Moon Shadows

by Neena Jaydon

  "Ade? What's wrong?" Kelsie burst from the bathroom, dripping lather from her hair, her robe wrapped haphazardly about her. His gaze went to her, directed by someone else; his body moved jerkily upright. She immediately approached, putting a hand on his stomach and looking up at him. "Baby, what's wrong? Say something—"

  He watched in horror as his own right fist swung toward her face; the blow threw her to the side. Before she could regain her balance, his fist caught her in the solar plexus hard enough to take her right off her feet. She was flung like a wet towel against the bathroom door, knocking it aside, and collapsed to the tile floor. You bastards, I'm gonna tear your fucking throats out, nobody treats my girl like that! Feeling something rummage around inside his mind, he screamed in frustration and a new kind of pain, and then somebody pulled the plug.

  *~*~*

  With the notable exception of the time he'd gotten into the liquor cabinet at age fifteen, for which Grandmother had made his life unpleasant for days afterward, Theo had never drunk alone. He'd always thought it would feel lonely and sad, like being an alcoholic. Intellectually, he knew that many sensible adults managed to live perfectly normal lives while enjoying a solitary drink or two at home, but his instincts had always warned him away from it.

  They'd been right. He'd done nothing for the past two hours but sit in his living room with a bottle of whiskey, and he was miserable. For a while, he'd felt like he could handle the break-up, but tonight the loneliness and regret grew to unbearable levels. Slumped in the corner of the couch, he pressed his glass to his temple and gazed at nothing. His eyes burned but had no more tears left. His fingers reached up to play with the charm, but then he remembered he'd left it in the kitchen because its scent had started making him nauseous.

  I suck. I totally and completely suck. Some of Max's accusations had sunk in like knives. He was right. He sees me so clearly, I should have... No. He closed his eyes. Stop being so pathetic. You always swore you'd be true to yourself. The first mainstream guy who shows interest, you'll throw that all away? Just for a guy with great skin and a gorgeous smile and a body that plays yours like you play an FPS...

  "I'm not that shallow," he whispered, and tossed back half a glass. The room spun around him when he closed his eyes. "It wasn't just physical for me."

  His mind ruthlessly brought up images and sensations: Max's hand linked with his; Max's look of concern; Max's laughter on so many occasions; Max's gratitude for his help, freely expressed. This assault made him curl up.

  "So maybe it wasn't all physical for him, either. But he didn't really accept me. Not the real me. I had to." He shuddered as the room dipped and tilted, fumbling the glass onto the table. He ached fiercely, and the whiskey was no longer giving him relief. Did you really, Theo? A sly, nasty whisper in his mind. Would you really have broken it off, or was it just because he stopped showering you with nice words and attention? "Shut up," he groaned. More than anything else, what stuck with him was Max's ugly tone and the wounded fury in his eyes. Groping blindly, he grabbed the bottle. After taking a couple of pulls from it, he capped it and held it against his chest. "I'll never find anybody else like him. I don't want anybody else." He slid back against the couch. "I just want to talk to Max," he mumbled as the whiskey carried him off.

  And then he jerked back, too late, as a hand caught him by the hair while another forced a wet cloth over his face. He choked and sputtered, fighting to get his hands to his face but finding them trapped under someone's knee. Arching off the couch, he tried to free himself as he grew rapidly weaker.

  It can't be. Only werewolves know about wolfsbane—

  He was taken away into darkness before he could begin to understand.

  *~*~*

  This is getting sad. Max didn't have to be there. He, in fact, shouldn't have been at Jimmy's. Anastasia was running errands in town, so he wasn't leaving her alone, but there were a million things he could be doing at home. Yet Max remained stubbornly at the little plastic table, an empty plate and mug next to his laptop. The afternoon light was warm through the streaked windows. He'd stripped down to shirt sleeves, and when people came in the outside breeze was cold enough to raise gooseflesh on his bare wrists. He'd done all the updating of the kennel webpage that he could. Now he sat, chin propped on one hand, while he scrolled through his inbox. A pair of earphones and some music shut out the sounds of Jimmy's.

