Rise of the Moon (Moonlit Series Book 1) (19 page)

Chapter 26: Shayne

Sitting outside in my car was not doing me well, but I had yet to bring myself to get out and stroll across the street to the parlour. From where I sat, I could see Evelyn, Harry, and a red-head I had never seen before talking and laughing. All I had gathered so far was that when Evelyn laughed, she doubled over, and when the red-head laughed, she threw her head back.

But I had not come to merely observe. What I had come by the parlour for was a lengthy conversation with Evelyn. I wanted to sort things out and apologize. The need to get things back on track was eating away at me. It had already taken too long.

My father had left last night and I got my mother’s confirmation call this morning that he had arrived back in England. Had he gotten around to talking to Harry? Would he have recognized Evelyn if he had seen her?

Despite the intention of seeing Evelyn, my gaze remained transfixed on the red-head. She was nearly a head shorter than Evelyn, her face rounder; her body more voluptuous. Everything about her was the direct opposite of Evelyn, even the way she laughed. But while that was clear, it was also visible that they were very close.

Guilt ebbed inside of me. A hundred and sixty-seven years and I had hardly looked at another woman. Finally, I find her and –

No. Looking at another woman was not a wrongful act. Evangeline had finally manifested herself in my life –I was not going to let her go again.

I undid my seatbelt, but did not make a move to get out of my car. Although my path would not be deterred by the redhead, I did not feel like putting it to the test. Waiting another hour or two would not kill me.

An hour passed. Then two. The red-head had not left, though it was clear that she did not work there. Harry just let it happen –even let her sit there while he and Evelyn closed the ice cream parlour.

Strange.

A van pulled up outside and Evelyn and the girl said their goodbye. They climbed in the van and soon they were gone. Opportunity missed.

Still, I opened the car door and got out. Harry had seen me –though I was unsure as to when he had spotted me. I suspected it was hours ago. He closed and locked the door behind me, and I followed him into the back room.

“You’ve taken your sweet time –and you still haven’t apologized,” Harry sighed as he strolled across the floor to his desk. “And, unfortunately, I think you’re too late.”

I sat down, “What do you –?”

“The werewolf, Shayne. You think you could sit back for a few weeks and the Alpha’s son would sit back, too?”

“Alpha’s son,” I let out a long breath. “You didn’t tell me that earlier.”

“I didn’t think I’d have to. I thought you’d be pursuing her with everything you had.”

“Well, I was visiting –”

“Sebastien’s grave. I know. This, overall, may just be poor timing, I’ll admit. But Evelyn doesn’t seem to have bonded with you the way you had with Evangeline. Maybe love
doesn’t
conquer time and reincarnation.”

“I don’t believe that.”

“So why are you sitting back and letting the werewolf just… take her?”

“I…” I let my voice trail off, unable to answer. More than letting him take her, I had to wonder why I was not more upset with the idea. Maybe I was so caught up in the image of her that I had glorified the love I thought I had felt for her. But that was preposterous. One did not search across the world for decades for a glorified image. So I settled with saying, “I’ll handle it.”

“Were you here to apologize today? Why didn’t you come in?” Harry asked.

“The red-head. Speaking to Evelyn alone didn’t seem possible.”

“Maddie?”

“Is that her name? Short for what?”

“I assume Madison,” he shrugged.

“It’s a pretty name,” I said.

“Maddie’s a pretty girl,” he said. “And an interesting person overall –also, Evelyn’s best friend. They’re always at each other’s side. Seldom do they fight, and when they do, it’s best to tiptoe around Evelyn. They feed off each other’s energies. It’s probably why they have aura’s that blend together.”

“Do they?”

“Beautiful colours, very wholesome… Very bright silvers, too, which is odd, really.”

I, unlike Harry and my father, did not care much for learning about auras –I never had a knack for it. So I did not have much knowledge on what the colours meant, having long realized it bore no use to me.

“So she’s here a lot?”

Harry shrugged, “I guess. Why do you ask?”

“Evelyn’s only introduced me to one friend. A young lady named… Kristy.”

He laughed loudly. “That doesn’t surprise me. Evelyn may love Maddie like a sister, but has an inferiority complex when it comes to her just the same. Maddie would probably be the last friend Evelyn ever introduced you to –except that Maddie’s persistence would definitely put up a decent fight.”

