Insolita Luna

by M. J. O'Shea

  “Love you,” Noah whispered. I felt a queer jump in my already nervous stomach. I’d give anything to hear those words out of PC’s mouth.

  “Um, what am I missing? I thought you said you turned Zack.”

  I felt like I should be prepared for the worst if PC went out hunting.

  “I did. A few months ago, there was a different rogue in town killing humans.” Noah rolled his eyes. “Always seems to be some lunatic who doesn’t get the fairly simple concept that you don’t have to kill to feed. Anyway, I found out that it was the vampire who killed my father, and I wanted revenge. I snuck out looking for him and got into more of a fight than I could handle. PC brought me here hurt and bleeding. When Zack tried to give me blood so I could recover, I shot venom into him accidentally and turned him. We’d already talked about it, but I didn’t want it to happen like that.”

  “So to become a vampire you have to be shot with venom, but obviously you can bite without the venom.”

  “Yeah. We usually don’t need it. Plus the venom hurts really bad and paralyzes the human.”

  “How did you accidentally shoot Zack? Is that always a possibility when a vampire bites?”

  “No. I’m still not sure why it happened. I’m guessing because I was weak and injured. But it’s usually very easy to control the venom. It’s more effort to release it than to not.”

  I realized it was the longest conversation I’d ever had with Noah. I didn’t want to push, but it was nice to get some answers.

  “What if PC gets vampire venom in him?”

  “He’d die. Our venom is poisonous to him; his blood is poisonous to us, at least in any real quantities.”

  It was a lot to take in.

  “So you think this rogue, or whatever is out there, is paralyzing the humans and draining them unnecessarily?”

  “Yeah. They’re either being greedy and stupid or, like you said, they’re sending a message.”

  “Isn’t there some kind of vampire council like the lycans have who can take care of the rogues?”

  Noah chuckled. “If there’s anything even close to a vampire council, then you’re probably looking at it.”

  “You and Zack?”

  Noah nodded, smiling wryly. “Well, us and the girls. Vampires are too solitary and for the most part too nomadic to form councils or government of any kind. Plus, it’s an unfortunate fact that a lot of us are pretty violent. I imagine if any one vampire tried to claim leadership, he or she would be dead before the next sundown.”

  “But you guys all get along and work together.”

  Noah smiled. “And there are others like us, but not enough to cause any real change.”

  “Maybe someday,” I murmured and Noah nodded. I could tell he’d thought about it before.

  At that moment there was a cursory knock, then Leila, Amanda, and Colin trailed into the apartment.

  “Hello, cute boy couples! We going hunting tonight?” Leila looked jubilant, like they’d just decided to go to Hawaii or something.

  Noah smiled in greeting. “More like doing some detective work. Let’s get our packs together and we can split up and canvas the perimeters of the seven known crime scenes.”

  “Again? I want some action,” Leila complained.

  “Leila,” Noah warned. “Besides, we only knew about two of them the last time. Now there are five more. Me and Zack will take PC back to the first two to see if he can find something that we might have missed. Then we’ll hit two of the new ones. You guys will take the other three.”

  My stomach roiled. It only took a few short words to throw my body into full panic mode. Already it was starting to hurt. Hell. Not this again.

  “PC, am I going with you guys?”

  He leaned over and kissed my forehead softly.

  “You can’t. It’s too dangerous and you’re not trained. It would be fine if we just end up walking around, but what if we manage to find something… or someone?”

  “I know. But remember last time?”

  He winced. “I’d rather not. Listen, it’s going to be fine. We’re not looking for anything dangerous, just checking out some old crime scenes.”

  “But you just said it was too dangerous.”

  “For you, not for me.”

  “And they really need you?”

  “Tonight they do. The vampires can’t process old smells nearly as well as I can. I won’t be able to go to all the sites, but I can at least help Zack and Noah.”

