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

  I pressed a finger to my bruised lips. "Don't you want me?" Humiliation rushed across my face.

  He threw me an exasperated look, just now noticing the state of his T-shirt. He pulled it off again and put it back on correctly. "You have no idea," he said as his head emerged again.

  "Then what are you doing?

  "I'm stopping this before you do something you're going to regret." His eyes dropped to the hem of my nightgown, now hiked up to mid-thigh, and turned away.

  "What's wrong with me?"

  "Nothing's wrong with you."

  "But you don't want me, even when I'm offering you all that I have." Tears slipped down my cheeks. "And David—I was never enough for him. Instead he went behind my back and screwed anything in a skirt."

  I'd never admitted the truth about David out loud and I stopped, stunned at my words.

  Ty was at my side in seconds. "There's nothing wrong with you—not a damn thing. David's an idiot for letting you go."

  I buried my face in his neck. "I'm an idiot."

  He smoothed my hair, his lips pressed to my temple in a soft kiss. "No you're not, Mac. You're wonderful. I just wish you could see it."

  His words brought my tears back, and I cried into his shoulder, unable to control or hold them back. He held me, allowing them to pour out. When at last they started to subside, I sniffed and ran a hand over my face. "God, I'm such a mess."

  "Yeah." His voice was soft.

  I laughed, but couldn't bring myself to look him directly in the eye after making such a fool of myself.

  My discomfort didn't go unnoticed. He raised my chin. "You don't have to hide anything from me. Ever. And as for..." His eyes strayed to the bed before he jerked them away. "If and when we take that step, it's going to be when we're both ready. Not because you feel obligated."

  My lips trembled, unable to respond.

  "Now—are you going to move over so I can get in bed?" he asked.

  I scooted across the bed and he lay down beside me on top of the covers, pulling me into his arms. I closed my eyes and settled in, bone weary and with my emotional energy on E. I concentrated on his steady heartbeat beneath my cheek, and the slow rise and fall of his chest. The silent house seemed to watch over us, a guard against the outside world.

  Chapter 14

  My nose was buried deep in a thick volume about werewolf lore when Ty pounded his fist on my desk and let out a frustrated sigh.

  "We're going out," he announced.

  I peeked over the top of my book and frowned. My feelings were still prickling over his disappearance with Carrie the day before. And despite his reassurances, I was in no mood to humor him. Certainly not with his continued refusal to tell me what had happened during those long hours they were together.

  He looked at me with hopeful eyes; I resumed my reading.

  "Come on, Mac."

  "We don't have time," I said in a clipped tone.

  He lifted the book from my hands, slammed it closed, and tossed it across the room with a loud thunk. I reached for it, but he yanked me to my feet.

  "It can wait," he said. "Tonight I'm taking you out."

  "Call me crazy, but don't you have to ask me first?"

  "Oh yeah, right. Will ya?" He flashed me a lopsided grin before pulling a jacket out of my closet. When he held it out for me, I reluctantly thrust my arms through the sleeves and allowed him to lead me out of the house.

  "What's this about?" I asked as we cruised down the main street of Eddington's small business district. Sunday evening wasn't exactly a hopping time, and few lights burned inside the rustic buildings we passed.

  "I owe you ice cream." Ty parked his car outside Lucy's, an old-fashioned parlor. The small seating area was deserted other than a couple of high school students ogling each other over a sundae. The guy wore one of those "Vote 4 Pedro" T-shirts, sans jacket, which was draped over the girl's shoulders. No wonder—it was freezing inside the small building.

  "If this is to make up for yesterday, I should let you know it's going to take a lot more than ice cream."

  Ty frowned and spoke low. "Give me just an hour alone with you—no talk of werewolves, no talk of moon cycles. When my time's up, I promise we'll go right home."

  He didn't mention Carrie, but then, he didn't need to. I tried to stand firm, but soon found I couldn't resist the plea in his eyes. "Okay. One hour, and I want a double scoop."

  "You strike a hard bargain, woman."

  He planted a soft kiss on my lips before leading me over to the counter.

  We got our cones and he pulled me outside, our hands locked together as we strolled along the deserted streets. The windows we passed glowed with strings of miniature pumpkins, ghosts, and candy corn. It seemed every possible surface was draped with fake cobwebs and spiders. The Halloween season was my favorite time of year, but somehow all of the decorations looked sinister.

