By the Pale Moonlight (Book One of the Moonlight Series) Read online

  "Who?" Vince screamed from behind me.

  Mrs. Kramer gave our section a pointed look before continuing. "Kim Urwin was a very special student." She went on to describe the activities Kim had been involved with. I was surprised by how many clubs she'd been an active member of.

  Soft sobs came from beside me. I took Melanie's hand.

  Mrs. Kramer concluded her speech with a moment of silence, which several people behind me didn't adhere to respectfully, instead jabbering on about our chances in the game the next night. I fought the urge to turn around and smack them upside their heads. Had Melanie not been there, I think I might have.

  The moment ended and Mrs. Kramer introduced our cheerleading squad to an uproar of applause. My school didn't do somber very well, and they seemed to take a collective sigh of relief.

  I pulled Kleenex out of my purse and handed one to Melanie so she could wipe her face. I gave her a reassuring smile and she returned it, mouthing "thank you" to me.

  Hopefully, the pep rally could bring both of our moods up. When the football coach started introducing the players, I know my spirits soared.

  The crowd rose to their feet as each player came forward. I practically lost my mind when he called out number seventeen and Ty stepped out of line to give the crowd a little wave. Several girls screamed out his name all around me and I flushed with pride. Sure, Ty had always had this effect on the female student body, but he'd never been my boyfriend before.

  It could have been my imagination, but he seemed to search the stands until he looked directly at me. He smiled. Surely he did that on purpose. Mary poked an elbow into my side and giggled. I gave her a big grin. I was dating A Sex God.

  "Pussy!" Vince yelled out above the din. He continued a diatribe of insults aimed at Ty. Apparently he hadn't gotten over Ty's absence and our team's subsequent loss the previous weekend. Enough was enough.

  I whipped around. "Shut the hell up, dickhead! I don't see your sorry ass out on that field every week."

  A stunned silence followed. Then the entire area erupted into laughter, several people adding insulting remarks aimed at Vince. His face turned fire hydrant red and my mouth trembled out of control as I faced forward again, carefully avoiding the scathing look David gave me. I slid Melanie a side-long glance, and held a hand against my mouth. I'd never done something like that before. It felt wonderful.

  "Good for you," Melanie whispered, her own laughter lighting up her eyes. "That was awesome, Mac!"

  "I kn..." A flash of red caught my eye. To the left of where we sat, I spotted Carrie, dressed to the hilt with team spirit. Her red sweater was tight, accentuating her vampish figure—had she gotten work done?

  She was glaring in Vince's direction. It was an expression of pure hatred, white hot and barely under control. If looks could kill. I swallowed the rising lump in my throat and continued to watch her surreptitiously.

  Most of the crowd resumed their cheering as the rest of the team came forward, but she continued to glower at Vince. Blood pounded in her cheeks. What in the world had Vince done to inspire such pure venom from her? Sure, the guy was a jerk, but he had rocks for brains. It would be like having it out for a big dumb animal.

  Just then, her blue eyes cut to me. I panicked and moved back so that Melanie blocked me from her line of sight. My heart raced. For just a moment, when her eyes met mine, I'd had pure, unadulterated hatred aimed at me.

  A minute later, she left the stands and slipped out a side door. With the tall brunette gone, I allowed myself to breathe again.

  I watched the rest of the rally through a dazed fog. As soon as it ended, I excused myself and raced down to the floor to meet Ty. The smile on his lips faded as I approached and pulled him aside. "We need to talk."

  o0o

  "Let me get this straight. You said what to Vince?"

  I fumed, situating myself far out of Ty's reach. Had it not been for the door, I surely would've slipped off the bench seat of his car and onto the gravel below. The worst part—he didn't even try to hide his amusement or lack of faith in my new theory.

  "That's right. Yuk it up." I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him.

  We were parked in the lot around Rosemead Lake. The foliage in the area was painted rich shades of orange, red, and yellows—pinks even. It was a breathtaking view. Students normally came out here for amorous activities, and I tried to put such thoughts out of my mind. Right now I was too busy planning Ty's death. If I didn't focus, I would start gushing over the fact he'd brought me here.