  I nodded. I hated having him out there where he could possibly get hurt and come home too ripped up to repair. I didn’t want to let go of his hand, but I knew I had to. His fingers trailed out of mine and he followed Zack to a chest where Noah and the others were already drawing out weapons. I noticed PC didn’t take any. It had me all worried until I realized why. Moron. He’s not going to be able to carry weapons if he doesn’t have any hands.

  Realizing he’d be armed only by his claws and teeth made the pain in my stomach worse. PC started to look uncomfortable too.

  “Damn,” he finally muttered. It was quiet, but I could hear it easily from across the room. He looked up at me. “I thought the theory went that as long as our bodies knew we were coming back to each other, then it was fine.”

  I shrugged. “I guess our bodies don’t know in this case. Every time you go out hunting, you may not come back to me. It’s just like last time.”

  “I’m going to be fine, Miles.” He gave me an exasperated and slightly accusatory look, like the whole thing was my fault.

  “It’s not like I’m doing this on purpose. We’ve been over this. You’re hurting, too, so your body feels just like mine about this.”

  He grumbled. “Fine. I can’t hunt with my stomach threatening to punch its way through my skin. I guess you are coming after all. It’s an awful idea.”

  “He’ll be safe, PC. We’re all going to be there.” Zack was, as usual, smoothing everyone’s feathers.

  PC gave me a protective glare. “Walk right next to me at all times, okay?”

  “Okay.” Like I’d ever separate myself from you anyway.

  “I mean it. Stay away from anything that even looks remotely dangerous. You see a big rat in the street, you run, got it?”

  “Yes, honey,” I told him obediently, rolling my eyes.

  He started pulling his shirt over his head. My face turned red when I realized he was about to strip to nothing. He chuckled at my embarrassed look.

  “They’ve seen it a million times. No one even looks anymore. They’ll see yours too someday, you know?”

  I shook my head, smiling to myself. That’s what bathrooms are made for—or maybe a nice phone booth like Superman. Before I’d even finished the thought, PC was gone and in his place was the breathtakingly beautiful wolf I’d only seen a few times before. He trotted over to me and bumped at my hand with his head. I instinctively sank my fingers into his fur and scratched gently on his shoulders.

  Feels nice….

  The thought jumped into my head from nowhere.

  “Was that you, PC?” I probably should’ve been more startled than I was.

  Yeah, it’s me. Remember what my mom said about communicating? It’s easiest when I’m in wolf form. Especially if we’re touching. I never tried it before, but it works!

  “Can you hear all my thoughts?” God, I hope not.

  Try it in your head instead of talking out loud. And no, I can’t. Only what you project to me. Same as talking out loud. Think what you want to say and push it in my direction.

  Like this? I thought the sentence in my head and did what he said: pushed the words out and toward him. It felt really weird, tingly, and intimate.

  Yeah. See, it’s not that hard. We’ll get better at it too—after you’re a lycan and after we’ve mated. Looks like we’re going. Stay close to me, okay, baby?

  Okay.

  “Ready Miles?” It was almost startling to be addressed out loud.

  “Yeah, I’m ready.”

  ONLY
IN New York could three guys be walking along with a wolf and barely get so much as a cursory glance from most of the passersby. I supposed he could be mistaken for a really big dog, but… well, no. He was a wolf. There wasn’t any way around it. And for the most part, no one seemed to care. Zack and Noah walked slightly in front of us, and I stayed close by PC, my hand resting comfortably on his shoulder. He was so big that I didn’t even have to reach down to touch him.

  Every block or so he’d shoot me a silent comment or question, and I’d answer him. It was starting to feel more natural to have his thoughts in my head, a little less startling, for sure. I actually liked the intimate feel of having him in my head. It was a connection, one more thing to tie us together, and something he could share with me and no one else. I wished we could do it all the time.

  About ten blocks from Zack’s apartment, PC froze, suddenly tense. A whispered “shit” from Zack confirmed that something was wrong.

  “Miles, just go with whatever I say, okay?” he whispered.

