling green hills of the mountain were spread before us as far as we could see. It was breathtaking. The lush grass that covered the ground was such a bright green it almost looked fake. We were not quite at the top of the mountain, but from our vantage point we could see it, along with a multitude of hills, plateaus and valleys. The contrast of the white and gray mountains and vibrant green of the plant life literally took my breath away. The sounds of birds twittering in the trees above us only added to the imagery. I was speechless as I stood along the cliff and gaped at the view below me.

  Adrian was right; this scene was definitely worth it. Regardless if we found a cure or not, I was glad to have come on this journey, I knew it was a once in a lifetime experience. The others had also stopped and were frozen as they took in the beautiful view.

  “Wow,” I heard Lauren breathe.

  Adrian smiled down at me, the sun glistening off of his white teeth, almost blinding me. “I told you.”

  “Fine. You were right,” I admitted, as we began the trek once more. “But the walking for hours part, I can do without.”

  “You’re a werewolf now; you’re not tired are you?”

  I wasn’t. But I felt like I should be. I was human a lot longer than I had been a werewolf, so sometimes I reacted how I would have before I was turned. And anything nature related brought out the whiny child in me. Maybe one day I’d get used to being different or maybe after our visit with Isaiah King, I wouldn’t have to.

  Instead of answering his question, I asked him one of my own. “Do you want to be human Adrian?”

  He glanced at me thoughtfully and turned to Sadie, gazing at her for several seconds before he spoke. “I’m not sure.”

  “I thought you hated being a werewolf.” I stopped and leaned on a nearby tree to lift my leg, the rough bark dug into my palm. There was a rock in my shoe and had been for a while, I had finally had enough. I yanked the shoe off and the pebble rolled out, disappearing into the grass below me. Adrian was waiting up ahead and when I put my shoe back on I joined him. He was grinning down at me, laughter dancing in his eyes.

  When I slugged his shoulder, he answered my question. “I do. But now that I found Sadie.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “Yes, now that I’ve let myself have feelings for her I’m happier than I’ve been in ten years. I’m afraid if we turn human we won’t feel the same.”

  It was like he had pulled the rug out from under me; I hadn’t thought of that. Would Nate and I love each other if we weren’t werewolves?

  He must have noticed that his words had affected me, because his eyes turned sympathetic. “I’m sure you’d be fine. You fell for him before you were turned.”

  I hated the ball of dread that had grown in the pit of my stomach. “Yeah, but he wasn’t. And it was the wolf in him that led him to me. What if that all goes away?” My words were a whisper. I didn’t want Nate to hear. We had just admitted our feelings about the cure and I didn’t want to influence him.

  “I’m sorry for bringing up my doubts Meg. But I know you have nothing to fear. You’ve been together for over a year; Sadie and I just started. That’s what I meant.”

  It was true that our relationship was more solid than theirs, but I couldn’t help the nibble of doubt his words had created. Since my mood had plummeted in mere seconds, I decided a subject change was in order. “So, how did it happen anyway?” I asked as the trail veered out around a large boulder.

  “When we got back to the estate after Sebastian left, I asked Sadie to come over so we could talk.”

  I knew that part. She had left with him and hadn’t returned except to pack her clothes yesterday morning.

  “I’m happy for you. Are you going to tell Marisa?” Marisa had been at a friend’s house. She had met her through Nathan and they became close right away.

  He nodded. “Yes. And Sadie will be moving into the spare room when we get back.”

  I knew that her clothes were already at the carriage house so there wasn’t much to move. A wide grin spread over my face replacing the previous frown from earlier. “Why the spare room?

  “It just happened. It’s a little early to live together, especially since Marisa is there.”

  Thankfully, Nate and I didn’t have an obstacle like a younger sister when we met. I basically moved in shortly after we got together. It was so he could protect me, but when the danger was over I stayed with him.

  “I’m so happy for you,” I gushed, reaching out to pat his shoulder. Since my hand was already in position, I swung at a mosquito that was hovering around his face. A brow rose over his eye at my arm flailing in front of him. I just laughed.