  "You didn't see the look on her face." I tried to remain calm while I laid out my case for him again. "Vince insulted you and she acted like he'd committed murder—or rather, like she could commit murder."

  "That's just not possible." He waved me off with a flap of his hand and fiddled with his CD player. "It isn't Carrie."

  "Why not?"

  Ty gave me a warning look. "Trust me. It's not her." He paused. "Are you going to start accusing every girl I've dated?"

  I rolled my eyes. "Think about it, Ty. It's the classic love-gone-wrong revenge scenario."

  He shot me a dubious look. "You need to stop reading Harlequins."

  My jaw dropped open. Had he found my stash? "Don't change the subject!"

  He shook his head with a laugh and punched a button on his stereo.

  Light strains of Otis Redding floated out of his speakers. I paused to take in everything happening around me. Lake—car—me—Ty—sexy music. Oh. My. God.

  He leaned back in his seat and rested his hands on the steering wheel. It wasn't exactly the scenario I saw playing out in my mind.

  "What?" He quirked his brow.

  "Nothing." I fiddled with the door handle. "It makes sense—especially with everything Melanie told me yesterday. The attack on you after we...well, you remember. And then the football game. Give me one good reason why it couldn't be her."

  "If you'll recall, we weren't exactly together when Kim was killed. No matter what you think of her, Carrie isn't a mind reader."

  I mulled over his words, my heart slowly accelerating. This was stupid. I'd been alone with Ty many times—all the time, in fact. I'd even slept in his bed the past two nights. Why was I so nervous?

  Wait a minute. "Mind reader?"

  A small dot of red appeared high on his cheek. "That's right."

  "Really?"

  He glared at me out of the corners of his eyes. "Really. If you must know, I've been waiting a very long time for you to come to your senses and dump that jerk."

  My breath caught. "How long?"

  "A long time."

  "But you were dating Carrie all that time. Didn't you guys? I mean, you know..." Now it was my turn to have my cheeks go up in flames.

  The corner of his mouth lifted. "No."

  "Oh." I was stunned.

  "Anyway, the point being—she couldn't have known. Just trust me, okay?"

  "Have you ever?"

  He closed his eyes, the pink dot expanding. "No."

  My heart shot off into space. "Me neither," I confessed.

  An awkward silence stretched between us. Had we really wasted so much time?

  His rich laughter filled the car suddenly.

  "What's so funny?" I said.

  "I'm just trying to picture the look on Vince's face when you called him out in front of half the school." His green eyes danced with humor and soon I was laughing along with him.

  "Man, I wish I could've seen that," he said.

  "It was quite the shining moment for me. I..."

  Ty reached across the seat and ran his fingertips down my cheek. I froze, my breath leaving me completely. Unblinking eyes burned into mine as he slowly leaned toward me and captured my mouth with his. His lips were soft and warm, and he tasted like peppermint. Strong arms encircled my waist and pulled me closer, deepening our kiss in the process. When his tongue brushed against mine, I gasped softly.

  Time seemed to slow around us as we tasted and touched one anot
her. Despite a burning desire on both our parts, we didn't rush anything, allowing ourselves time to explore and be explored. A light rain pattered on the roof of the car, providing the perfect soundtrack to the moment. I memorized every last detail—the salty taste of his skin, the feel of his hands upon me, the way our bodies seemed to mold together perfectly.

  It was innocent, a promise of something more—someday.

  When he at last pulled away, I didn't want him to go. His eyes were lit with a heady desire that matched my own, but we both knew this was neither the time nor the place. We would take this slowly, get to know each other on this level one step at a time.

  "I better get you home," he whispered.

  "What if I don't want to go?" I kissed him again.

  He groaned in the back of his throat. "I definitely need to get you home."

  We untangled our limbs. Somehow I had ended up halfway in his lap. I took a moment to straighten my blouse. Making out with Ty now topped my list of favorite ways to spend an afternoon. Yes, we definitely needed to do this again.