  I nodded and then noticed a middle-aged couple and a girl waving enthusiastically at us.

  “Hey, Mom, Dad, Maya. What are you doing down here?”

  Zack’s family? I smothered a laugh. Talk about the last people you’d want to run into in the middle of a hunt.

  “Hello, darlings!” Zack’s mother gave long hugs to him and to Noah. His sister stood back shyly and looked at me and PC.

  “Guys, this is our friend Miles and his dog Ginger.”

  “Dog?” His mother looked a bit disbelieving.

  “It’s nice to meet you. And yeah, Ginger’s huge but she’s a total sweetheart.” I shook everyone’s hands and encouraged them to pet PC. Zack’s family seemed nice.

  Ginger? She? What the hell? PC sounded so outraged that I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing.

  I was just going along with Zack like he said to do! It could have been worse, you know.

  How?

  I’ll come up with something. Why not just call you PC?

  They know me.

  Almost on cue, Zack’s little sister spoke up.

  “Where’s PC?”

  “He’s with his mom,” Zack answered.

  Zack’s mom laughed and ruffled his sister’s hair.

  “Maya has a bit of a crush. You know PC too, Miles?”

  A sudden and very vivid picture flashed into my mind from PC’s direction. My skull tingled for a minute until I could focus on what he’d sent me. As soon as I did, nothing existed but the image in my head: I was with PC on a bed strewn with blankets and pillows. I was naked in his lap and we were kissing and my head was thrown back in obvious pleasure as he sucked on my neck. I choked, my cheeks flaming.

  “Yeah, I know PC too.” It was hard to spit out a single reasonable sentence.

  New trick? I asked. Never do that to me in public again.

  Why? It was fun.

  I felt like growling. You’d better make good on your promises, then.

  PC made a wheezing noise. That damn dog is laughing! I couldn’t wait to get revenge.

  “Hey, we’re supposed to be meeting some friends at their place for dinner, guys. I hate to rush off, but—” Zack reached over and grabbed Noah’s hand like they were about to start walking.

  “Okay, have fun boys… and Ginger.”

  We all chuckled and waved to Zack’s family as they walked away.

  “Disaster averted,” Zack mumbled.

  I held it in for as long as I could. “Ginger?” I finally burst out. The giggles were unstoppable. Noah and Zack laughed too.

  “Yeah, it was the first thing I could think of. Sorry, PC.” He aimed his comment in the general direction of my hand.

  NOAH GAVE us a silent signal with his hand when we reached the spot where the first victim had been found. PC started to twitch. I could feel the energy radiating from him.

  Wait with Zack and Noah for a second, okay?

  I nodded.

  Be careful, babe. It was the first time I called him anything like that. It was easier than saying it out loud. He didn’t reply, but I could tell he was happy.

  PC trotted off toward the place where somewhat tattered police tape still marked the aging crime scene. Zack, who’d been watching PC and me during our silent exchange, cocked his head and regarded me with interest.

  “Is PC talking to you?” he asked.

  “Yeah, apparently all mated lycans can do it to a point, but it’s easier for us because of the bond, or at least it will be with practice.”

  “That’s freaking cool. I knew he could understand us, but wow. When did you start doing it?”

  I exhaled slowly. “About fifteen minutes ago. The first time he jumped in my head it surprised me a little, but it’s already getting easier.”

  PC came trotting back and stepped right under my hand. I threaded my fingers through his fur without a second thought.

  Tell Zack and Noah that there were at least two vampires here. I can smell a male and a female, maybe more. They headed north after they left here, but the trail is pretty weak after the rain last night.

  I repeated the information to Zack and Noah, who nodded and smiled.

  “This could be very useful. We’ve always had to rely on gestures before.”

  I grinned, glad I could be something other than a hindrance.