“She wears her heart on her sleeve. Evelyn, I mean. She isn’t afraid to get angry and tell you what you’ve done wrong,” I murmured. “Evangeline was like that.”

“Evelyn doesn’t like it when you look at her and see Evangeline,” Harry said, shifting his weight from one arm rest to the other.

“She knows?”

“Not about Evangeline, no. But she was saying earlier today that when you look at her, it feels like you’re looking at someone else. She’s intuitive.”

“Is that where I’ve gone wrong?” I asked.

“It could be,” his phone buzzed on the desk between us. Lizzie’s name lit up on the screen. “Lizzie –we’re finally getting married. Her father’s finally given us his blessing. Too bad he doesn’t know he’s giving his daughter to the damned.”

That reminded me. “Before I leave, may I ask if my father paid you a visit?”

“Twice. Both nights, Evelyn wasn’t working.”

“Thank you,” I let out a breath of relief.

“You can rest easy knowing she’s safe.”

“For a little while anyway. When’s the next time she works?”

“Saturday. Visit her. Things seem to be progressing quickly with the werewolf.”

“So you’ve said,” I responded, getting to my feet.

He, too, stood, “I’m just saying –the sooner, the better. Here, let me see you out.”

Chapter 27: Evelyn

“I’m so sorry,” Maddie’s mom told me over and over again.

“It’s fine,” I reassured her. “It’s not every day that your van breaks down. Besides, it’s only a block and a half away from home.”

“We could call your mother,” she offered.

I shook my head, “She’s going to be home late today. She and Sophie went to the movies. I’ll be fine.”

“See you at school tomorrow?” Maddie said as I gathered my bag.

I put the strap over my shoulder, “You sure will.”

“If you run, you might not get caught by the rain,” she grinned.

“I think I’ll be fine regardless –I plan on using all the hot water with my shower tonight,” I grinned.

“Be safe,” her mother called from where she hovered over the engine. To Maddie, she said, “When did your father say he was going to be here?”

“Twenty minutes or so,” she responded as I began to walk away.

I glanced back as I walked, their four-ways like a homing device in the dark of night. I wondered if anyone would stop to help them before Mr. Sparx got there. In the society we lived in, it was always hard to tell whether you were being helped or if your death was being planned. At least on old country roads at night.

The route Maddie’s mom had taken to get me home was the fastest –the route that swung by her place before turning down the road that stretched out between her house and mine. So I’d walked this road a million times. By chance, we’d broken down near the intersection that Blake lived by. Part of me debated calling him or Jason to drive me home, but I decided against it. Blake was sick, and Jason had said in his last text that he’d gone back into town to pick up dinner with Dante and Kaya.

After another five minutes of walking, the van was out of view, the four-ways no longer visible. The sky lit up as lightning struck in the distance.

“One Mississippi. Two Mississippi. Three Mississippi,” I counted aloud before the thunder rumbled. From what I was taught as a child, that meant it was a kilometer away. Or was it a mile? My parents often bounced back and forth between imperial and metric. Maybe I’d look it up online when I got home.

The hair on the back of my neck rose, and I shivered. I looked around feeling like someone was watching me. Maybe it was just the energy from the storm. But somehow I knew that wasn’t right either.

Something cold hit my shoulder, and I jumped. I was relieved when it was only a raindrop. But that one droplet was followed by another, then by many, and soon it was a full out rainstorm, and I instantly became cold and drenched.

I should have just stayed with Maddie and her mom. At least I’d be dry.

A car came speeding by, and I leapt into the ditch to avoid getting hit –the jerk not even changing lanes as he approached. My sweater was orange, it wasn’t like I was invisible, even in the rain. I slipped and fell on my ass as I tried to climb back up onto the road. Great. Just my luck. Now I was all muddy. I pushed myself to my feet, trying again. This time, I managed to reach the street, and began the trek home once more.

I could feel water in my shoes. It squished between my toes with every step I took towards home. It felt so incredibly gross that I almost decided to ditch my shoes, but knew better than to actually do so. People liked to toss beer bottles out their windows, and more often than not, they shattered against the paved road.

Walking in rain wasn’t too bad, though. There was this one time that Maddie and I had walked in a thunderstorm –a ten minute walk. Maddie had been so frightened, but she had never been good with thunderstorms in the first place. The rain had whipped my skin, harsh and cold. My hair had been an utter mess and–

“Evelyn.”