  Under a cluster of new emails from pet supply stores and dog show organizers, he spotted an email from Theo. For some time he stared at it, startled by its presence, and wondered if he could handle opening it. Then he clenched his teeth.

  If he thinks he can just— The email was empty save for a link. Max frowned, then clicked on it. It opened a small, dim, and crackly video file. It had a date stamp on it that read December first—today. Max's eyes didn't immediately make sense of the dim image. He sat up, heart pounding, then turned the laptop away from the window and shifted his chair so he could see the screen better.

  It was a narrow view of his own living room—all he could really see was part of his couch. On the couch sat Theo. Blindfolded. Theo sat tilted to one side; even as Max watched, his head drooped.

  "Oh my god," Max whispered. "What the hell is this?"

  A shoulder blocked the camera, then the rest of the person came into clearer view. Adrian paused before Theo, his expression flat. Max clenched his teeth so hard they squeaked. His hands started to shake.

  "You bastard!" He kept the fierce exclamation under his breath.

  Theo stirred, lifting his head. "Max?"

  The staticky sound of his own name spoken in Theo's nervous voice hit him like a blow to the chest. He slapped his hands down on the table because he needed its support. "Max, this is...this is kind of—too hardcore for me maybe." His upper lip glistened with sweat, and his head lolled forward, then back.

  Max clutched at his hair with one hand, leaning heavily on the other. Panic and rage battled it out in his head. Adrian sat down next to Theo. He slid his right hand up Theo's throat, looking into the camera.

  "Seriously..." Theo's voice was unsteady, uncertain. "This isn't funny. S-say something."

  Adrian bent his head. It looked like he was nuzzling Theo's shoulder as his hand slowly glided down over Theo's chest, making him arch his body. Adrian's head jerked sharply, so quick it left dark trails behind him, and came away with a piece of fabric in his teeth. He spat it out, giving the camera another of those unblinking looks. His hand came up to awkwardly caress the flesh he'd bared.

  Theo, damn it, I'd never do anything like that to you!

  Adrian turned again to the camera. Again, Max saw a dark shadow behind him. Just barely, a single thought managed to get through the seething fury in his head: the shadows didn't make sense for the lighting. They were warping around Adrian too unevenly to be a flaw in the video.

  "Oh, shit," he whispered, going from very hot to very cold in an instant. Video cameras sometimes picked up spiritual energy. "Oh, hell." He fell silent, watching as Adrian held up a notebook with words scrawled across the page.

  Come find us. We're closer than you think.

  Behind him, Theo's voice could be heard only faintly. "Gr—"

  Max's hand crept to his own shirt and clenched the fabric as his whole body quivered.

  "Grapefruit..."

  Slamming his laptop closed, Max crammed it and his coat under his arm and charged from the coffee shop.

  *~*~*

  Now that she was out of the house, Anastasia found that she wanted to stay away a little longer. Her sympathy for Max was wearing thin. She'd seen him get down over relationship troubles before, but not get this angry about it. His presence in the house was becoming more unsettling than reassuring.

  So, even though she was tired from driving all over town to get some long-neglected chores done, Anastasia decided to drop by Theo's.

  I could use a cup of coffee, anyway. She checked her cellphone, then tucked it back into her purse and got out of the
car outside of Theo's house. Before she could ring the doorbell, the door abruptly opened, and a blonde woman stared at her through the screen door. Anastasia stared back before belatedly recognizing her.

  "Kelsie?" she hazarded. Then she noticed the dried blood on Kelsie's chin. "Oh, my god. Are you okay?"

  "Do you know where Theofanis is?" Kelsie demanded. Her gaze was very intense.

  "No, I was just coming to see him. What's wrong?"

  "Ade. My fiancé. Adrian." Kelsie's nostrils flared, and she craned her head to look out into the street. Anastasia noticed the purple bruising all down the side of Kelsie's face. She started to feel very sick.

  "I have to go." Kelsie opened the door.

  "Where? And where are your clothes?" Anastasia stood her ground, alarmed that Kelsie wore a T-shirt—which looked like one of Theo's—and nothing else.