  He pulled the car out of the lot, and we drove back to town with me sitting mere inches away from him. The air between us danced with electricity, a connection though we weren't touching.

  "Did you plan this?" I asked.

  His lips curved upward. "Of course."

  "Does this mean you'll let me drive your car now?"

  "Uh, no."

  Chapter 11

  I hated tests. I despised them even more when I had so many other things on my mind.

  Despite knowing I had to do well on the SATs in order to get into a good college—who hasn't heard that one, right?—I kept finding my thoughts wandering. Somehow two trains departing a station in opposite directions didn't quite stand up to Ty and our upcoming experiment.

  The stillness of the room started to agitate me. The pencil scratches, turning of pages, and the occasional cough from the other test-takers only served to put me on edge as I eyed the clock. We'd all agreed to wait until the writing section to give the whistle a little toot, but my glance kept sweeping across the room to study the bowed heads and hunched shoulders of the other students. Could the person who attacked Kim be in this room?

  The gymnasium had miraculously transformed over night. Rows upon rows of desks crammed the area, each holding two students separated by enough distance to ensure they couldn't cheat. Ty sat three rows up and two aisles to my left. Melanie was one row up from where he sat. On my way in, I'd managed to finagle a seat in the last row. This would provide me a full view of the room to see who—if anyone—squirmed in discomfort at the high-pitched sound of the dog whistle. Anyone other than Ty that is.

  I focused on his wide shoulders and momentarily forgot where I was. He was dressed in black running pants and a long sleeved white T-shirt. He puckered his lips slightly as he concentrated on the booklet before him. I admired his profile while softly chewing on the end of my pencil.

  I fingered the small chain around my neck. The dog whistle hung on the end, and a small pang of worry went through me when I remembered the pained expression on Ty's face during our test-run. I'd have to be quick and spare Ty as much as possible.

  A soft ahem from the proctor jerked me back to reality, and I almost had a heart attack when I realized how much time had lapsed during my little gawk-fest. Taking a deep breath, I concentrated on finishing the remaining questions. I barely managed to fill in the last bubble on the scantron before time was called.

  The proctor released us for a short break. I huddled together with Melanie and Ty out in the hallway.

  "How's it going so far?" Melanie spoke low.

  "Fine." I left out the part about being unable to concentrate. "Only problem is that Caleb isn't here."

  She nodded solemnly. "I know. We'll have to catch him another time. I'll be right back—bathroom." She stepped to the back of the long line assembled outside of the women's room.

  I inched closer to Ty. "What about you? How's it going?"

  There were deep circles under his eyes. I couldn't say for sure how long he and Melanie had stayed up the previous night, but he looked like he hadn't gotten any sleep. I wouldn't know, as he had forced me to return home early, walking me to my door to make sure I made it inside safely. Under strict orders not to go anywhere, of course.

  "I'm having a blast," he said with a yawn.

  "I bet. I'm getting you some coffee." I started toward the teacher's lounge, but he stopped me and pulled me in close.

  "Mac, you need to concentrate on your test."

  I opened my mouth to protest.

  "Don't pretend you didn't spend a good five minutes staring at me during that last section."

  "But..."

  "I won't let you ruin your future because you're too busy worrying about me—or because you think I'm cute." The corner of his mouth lifted.

  I rolled my eyes. "You're so full of yourself."

  "Tell you what. You concentrate and I'll take you out for ice cream after."

  "Oh, gee!" I laughed. "How exciting."

  I smiled as he leaned down and brushed his lips against mine.

  "Eyes on your own paper, okay?" he said softly.

  "Slave driver."

  We started to return inside, our arms brushing together as we walked. Every part of my body felt electrified as his fingers lightly played with mine, never quite interlocking, but far from separate.

  "Hey, Ty...Makenna."

  Ty and I automatically stepped apart as Carrie made her way over to us. I hadn't realized she was taking the test today, but then the whole senior class had been crammed into the gym. It only made sense. That didn't mean I didn't harbor resentment at her presence. I eyed her suspiciously, not quite giving up on my scorned girlfriend theory.