I froze, and turned slowly. It was dark, especially with the rainclouds and rain, but I knew who it was. I only wished I was wrong.

“Cole.” I didn’t know what he was doing out here. He was supposed to live just outside of town in this large house on the north side of Eiden. This was beyond the east side of town. Meaning, he should have been nowhere near here.

He looked momentarily surprised, looking down at his hands, clenching and unclenching. But that lasted only a minute, as he became the dick he always was at school. He called over the rain, “Returning home after visiting Blake and Jason? Or, perhaps the vampire?”

“As if that’s any of your business,” I replied, turning and beginning to walk away. I could barely see through my glasses covered in droplets of rain. I wasn’t about to tell him I hadn’t even passed Shayne’s house yet, or that I hadn’t seen him in weeks. Maybe his brother or his butler were home. If he intended to follow me, I could go there and –

“That’s the joy of having one boyfriend in high school and the other out of school, right? Have you mastered juggling them around?”

I grinded my jaw, intent on just getting home.

“Hey, don’t walk away from me,” he grabbed my arm.

“Don’t touch me,” I told him, jerking out of his grip.

A small grin crawled over his face, sending shivers down my spine. He grabbed me again. His fingers tightened. It hurt, and I couldn’t help but grimace. I didn’t like the new way he was looking at me. Fear started to bud in the back of my mind.

“Let go!” I pushed him away as hard as I could.

He stumbled back, but regained his footing. His hand wrapped around my upper arm and threw me down into the ditch, jumping in after me. There was no one to help me –we were in the middle of a forest stretch on the road, and on either side was farmland. We were still more than five minutes from Shayne’s house.

“Don’t take this personally,” he said, pinning me to the ground. “Think of it like… an experiment of sorts.”

“Leave me alone!” I said, lifting my knee into his groin. He fell back, holding his family jewels.

“You bitch,” he spat out, barely audible over the rain that was hitting the ground hard around us.

“I’m going to walk away, and I’m going to forget this ever happened, you sick son of a bitch,” I told him, taking my glasses off as I moved a step back. My eyes were bad enough to need glasses all the time –but not so bad that I couldn’t
not
see without them. It was just blurry. I took a moment to clean them on my tank top, which was only slightly drier than the shirt overtop of it.

“Oh, yeah?” he rose to his feet awkwardly, still in pain, as I put my glasses back on. The look in his eyes said that he wouldn’t stop until he had finished what he started. And that scared me.

Not knowing what else to do, I threw my bag at him as I spun towards the forest, taking off like a shot. I wished I’d continued running on a daily basis, but I’d given it up when school started. I only hoped my cardio hadn’t gotten too bad. The forest towered over and around me the further I went, though it wasn’t like I could see it well in the dark. I slid in the mud, running into the occasional tree trunk, but I managed to avoid tripping even when my ankle began to ache with pain. The rain lightened briefly, and I could hear him pursuing me. He was approaching quickly. He was going to catch up.

I ducked behind a tree, crouching and praying he didn’t see me. I had my eyes clenched tightly, my hands cupped over my mouth, trying to stop my panting breath. I inhaled slowly and deeply through my nose, but if not for the rain, I’m sure just my breathing would have given me away. Or my orange sweater. Damn it, why hadn’t I chosen something darker this morning? I opened my eyes to see him standing right in front of me, and I almost jumped out of my skin. But his back was towards me, and he didn’t seem to know where I was.

“Come out, come out, wherever you are,” he called into the forest.

My feet moved on their own, pushing me up and forward onto his back, attacking him. I threw my fist into the side of his head, beating him as hard as I could. He slipped backwards as he struggled to get me off, falling right on top of me and knocking the wind out of my lungs. He rolled onto his stomach, grabbing my ankle and pulling me towards him. The mud underneath me made it easy.

“I’m a little disappointed, Evelyn,” his hand trailed up my leg, over my soaked jeans, caked with mud. “I was expecting a better fight from you.”

“You’re a pig,” I spat at him, trying to regain my breath, and strength, after the fall.

“Defiant to the end. How… cute.”

I lifted my foot, intending to kick him under his ribcage, but he caught my foot. He pressed it hard against the ground, shifting so that his knee held it there.

