Moon Revealed

by Jennifer Snyder

  “Can I get you anything to drink?” Taryn asked.

  “No, I’m okay. Thanks though,” I said. I slipped past her and into what served as the living room. I still couldn’t believe how much time she’d put into decorating the space.

  “Have you ever dyed hair before? It doesn’t look like you have,” Taryn said as she narrowed her gaze on my hair. “Looks to me like you’ve got virgin hair.”

  My fingers reached out to toy with the ends of a few strands. “I’ve never dyed my hair, no. It can’t be that hard though. I mean the box comes with directions printed on the back, doesn’t it?”

  “Yeah, it does. It’s pretty foolproof.” Taryn walked to her tiny kitchen and grabbed a box of off the counter. “I’ve done it a million times, so I can easily walk you through it. Basically, I just need someone to help me get the back of my head. It’s getting a little harder for me these days to move around, and I don’t feel like making a mess all over the bathroom trying to do it myself.” She handed me the box.

  “Got ya,” I said as I took it from her and skimmed over the directions.

  It seemed easy. Mix up the stuff. Slab it on. Wait a few minutes. Rinse. And style.

  No big deal.

  After this, maybe I’d realize doing hair was my calling and would finally have a major picked out. I opened the box and pulled out its contents.

  “So, how have things been going? Everything all right between you and Eli?” Taryn leaned against the kitchen counter, watching me read over the back of the box. “I’m really sorry about what happened to his dad. He was a great alpha. It just breaks my heart he’s gone.”

  I mixed the powder with water, creating a goopy paste in the provided canister.

  “Things have been going okay. Eli’s strong. Stronger than I think I would be if I’d lost my dad the way he did,” I said.

  It was the truth.

  Losing my dad would be rough, and while I knew Eli wasn’t having the easiest go of it, I also knew I’d have a harder time if our positions were reversed. Yes, a little bit of distance had crept up between Eli and me, but it wasn’t anything we couldn’t work through.

  He just needed a little space. I could give him that.

  “Good. I’m glad he’s doing okay. I have no doubt he can make it through anything with you at his side,” Taryn said as she took over mixing the concoction. Her wrist moved in quick circles as she whipped it into an almost moose-like quality. “You’re good for him. You’re good for each other. Our pack is in good hands.”

  I blinked. I’d never seen this side of her. While I knew she could be serious, and she’d always been decent to me, I’d never heard her say something so sincere before. Not something in direct relation to me.

  “Thank you,” I whispered before picking the box back up off the counter and skimming over the instructions on the back again.

  “You’re welcome. And, it’s the truth. Ask anyone in the pack. We’re all grateful Eli stepped up to take his place as alpha. We know we’re in good hands with him, just like we were with his father.”

  “I know it would mean a lot to Eli to hear that right now,” I said. “From someone other than me.”

  It would. He’d already heard me say it more than once; what he needed was to hear it from the pack.

  “Maybe I’ll tell him, then.” She winked and then picked up the container. She nodded to the two-foot-long hall beside me. “Ready to help me slather my hair with this goop?”

  “Sure.” I picked up the set of gloves that came with the box and followed her down the hall.

  I’d never been in her bathroom before, but now that I was standing in the threshold of it, I wasn’t sure two people could fit. The thing was tiny. Like mini-closet tiny. The toilet nearly touched the metal sink that protruded from the wall on one side and brushed against the stand-up shower on the other. There wasn’t even a solid door to the room. While I knew with the limited space there wouldn’t be a swinging door, I had envisioned at least a pocket door. Instead, there was a folding door that resembled an accordion and seemed incredibly flimsy.

  Honestly, you would have to love someone a hell of a lot to live in such a tight space with a bathroom door like that. There was nothing but an illusion of privacy.

  “Here, hold this,” Taryn insisted as she handed me the container. She reached for the plastic spatula that came in the box, and applied the goop to the front of her hairline. “I’ll slap some on here, and you can take your fingers and run it through evenly for me.”