  "I have to get out of here. The stink's making my head spin."

  "Kelsie, I think you might have a concussion."

  Anastasia cautiously reached out to touch Kelsie's shoulders. One thing at a time. Get her to the hospital, then see if I can get a hold of Theo.

  "No, from wolfsbane." Kelsie fluttered a hand in exasperation. "It puts us out. I don't have time for this. I've got to find Ade."

  When Kelsie pushed past her, Anastasia caught her arm. She found herself getting dragged down the stairs. The slim woman wasn't very steady on her feet, but she was alarmingly strong.

  "Whoa! Wait! You don't know where he is."

  "I'll find him," Kelsie said curtly. "No matter how long it takes." She lifted her head and sniffed loudly, and Anastasia belatedly understood.

  "Maybe you shouldn't. Look what he did to you."

  "That wasn't Ade. He was acting funny. Smelled weird." Kelsie didn't even sound defensive; instead, her tone was as distant as her gaze. Her legs looked pale and vulnerable beneath the dark shirt. Anastasia still clung to her arm.

  "How about we talk in my car? Maybe I can help."

  Kelsie slowly turned to look at her, pale eyes narrowing. Then she slowly nodded.

  "Okay. I'll just close the door. You get in and wait for me, okay?" Anastasia pressed her key remote as she jogged up the stairs. When she turned back, she was relieved to see Kelsie sitting in her passenger seat. She hurried around her car, got inside, and glanced through the windshield.

  To see Theo's car parked in front of her.

  "Was that here when you got here?" she asked Kelsie, pointing.

  "Yeah."

  "Now that I think about it, I pulled up behind it. So if it's here, where's Theo?" Clenching the steering wheel, she turned to look at Kelsie. "What's wolfsbane? If it puts you out, then why would Theo have any?"

  "It looked like he'd been hitting the bottle," Kelsie said. "I thought maybe he was using a little bit to knock himself out." She shrugged. "He's taking this whole break-up hard."

  "Okay. Okay." Anastasia closed her eyes and tried not to panic. "I don't know what's going on here, but I'm starting to think it might be really, really bad. I still think you should get yourself checked out. If it's a concussion—"

  "No doctors. Not ever," Kelsie snapped. "Werewolves don't."

  "Even if it's life or death? Believe me, I get the need for privacy, but—wait a minute." A flash of inspiration made her feel a little bit more in control. She put the key in the ignition and gave Kelsie what she hoped was a reassuring smile. It felt tense on her face. "I know just the guy."

  *~*~*

  Driving south through town, Max ran more than one red light with only cursory glances to see if he was clear. Once he hit the highway, he exceeded the speed limit by reckless amounts. Max gripped the steering wheel so hard it squeaked, or perhaps that sound was the protests of his knuckles. His back teeth refused to separate. Breathing quickly through his nostrils, he sounded to his own ears like a wild animal.

  A small part of his consciousness knew he was out of control, but adrenaline lashed him on down the highway. He also knew he wasn't alone in his car. There were at least three curious spirits in the back seat, and by the way the antenna and windshield wipers kept moving around, he had a poltergeist on the hood.

  Something pulled his hair straight up. In his overwrought state, this made him leap in his seat and bat at the playful spirit.

  "Piss off, I need to concentrate!" He thumped the steering wheel.

  As if in protest, the steering wheel jerked right, and the tires appeared to leave the surface of the road. The world twisted around and blurred until he lost his orientation. The tires on one side hit frozen gravel with a loud crunch, and the tail of the car made a last firm slide to the left.

  The car came to rest on the correct side of the road but facing the wrong way. Max shook in the grip of adrenaline that threatened to burn his heart right up. For a moment, he put his face in his hands and tried to make the world stand still. It stubbornly tilted and spun around him, and he was terrified that he would faint.