  "How's the test going?" she asked.

  "Fine." Ty and I spoke at once.

  Boy was this awkward. "How about you?" Ty asked.

  Her eyes darted from my face to his. "It's going okay. I'm having a little trouble with the math sections, but that's never been my strong suit." She paused. "Is something wrong?"

  "Not at all." I glanced at my watch. "We better get back inside, though. They'll be starting soon." Throngs of students pushed by us into the testing area, nudging me further away from the ex-couple. Ex. I clung to that word.

  "Move," someone said from behind me. I turned to find Jenna and several of her groupies waiting for me to step out of the way. When I didn't, they brushed past me, pushing me further away from Ty and Carrie.

  I strained to catch the sound of their voices above the hum of the students pouring into the gym. Ty stood out above the crowd, but his lips weren't moving. He nodded, his mouth pulled into a firm line. I knew Carrie was the one doing all of the talking. I tried to catch his eye, but the proctor came to the door and ushered me inside.

  What had she said to him? As the next leg of the exam began, my mind ran through several different scenarios. I told myself not to worry and that Ty would tell me later. At least I hoped he would.

  Clearing my mind, I concentrated hard on the bubble sheet before me. Time seemed to speed up and soon the teacher at the front collected our exam booklets and passed out the materials for the written section. Game time.

  I waited until the proctor turned her back to me before slipping the whistle into my mouth. Its metallic taste was bitter on my tongue. Ty glanced over his shoulder and gave me a go ahead wink.

  It was now or never.

  With a deep breath, I gently blew through the end. Even from a distance, I saw the sudden tension in Ty's body as he clenched his shoulder blades together. With my second blow, he leaned on the desk with cupped hands over his ears. My lips trembled, and I almost dropped the damn thing.

  I tore my gaze away from him and ran it over the other students. A boy from my biology class hacked into a Kleenex, but other than that, I couldn't discern any peculiar movements in the room. I continued to puff away. Nothing. I went from desk to desk, only momentarily lingerin
g on Carrie's dark head. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and seemed occupied with her essay. I moved on to Jenna, in the very front of the room, and then David a few desks up from me. Nothing.

  Melanie coughed loudly into her hand. My heart sank.

  Ty sat hunched over his desk, rocking slightly. That was the final straw. I dropped the whistle and let it slide back below my shirt. Tears of frustration momentarily blurred the pages before me, but I bit them back. Ty's posture returned to normal and soon he began to scribble his essay. With a resigned sigh, I did the same.

  o0o

  With the last of the test materials collected, relieved expressions blanketed the room. I finally allowed myself a moment to relax. The attempt to unmask the other werewolf had failed, but at least the SATs were behind all of us. I took a second to relish the milestone.

  When we were allowed to exit the room, I couldn't help but notice Ty didn't wait for me.

  Melanie waved me over, a sympathetic frown on her face. "I'm so sorry things didn't work out. We'll try something else." She squeezed my shoulder. "Are you ready to go?"

  "What?"

  "Ty wanted me to give you a ride home." At my clearly puzzled expression, she paused. "He just caught me and asked if I could give you a lift. Didn't he tell you?"

  "No." Speak of the devil, I caught sight of him heading toward a side exit. "Give me a minute, okay?"

  "Sure thing, but be quick. My mom needs the car." She went in the opposite direction.

  I kept my eyes glued on Ty as I fought the crowds to get to him. He only paused when I yelled out his name.

  "What's going on? I thought we were riding home together." My words had a wheezing quality to them as I struggled to catch my breath.

  "Didn't Melanie find you?" His face remained impassive.

  "Yeah, but..."

  "I've got a headache from that damned whistle. I just need some time to be alone right now."

  "But, I thought..." Something in his eyes silenced me. "Wait. What's going on?"

  Before he could respond, I turned to find Carrie approaching. She stopped a few feet from us and my mind reeled. "Oh." I lifted my eyes to his.