  “Why don’t we each use a glove?” I suggested, holding one out to her. “You put one on and do the front like you normally would. I’ll put the other on and finish the back of your head for you.”

  “Genius,” she said with a slight nod.

  Ten minutes later, Taryn had slathered the last of the front of her head with dark goop. She released a long breath and passed the spatula to me.

  “There,” she said. “Ready for you to take over.”

  I took the spatula from her and passed her the container with the remaining dye inside. The flowery smell tickled my nose as she leaned closer to me. It wasn’t a bad smell. More along the lines of pleasant but powerful. I wondered how the color would hold up. Hopefully, it didn’t look horrible, and she didn’t blame me for it.

  As I slathered the back of her head, my mind drifted to thoughts of Eli. He still hadn’t sent me a text or called. Normally, he was good about replying.

  My stomach somersaulted as my mind filled with horrific what-ifs.

  “You’ve gone quiet. Everything okay? Seems like you’re worried about something.” Taryn surprised me by saying. I hadn’t realized she was so perceptive. It had me feeling bad for thinking all along she’d been self-absorbed.

  “Yeah, I’m okay. Just thinking about a few things.” I slathered more dye onto a tiny section I’d somehow missed near her neck.

  “I have no doubt there’s a lot on your mind. Honestly, I wouldn’t want to be the alpha’s mate. Seems like too much responsibility and loads of worry. I already worry enough about Glenn. I couldn’t imagine how much more I’d worry if he were the alpha, especially with everything going on right now with the Midnight Reaper in town.”

  “It hasn’t been a barrel of fun so far—I’m not going to lie—but I know it won’t always be like this. We’ll catch the vampire responsible and things will mellow out.” I wasn’t sure who I’d said the words for more—me or her.

  “Exactly. You’re strong. Both of you are. You’ll be fine.”

  “Thanks.” I placed the spatula back in the plastic container and pulled off my glove. “Done. Now, I guess we wait?”

  “Yep. The waiting game begins.” She reached for her cell in her back pocket. “Let me set a timer. I always manage to lose track of time when I’m doing this and leave it on for longer than I should.”

  Maybe that’s why her hair always turned out a brassy shade of yellow.

  Note to self: If you ever dye your hair at home, make sure you follow the instructions to a T.

  “You want something to snack on? I’m starved,” Taryn said. She slipped past me into the hall and headed for the kitchen.

  I tossed my glove in the sink beside hers. “No, I just ate.”

  “Suit yourself,” I heard her say as she crunched on something. “But these honey mustard pretzels are to die for. You’re really missing out.”

  I headed to her sofa. Before I sat, I removed my cell from my back pocket and glanced at the screen. No text from Eli. No call either. My heart lodged in my throat. Something wasn’t right. I could feel it.

  Is everything okay? I’m starting to worry because you haven’t replied. — Mina

  Seconds ticked away as I waited for him to respond. Taryn moved to sit beside me and switched on the TV. Some reality show with people painting on other naked people lit up the screen.

  “Have you ever watched this show before?” Taryn asked as she crunched on more pretzels.

  I forced my eyes away from my
cell. “No.”

  “It’s pretty good. Basically, it’s a competition where all of these artists come together and paint beautiful images using naked people as their canvas. There’s always a theme given at the beginning of the show because it is a competition after all. They’re all in the running for money and a few other things. My favorite episode was when they went to the supermarket and had to pick an area to camouflage their model in. There was this chick who picked the wine section, and she blew me away with her artistic skill. I seriously wish I could paint like her. Hell, I wish I could paint anything at all,” Taryn said around another mouthful of pretzels.

  “Wow, that sounds cool.” It did. Painting someone in such detail sounded amazing.

  “Yeah, it’s become our favorite show. Glenn will be pissed I’m watching it without him, but what else am I supposed to do?” She settled into the sofa cushions deeper, and propped her feet up on their makeshift coffee table.

  I forced my eyes to stay on the TV, and my mind to not think of Eli.

  It was easier said than done.