  Zack and Noah walked over to the site to see if they could pick up the vampires’ scents. Their vampire sense of smell wasn’t as good as PC’s, but it was much stronger and more detailed than a human’s. All I could smell was the overflowing dumpster half a block away. After that, Noah made a call, checking on the other group’s progress, which was unfortunately similar to ours―they could tell the vampires had been there, but the trails had petered out, either ending at a pier or disappearing smack up against a building. They all agreed that it felt like the vamps were messing with us.

  We decided to head to the second site on our list in hopes that there would be a more substantial lead there. Nope. It was more of the same: scents that were faint and seemed to float off into nowhere. The only new factor was the smell. PC, Zack, and Noah agreed that they were different vampires than at the first site. Not exactly encouraging or helpful, just different.

  And so the night wore on. It had been exciting when we first started. I’d felt like I was in a movie or something. As the hours passed, though, it became more tiring and frustrating than fun. All the dead ends kept piling up, and based on the phone calls with Colin and Leila, they weren’t doing any better. It became obvious that there was some sort of mastermind behind the confusion and the killings. That much we figured out early on. The seemingly unanswerable question wasn’t only who was doing it, but why?

  The best part for me was seeing my friends in action. I really liked fitting in, being helpful to the hunters. I couldn’t wait until I was a lycan and fit in permanently. I had no idea how it would feel to lope along the night streets, huge and powerful, but I was excited to find out. It seemed like the petition was taking forever, even though it hadn’t been two weeks yet since PC’s mother had started the process. She kept reassuring me that it was just bureaucracy and they weren’t even considering saying no. I worried all the same.

  We were on our way to the last site of the night. It had to be close to dawn. We’d checked three before, following the individual trails that led from them until they disappeared into the night. I could sense Zack and Noah’s frustration, and the energy coming off PC had changed from nervous and excited to just plain annoyed.

  Last site, baby, then we can go home, okay?

  That’s fine. I didn’t say anything. I didn’t want him to think I was complaining. The last thing they needed was a human whining about being cold, tired, blah, blah, blah.

  I know you’re being tough. But you’re exhausted. We’ll be in bed soon. I couldn’t miss the flavor of a naughty grin in his words.

  I smiled to myself. No taking our clothes off. Can’t forget the rules.

  The wol
f made an annoyed noise. Don’t remind me.

  “Is PC okay?” Zack asked, looking back at us.

  I couldn’t keep from smiling. “Yeah, he’s fine. Just a little, uh, frustrated.” I tripped when a furry paw was suddenly, and very deliberately, stuck right in my path. Snickering, I nudged him with my hip but was surprised when a not so gentle nudge back nearly sent me flying.

  “Knock it off, dork!” I forgot to say it to him silently.

  “Am I going to have to send you two home? We’re on a serious hunt here!” The grin Noah flashed me told me he wasn’t serious at all. It had been a long night for everyone. Perhaps we’d lost a bit of focus. Oh well.

  When we got to the last crime site, I wasn’t very surprised to find that things didn’t look a whole lot different than they had at the previous ones. There was still police tape out, but it was hanging, desolate, dirty, and ragged, off the stake it was barely attached to. It was obvious that the place had been deserted for a while.

  “Same drill here. PC, want to go in ahead?”

  He whined softly and ambled into the cordoned-off crime scene. He was sniffing around silently when we heard a muffled crash from down the block.

  Vampires! I can smell them.

  “PC said it’s vampires,” I whispered to Zack and Noah.

  Noah made an annoyed face. “Stay with Miles, babe. I’m going to go with PC and check it out.” Noah was gone before Zack had a chance to reply.

  We stood there silently for a minute or two. I kicked at the ground with my toe, wishing for the hundredth time that I was a lycan already.

  “Sorry you got stuck babysitting the useless human,” I mumbled quietly.

  “It’s fine. I don’t mind waiting with you. It drives me nuts when he goes all protective alpha male, though.”

  “It’s because he loves you.”

  “I know.” Zack smiled. “Which is why I didn’t say anything about it. Sometimes I think he forgets that I’m just as strong as he is now.”