  We grew quiet for a while as we took in the scenes around us. There was so much green that the pop of color from a patch of vibrant red flowers we passed was almost shocking. When we approached a lookout bridge, we took turns peering through the looking glass. On the other side of the bridge the terrain got a little rough. The ground was uneven and rocky, with roots, undergrowth and patches of thistles hindering our hike.

  As we came up to a small pond, I remembered what Joe had said yesterday morning. “I hear you’re going to do a remodel for Lauren and Joe at the pool house,” I said, bumping my hip against his. A bird screeched above as it whooshed past us.

  His brow creased. “Not that I know of.”

  Now it was my turn to look confused. “Joe told me that he went to see you yesterday morning and asked you to add on to it.”

  He shook his head, his face scrunched up in confusion. “Nope, I never saw him. And I was home all morning packing and talking on the phone to Will making arrangements for Marisa to stay there.”

  I gazed ahead of us to where Joe and Lauren were walking hand in hand. Sadie had joined Nate and they were talking as Nate looked at the map. His hair fluttered in his eyes, courtesy of a gust of wind. “Huh. That’s weird. Why did he say that then?”

  Again, Adrian lifted a shoulder. “Beats me. You know him better than I do.”

  Before I could ask anything more, Nate called out that it was time to take a break.

  We settled on the grass next to the water. Nate sat next to me while Sadie leaned against a rock on the other side. We hadn’t had a lot of time to talk since we met Sebastian. “Are you relieved that you don’t have to look over your shoulder anymore?” I asked her.

  She turned to face me, a barbeque chip poised in front of her mouth. “What do you mean?”

  “From Sebastian. He said he no longer wished to take revenge. Did you tell Miles?”

  She grinned, relief flashing in her dark chocolate eyes. “Yes. And he was very surprised to hear from me.” Miles had thought Sadie was dead just as Nate had. They had mourned together after Nate had tracked him down. “And I think I have you to thank for that.”

  “Yeah Meg. You haven’t told us yet what happened when Sebastian took you,” Adrian said, leaning over his mate.
<
br />   I had related everything to Nate the night it happened, but I hadn’t had the chance to explain it to the rest of our group: the news of the cure had overshadowed everything else. I took a swig of water, as a swallow screeched overhead. With everyone’s eyes on me, I told them everything that had happened from the moment Sebastian had whisked me out of the shelter.

  “So, you did talk him out of taking me,” Sadie commented when I finished.

  “I don’t know about that. But I’m glad he didn’t.” I winked at her and she smiled back.

  “Aren’t you worried that he’s formed an attachment to her, Nate?” Joe asked. His face hard, his eyes tense.

  Nate sighed. “No Joe. I’m not. He didn’t hurt her and brought her back to us just like he said he would. That makes me believe we can trust him.”

  Joe scoffed. “You can’t trust a vampire.” The fact that he was so adamant about his words made me wonder if he once had some kind of confrontation with a vampire, despite the fact that he said he hadn’t. It was the only reason I could think of for him to act this way. Joe had been different for the last month. He was usually so funny and easygoing. I wondered what was going on with him, was it more than just his issues with Nate?

  Everyone went silent, their eyes diverted from the two men speaking. Nate’s face lit up like he was going to argue, until he noticed the strain on Lauren’s face. The tension between them was upsetting her.

  “I wonder what he meant though before he got in his car?” Sadie murmured, almost to herself.

  “Who?” Adrian asked her.

  Sadie glanced up at us, surprised that we were looking at her. “Uh.. Sebastian. He said he wouldn’t go after Miles anymore and then he said besides he saved my life.”

  Now that she mentioned it, he did say that. I had forgotten all about it, once he gave us the addresses and a means to find a cure, I could think of nothing else. “That’s right, he did say that.” My lips twitched as a thought popped in my head. “Why don’t you call him up and ask what he meant.”