  When the timer on Taryn’s phone went off, she stood to hustle to the bathroom, and I followed behind her to help rinse the goop out of her hair. My cell chimed with a new text in my back pocket before I’d taken more than two steps. I hoped it was Eli. Maybe he’d been in a cellular dead zone. Maybe that was what had been keeping him from replying until now.

  In my gut, I knew I was wrong.

  Another body was found.

  My heart stopped as I reread his text. My throat grew dry as I typed out a reply.

  Who was it?  — Mina

  “Everything okay?” Taryn asked as she draped a towel around her shoulders. She secured it with a hair clip. “Is that Eli?”

  “Yeah.”

  “You look like you’re about to pass out. I take it he didn’t text with good news?”

  “I’m okay. It’s just—” I started to elaborate, but the sound of someone yelling outside captured my attention.

  Taryn’s eyes grew wide. “Is that June?”

  “I think so,” I said before bolting through the tiny trailer to the front door.

  When I swung it open, Eli’s mom was running frantically through the trailer park. What she was saying didn’t register until my feet hit the crunchy gravel of Taryn and Glenn’s driveway.

  She was shouting for Eli’s youngest brother, Jonas.

  6

  “Jonas!” June shouted louder than before as she cupped her hands around her mouth so her voice carried farther.

  My lungs forgot how to breathe as two things clicked in a matter of seconds, nearly breaking me. One, Jonas was missing. And two, Eli had said another body had been found.

  I shook my thoughts away. No. There was no way Jonas was who had been found. I shouldn’t even be thinking such a thing.

  No matter how hard I tried to shake the thought, it still lingered.

  “Mina,” June said once she spotted me. “Have you seen Jonas? I swear he’s been in his room all day. He hasn’t been processing what happened to his father well. None of us have. I managed to get myself together and went to his room to check on him, but he wasn’t there. His window was open, but he was gone.” Her shaking hand came to her mouth. “Somebody took my little boy, didn’t they? The Midnight Reaper got him. Oh, God!”

  I opened my mouth to speak, but my vocal cords were frozen. What could I say? How could I reassure her that wasn’t the case when we all knew there was a killer on the loose?

  “I should call Eli. I should let him know,” June insisted. “Oh my God, someone took my baby boy!” Sobs pushed past her lips.

  “I’m sure he’s fine,” Taryn insisted from behind me. “He’ll probably come home in a little while, safe and sound. Maybe he needed some air.”

  I glanced at her, noticing how calm, cool, and collected she seemed. She was going to make one hell of a mother.

  “Yeah, he’s probably around here somewhere. Maybe he went on a walk to the lake,” I suggested, knowing I had to say something. “I can look for him there if you want?”

  My heart dropped to my stomach as the last conversation I’d had with Jonas flooded my mind. He’d wanted to catch the vampire who’d killed his dad. I knew I’d gotten through to him for the time being, but I also knew my words wouldn’t hold any weight for long. That was why I’d mentioned something to Micah about it. Had he not been able to stop Jonas? Did he even know Jonas had run off?

  “Where’s Micah?” I asked June.

  Her eyes widened. She blinked, looking taken aback. “I-I don’t know.”

  A look passed over her face that said she was doubting her parenting skills, which hadn’t been my intention.

  “He might have gone after Jonas,” I said. I couldn’t meet her eyes. My conscious was too riddled with guilt. I should have come clean to her and Eli about stopping Jonas from running away the other day. If I had, maybe she would have been able to stop him this time around. “He’s probably with him right now. The day I came to visit you, Jonas tried to sneak a backpack out of the house. He was going after the Midnight Reaper on his own. I stopped him, but I had a feeling he’d try again. I mentioned to Micah that he should watch him. I think Jonas might’ve gone after the vampire on his own, and Micah either went with him because he couldn’t talk him out of it or went after him.”

  “Oh no,” June muttered. Her body trembled as tears streaked down her cheeks. “He couldn’t have gone after him. They couldn’t. That vampire will kill them.”

