The Crescent

by Jordan Deen

teeth.

  “He saved my life.” I said defiantly.

  “By killing me … he kills you.” Brandon flicked his finger in my face.

  “Alex would never hurt me.” I stepped back.

  “You love him?” Brandon screamed.

  “Yes.” I replied trying to calm my heart and my head.

  “She doesn’t know what she is saying.” Lily stepped between Brandon and I.

  Sophie saw this as her chance to take control over the scene again. “So you would try to steal my son from me? He would never leave his family. Besides, aren’t you afraid the bond will continue to be broken?” Sophie’s tone was musical. She was thoroughly enjoying the tense transaction going on between Brandon and I. Brandon refused to look away; his eyes threatened to break me in half. His hand still clenched around the wrist that Gavin had hung me by earlier.

  “You’re hurting me.” I whispered looking down at my hand that was now bright red. A tear escaped my eye betraying my need to stand up for what I believed in.

  Brandon released it immediately. “I’m sorry.” He didn’t get the words out fully when Gavin took advantage and sprang towards him. Matt and Trevor couldn’t react quickly enough.

  Brandon was knocked down and Gavin was biting and clawing at him. Sophie started to laugh hysterically. Jillian and I both screamed almost in unison. Lily grabbed my hand pulling me from the room, but the man was much stronger; he grabbed my arm and completely spun me out of the way and out the door. I landed sharply on the front porch, the wood sending splinters deep into my hands. Small droplets of blood rose to the surface as I picked out a few of the pieces.

  I looked back into my house, terrified of what I was about to see. My heart ached for Alex’s safety; my head for Brandon’s.

  The feelings for each of them competed for space in my heart and justification in my mind. Timidly, I pulled myself towards the door and leaned around the corner. Only my parents, Sophie, Jillian and Jamie remained in human form. Gavin’s large black frame stood by another large black wolf; I assumed it was Alex. Three additional wolves stood with their backs to me, low intimidating growls vibrating their chests. I bit the inside of my cheek hard trying to stop myself from screaming.

  Calming myself, I finally whispered, “Brandon?” hoping that his hearing was intensified like mine had been the day I felt my body transforming. The large wolf in the center turned to look at me. His monstrous eyes so familiar, so … “Grant?” I said as a giant lump overtook my throat. There, standing before me, larger than life, was my dog, my missing best friend.

  “Brandon?” I choked out. Lily wrapped her arms around me and tried to pull me away from the door. Grant came and poked his head out the door to nuzzle his face to mine. A small whimper escaped his mouth. I sobbed harder and full tears were now running down my face.

  “Shhh. It’s ok. It’s ok.” Lily tried to soothe me, totally oblivious to how freaked out I was.

  “NO, it’s not ok! That’s my dog!” I shrieked at Lily pushing her hands away.

  She tightened her grip around my waist. “I told you he couldn’t be away from you. It was the only way.”

  I broke free of her grip and swiftly stood. I got to the door just in time to see more wolves join the fray. One lunged at Matt; his jagged teeth ripping and clawing at the skin just behind Matt’s neck. He yelped and fell to the ground as Gavin attacked Trevor.

  Michael took point next to Brandon and the two of them went after the wolf attacking Matt. I hadn’t realized that Lily was next to me now in the doorway. Her little body trembled, her face bright red and splotchy from tears.

  “No Matt. No!” She screamed and lurched forward. I pushed her away from the door to the large man that looked like Brandon. She shook, sobbed and thrashed in his arms trying to get away, all the while screeching Matt’s name as loud as she could.

  “Is there any way to stop this?” I asked him.

  “This has gone on for centuries. I doubt you can stop it.”

  He grinned as though he didn’t have a care in the world about the war raging inside my living room. Didn’t he realize my world was crumbling? He wrapped his arms tightly around Lily’s shoulder to keep her from running back to the house. Somehow I knew my life would never, could never, be the same again.

  “There has to be a way.” I said more to myself than anyone else. Back inside the house, the battle continued as bodies of wolves flew back and forth in front of the door. It looked like nature’s version of wrestling as the bodies twisted and rolled over each other.