  "Ice. Just hit a patch of ice. Keep it together. Keep it together," he whispered to himself. "Get off!" He turned to glare at the young spirit who leaned over the back of his seat to peer at him. Offended, the pale beige form prodded him in the neck with a cold finger before retreating. The car rocked, the hood flexing, as the poltergeist amused itself. "Jesus." The shock of it all had blown away all his fury. Now he recognized the feelings that fury had hidden: the need to see Theo safe before him, the fear that he never would. "Hang on, Theo. I'm coming." Glancing up and down the highway, he did a U-turn—at first the tires spun, terrifying him that he might be stuck until the car jerked free. It fishtailed again on the icy highway, but then caught traction and he was off.

  *~*~*

  To her great relief, Louis was out front shovelling the snow off his steps when she drove in. Anastasia left the car running as she jumped out, so the heater would keep going. She was even more relieved to see that Louis appeared to be alone.

  "Louis, I'm sorry, but I really need your help. Can you help me without asking too many questions?"

  Louis leaned on his shovel and blinked at her for a while. Anastasia glanced back at the car to make sure Kelsie was still in it. She feared the woman would bolt at any moment.

  "That depends. I don't know if I can help or not until you tell me what's going on," Louis finally said.

  "I've got a friend in the car. I think she might be hurt worse than she looks, but she won't go to the hospital. She's got her reasons for that, and we don't have a lot of time. Could you take a look at her?" Anastasia rubbed her hands together, twitching with cold and nerves.

  "Does this have anything to do with those things?" Louis' voice went just a little unsteady, raising new sympathy in her. She couldn't think about the shadow spirits without fear, either.

  "I think it might." She looked him in the eye as she said this. He nodded decisively and set his shovel aside. She explained her concerns as she escorted him to Kelsie. Then she leaned against the hood of her car while she tried calling Theo on her cell. Behind her, Louis was asking Kelsie questions in a businesslike tone. Theo didn't pick up at all. She tried Max, then Theo again, alternating between the two until Louis cleared his throat.

  "It's hard to say for sure, but I don't think she has a concussion. Who's the bastard who hit her?"

  "Her fiancé," Anastasia said. Louis's expression darkened.

  "I told you, it wasn't him!" All at once Kelsie was out of the car and in the conversation. Anastasia opened her mouth to respond, but her mind filled with noise. She looked sharply at Louis, whose face contorted with pain. Kelsie looked from one to the other. "What?"

  "The spirit world," Anastasia said, clenching her teeth. Normally she had to reach out to the spirit world to hear it, and rarely was it this loud. "Something's got it riled up, but I can't hear anybody clearly enough."

  "Jesus!" Louis clutched at his head.

  "Something about..." Anastasia closed her eyes, trying desperately to make sense of it all. She could feel the spirits withdrawing,
disconnecting from a single place. A place nearby. Her eyes flew open. "I think it's at my house."

  "Where's that?" Kelsie demanded. Anastasia instinctively pointed through the trees, then immediately regretted it.

  "Kelsie, don't!"

  Kelsie stripped off the T-shirt. The flash sent Anastasia and Louis reeling back. A tawny wolf leapt forward through the trees and disappeared. Anastasia stumbled back around the car. She squinted through spots at Louis over the roof to see that he was staring at her. His face had gone pale even despite his cold-reddened cheeks. Moving like an automaton, he ducked into the passenger side and closed the door.

  "Louis, what are you doing? I have to go." Anastasia hastily got in the driver's side.

  "I don't know what the hell I just saw." He swallowed visibly, his heavy jaw working. "Scratch that. I do. Either way, I think I might be useful. People are going to get hurt."

  "I hope you're wrong." Anastasia put the car in reverse. "But I don't think you are."

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Max parked in front of Adrian's truck, not surprised to see it. He wasn't alone as he walked toward his trailer. Snow flew upward in small, upside-down tornadoes as the poltergeists he'd gathered couldn't resist the chance to play. The other spirits had fled once he'd gotten too close to home. They were obviously still afraid of the shadow spirits.

  He had no plan. His burning anger had been cooled by the near-accident. Max stared at his trailer as he straightened his spine and wished he was still angry. Now he could feel fear both for himself and for Theo. His father had told him there was nothing more frightening than seeing one's loved ones in danger; Ambrose had taught him that most anger comes from fear. Max felt that he now truly understood what they had both been trying to tell him.