“Why don’t you scream?” his smile twisted evilly. His hand rested on my waist, tugging my wet, mud-slicked shirt from my skin. He paused, taking my belt instead, pulling it off with one quick movement. As I reached for it, he grabbed my arms, using pure strength to pull me up into a sitting position to get my hands behind me and tightening the belt around my wrists. I bit my lip to keep myself from gasping, especially when he pushed me back down into the ground. My fingers were pinned at odd angles beneath me. “Not that anyone would hear you in the storm.”

I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction, but I would struggle against him every step of the way. Still, I silently prayed someone would come to my rescue. Someone. Anyone.

He undid the button on my pants, though I wiggled and fought against him. I wouldn’t make this easy. He yanked my pants down, lifting my waist to get them down past my thigh. His knee shifted off my foot, and I tried to use the moment to free myself, but he held my hips down and there was no strength behind my movements.

Anyone.

The mud was cold beneath me, but it didn’t seem to bother Cole. I closed my eyes tightly. This wasn’t happening. This couldn’t be happening. But his fingers were on my skin, and I was scared. Petrified. And he was enjoying it.

“Blake.”

Suddenly there was a deep rumbling beneath the sound of the rain. Cole heard it too, but I found the source first. A dark muzzle came out of the forest, and then the head, and soon after the rest of the body. I used the moment of surprise to slam my head into Cole’s. As he fell back, I sat up and pulled my hands apart. The belt loosened easily. I kicked at Cole as I backed up against the nearest tree. But he didn’t pursue, just got to his feet as he looked at the animal. I wiped my glasses quickly on my tank top again, but all it did was slide mud across the lens. I looked at the animal as I pulled my pants back up my leg. It was a huge dog –no, a wolf.

The animal growled again, and Cole took a step back. I felt a huge wave of relief crash over me. It was about then that I realized it was a wild animal; it could go after either of us. Oddly enough though, that thought didn’t scare me either.

Cole didn’t look as scared as he should be either, but he still backed away. The wolf took a step towards him, growling with its teeth bared, and Cole turned tail and ran –so to speak. It wasn’t so much running –rather, stumbling. He disappeared from my sight, the trees hiding him from view. The wolf took off after him as two new wolves came out of the darkness.

The new wolves turned on me, approaching cautiously, low to the ground. I was more wary of these wolves than the first, their fur darker, but I wasn’t afraid. Not really. Still, I pressed myself against the tree, wondering what was going to happen to me. I covered my face as they approached me. I wasn’t scared, but I was trembling, I realized. It wasn’t the wolves though. It was Cole. Even though he was a jerk, I had never expected him to do something so… so…
terrible
. Fear consumed me when I thought about what might have happened if it had gone on any longer. My breathing became shallow as panic caught up with me.

“What the hell? What the hell?” I muttered into my hands, a cold sob escaping my lips. No, stop, I told myself. I didn’t want to start crying. Who knew if Cole would come back? Not that I thought he would, with the wolves. Maybe he thought I was going to die.

I was going to be eaten, wasn’t I? The muted thought passed through my brain momentarily. I’m going to be eaten, and torn to pieces, and brought back to the Pack to the Alpha for feasting. I’d be killed by the very animal I adored.

Suddenly there was a weight against my arm, and I moved my hands away from my face as I watched one of the animals rub its flank against me. I reached out with trembling fingers to touch its fur –cautiously, of course. My fingers met with coarse fur, matted with mud and leaves, and I felt a calm wash over me, fear dissipating slowly. The wolf walked back and forth a few times, and each time I felt more at ease. The other wolf was gone. My breathing slowed, and I could feel my body relax.

The wolf kept me occupied for what felt like hours but what could have only been minutes. I loved the animal, but the only time I thought I could get close to one was at the zoo. To me, the entire experience was more than I could have asked for in a lifetime. Mostly, though, I was glad that I could focus on the dangerous animal in front of me, instead of the monster who had attacked me. Yes, focus on the wolf, not on anything else. The wolf.

There was a loud rustling nearby as something drew near. I tensed immediately, scared that it would be Cole again.

Instead, though, it was Kaya. Seeing her, the wolf took off. She was almost naked, her only attire a pair of shorts and a sports bra that clung to her as the rain picked up again. Thunder rumbled as she dropped to her knees, unsure about whether to touch me or not. But I was overwhelmingly relieved to see her. I leaned into her touch, gripping her arms as she went to wrap them around me.