  Ok, if this is a dream Lacey, you can wake up now.

  c h a p t e r

  TWENTY-FOUR

  I couldn’t stop Lily’s pain. She was shaking and crying so hard listening to the deep growling and yelping coming from inside the house. Shadows passed across the picture window of the front room as barking was met with louder, more ferocious growls. I pressed my back hard against the house trying to decide my next move. If I didn’t run back into the house, Alex could get hurt. If I did run back into the house, then Alex, Brandon or I could get hurt. That wouldn’t help anyone. If I died, Brandon would die.

  If I didn’t stand up for Alex, he could die. Filling my lungs to their capacity with air, I prepared myself to run into the house. 1 …2 … 3 … I started to spin into the house when the large man crushed my forearm with his powerful fingers.

  “Oh no you don’t!” His eyes shifted towards the door. “We have to get you out of here.” He pulled me away from the porch and down the stairs. One of his hands wrapped around me, the other around Lily.

  I fought him, yanking back on my arms as the noise from the house increased. “No, stop.”

  “You don’t understand.” He said through clenched teeth.

  “Thomas, stop!” Lily stuttered. “I won’t leave Matt!”

  “We aren’t leaving them.” He commanded and tugged hard on both of us, slamming us into each other. “DAMN IT!” He shouted as he stumbled down the last step with us in tow.

  Lily and I continued to complain as he dragged us into the yard and onto the grass. “Stop.” He growled. More noise came from the house; shadows of furniture being tossed were flying across the window. Lily and I stopped moving. Thomas was enraged staring at the house.

  “Thomas? I can’t leave him.” Lily pleaded, her green eyes shifting between his face and the house.

  “Lily …” He stopped, scanning the street. The hair on my arms stood and I could feel the small hairs at the base of my neck prickling. A cool, unsettling breeze glided over my skin sending cold chills through me.

  Before I could say anything Thomas reached forward and pushed on my shoulders causing me to land hard on my back, knocking the wind out of me. It didn’t take long and Lily joined me on the grass. Thomas leaned forward on his knuckles and started to transform. Noise and movement echoed on the street rushing closer to the house. I grabbed Lily and pulled her to the side yard just as more of the Mare wolf pack appeared in our front yard. Thomas, now an imposing black wolf, was blocking the pathway to our house. Lily clawed at my arms trying to get back to the house.

  “Stop! Stop! I’m not the enemy remember?” I whispered, trying to get the gate opened without drawing attention to us.

  “How do I know that? You would let Brandon die for Alex?” She clenched her jaw and pulled her hand from mine, scratching my arm in the process.

  “Can we talk about this later?” I couldn’t explain my feelings now. I didn’t even understand them myself. I had something real with Alex; everything with Brandon hadn’t been real. Or at least I didn’t feel like it was, not yet. I glanced down at my palm, thinking of the day that my mark appeared, thinking of laying in bed with Brandon, kissing him.

  “Don’t you love him? Can’t you feel it?” Lily furrowed her eyebrows as she leaned towards me. “You have to feel it. He can’t survive without you. You have to believe in him …”

  We snuck to the backdoor to see if there was another way to get this insanity to end. I w
atched Trevor and Matt advancing on Gavin. Michael was circling Sophie. Brandon and Alex were nose to nose with each other.

  “I wish I could just get them to stop.”

  “They don’t want you to be with Brandon.” Lily mumbled as she tapped on the window. She laid her palm flat to the smooth glass. I love you Matt. Come back to me. Matt turned and locked eyes with Lily as if he sensed her presence, her need.

  “How did you do that? Could he hear you?” I asked almost doubting what I had just seen.

  Lily frowned. “That’s what you don’t understand. Once you are bonded, you will be able to hear each other’s thoughts, feel each other’s feelings, the love … the pain. You don’t understand because you haven’t given him a chance.”

  I looked back just in time to see Alex advancing on Brandon. My skin boiled at the thought of Brandon being hurt over me. I grabbed the door and mustered all my courage flinging myself into the house. “No!” I screamed running through the kitchen towards the living room.

  Lily screamed and pleaded with me to stop. Mom and Dad were both still in the corner of the living room comforting Jillian as Gavin fought Matt. Their faces turned to horror when they saw me. “No! Lacey get out of here!” Dad screamed and put up his hand trying to stop my advance.

  I wish I had listened.

  Grant was crumbled against the wall, lying where Alex had thrown him. I rushed and threw my body to cover him, just as Alex advanced again to pounce on him. Alex’s