  June’s knees gave way seconds before Gran reached us. I bent down to make sure she was okay and comfort her.

  “Shhh,” Gran insisted as she smoothed a few stray hairs away from June’s sweaty forehead. “It’s going to be okay. We’ll find them. Don’t you worry.”

  “They’re out there while that monster is roaming our town. My poor babies,” June sobbed. “I need to find my babies!”

  She tried to get to her feet, but her knees wouldn’t cooperate.

  “I’m going to check the lake. Maybe that’s where they went,” I said. I couldn’t watch June break apart any longer. I couldn’t think of Eli and how he might have meant they’d found his little brother.

  My hand smoothed my forehead.

  I needed to call Eli and find out who had been found. I needed to do something. I needed to search.

  “Go,” Gran insisted, her eyes on me. I knew she could sense my building need to move, to do something other than comfort June. “I’ll take care of her.”

  “I’ll help,” Taryn insisted as she bent down to help Gran get June to her feet.

  “Your hair!” I shouted at her.

  Taryn reached up and fingered her crusted locks. “Shit! I forgot!”

  “I’ll help get June calmed,” Sylvie said. I hadn’t realized she’d come to see what the commotion was all about.

  “And I’ll help Taryn rinse her hair out,” Violet insisted. “You go check the lake. Be careful.”

  As I expanded my gaze, I noticed many from the pack had stepped outside to find out what was happening. Now, they all seemed to be waiting for something to do.

  “We’ll help search the woods near the lake,” Dorian’s younger brother, Jed, said as he pointed to a few others in the pack.

  “Okay,” I said. If we were going to find those boys, we needed to get a move on it. Who knew how much of a head start they had on us. “Let’s go, then.”

  I headed to the woods, waiting until I’d disappeared through the thicket before I reached for my cell. My teeth sank into my bottom lip. I wanted to call Eli and tell him his brothers were missing, but I didn’t know if Jonas was whom they had found. I texted him instead because I didn’t trust my voice to not crack when speaking to him.

  Do you know whom they found? — Mina

  My throat grew dry. When my cell chimed with an incoming text, I jumped. While I was glad he’d replied swiftly this time, I was also terrified to read his answer.

  No. It was a male in his twen
ties, but I didn’t get a name.

  Relief surged through me. If the victim was in his twenties, there was no way it could be Jonas or Micah. This meant I still had to be the bearer of bad news, but I was okay with that.

  “Should we split up?” Jed asked, pulling my attention from my conversation with Eli.

  “No,” I said. “I think it would be best if we stayed together. Let’s cut to the right up here, and then we’ll circle back around. Keep your eyes peeled. Jonas and Micah will more than likely be hiding from us.”

  “Okay.” Jed gave a nod of his head. He was much more easy-going than Dorian, and he followed directions well. Still, I missed Dorian’s take-charge attitude in situations like this.

  I pulled in a deep breath and returned my attention to my cell, ready to tap out a message to Eli to let him know his younger brothers were missing, but before I could an incoming call flashed on the screen. It was from Rosemary’s Diner. I had half a notion to let it go to voicemail, knowing they were most likely calling because they needed me to work someone’s shift tonight. With everything pack wise going on, there was no way I’d be able to make it in. However, I knew I should at least answer the call.

  “Yeah?” I asked, refusing to say hello. Maybe Leon would take a hint this one time and realize I was in no mood for his grouchy attitude.

  “Is that how you always answer your phone?” The voice was familiar. It sent a chill through me, and my wolf growled.

  Images of Arturo Albus and his eerily blueish-gray eyes flashed through my mind.

  What the hell was he doing calling me from Rosemary’s Diner? Not only that but...

  “How did you get my number?” I asked.

  “You didn’t answer my question.” His tone sounded clipped. It was unsettling.

  “No, that’s not how I always answer my phone. I’m just a little busy.”

  “Pamela gave me your number. It seems I’ve found something that more or less belongs to you,” Arturo said. I didn’t have to see his face to know there was a wicked smirk stretched across it.