  Ty squeezed my fingers. "What's with the frown?"

  I paused, trying to organize my thoughts. "Remember when you found out Santa Claus didn't exist?"

  "No, but I remember when you did. Good God. I didn't think you'd ever stop blubbering."

  "Shut it." I scowled and elbowed him in the side. "It's just, Christmas lost a bit of magic when I found out. I've always loved it--still do, but there was always a part of me that knew it was fake. All of this is different."

  I gestured at the decorations. "Knowing werewolves exist--it makes it all...creepier. Even though I know it's for fun." I laughed, nervous. "Stupid, huh?"

  The corner of his mouth tipped up, but he didn't say anything for a long moment. His eyes were serious when he finally looked at me. "No, I know exactly what you mean."

  "Kinda makes you wonder what else is out there, doesn't it?"

  "I'll be okay as long as jackolopes remain a twisted fantasy."

  I giggled at the image this conjured. "Amen."

  He chuckled softly. "A sexy vampiress wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, though."

  "How did I know you were going to say that?"

  We fell into silence for a couple of blocks. A small park came into view and we took a seat on one of the benches scattered throughout the area. Despite the heat wave from the previous week, the weather had taken a turn back to what you would normally expect out of October. I shivered slightly and tugged the thin sleeves of my jacket down to cover my hands.

  "You're cold," he said. "We should go."

  I smiled. "Not yet, okay? I kinda like having you all to myself—minus the computer and musty books for once."

  His fingers sought mine, coaxing my hands out of hiding. He cupped them inside his, gently rubbing warmth into my skin. When at last he was satisfied, he lifted my hands to his lips, kissing one palm and then the other.

  "I'm sorry, Mac. For everything."

  I stared at the buttons of his shirt, unable to answer. I wanted—no needed—to know what had happened between Carrie and him. But he'd made it clear he wasn't going to break whatever confidence they'd formed. I didn't know whether I could let it go.

  "You have nothing to be sorry for," I said finally, too tired to fight about it.

  "Don't do that." He frowned and deep worry lines formed between his eyebrows. "You don't have to pretend with me. And you don't have to apologize for my mistakes."

  "I'm not—"

  "Yeah, you are. Right now you're thinking you did something wrong and you didn't."

  "But..." I sighed, exasperated. "I don't understand."

  There was a small playground not far from where we sat. The swings creaked, gently swaying back and forth in the light breeze. Ty focused on them. I didn't know whether or not to be grateful for the interruption.

  His eyes made a quick circuit of the area. Most likely he was counting to ten, worried he would explode at my obvious ignorance. I braced myself for an argument.

  When he raised my hands to his lips instead, letting them linger there, my breath caught.

  "You deserved better than David. You
need to know that," he said softly, cutting off my protests. "Just let me say this."

  He laced his fingers through mine and laid them in my lap. "I don't want you to hide your feelings from me. Ever. You've done enough of that for a lifetime already.

  "I watched you with him, Mac. You always tried to please him, ignoring what you wanted and how you felt." He hesitated before adding, "He knew it, too. And he used it to his advantage."

  I wanted to deny what he said, but I couldn't. Hot tears flooded my eyes, and I blinked them back.

  "I can't begin to tell you how many times I wanted to rip his throat out. But I couldn't—I knew you'd never forgive me."

  He smiled then. "As my friend, you never had a problem smacking me around when I deserved it. Please don't let that change."

  My mind whirled with the contradiction.

  "Let me get this straight. You want me to put you in your place for acting like a jerk, except where Carrie's concerned?"

  "No, no." He leaned in close, his soft breaths stirring my hair. "It's okay that you're angry about her. It was stupid and thoughtless, and I'd do things differently if I could." He exhaled sharply. "Even so, I need you to trust me and accept that I can't tell you everything. But I promise you—nothing did or will happen between Carrie and me. Ever." He rubbed his thumb lightly along my jaw. "I'm with you now. And I'm not going anywhere. I need you to know I would never hurt you."

  He pressed warm lips to my forehead. "Do you believe me when I say that?"

  I bit the inside of my cheek to fend off tears and nodded. "Yes."

  "Good," he whispered. We inched closer to each other, until at last our mouths met.

  I breathed him in, wanting to feel him close, to believe all that he said. Self-doubt filled me, and for once I refused to listen. Here was my best friend, the one constancy in my life. Deep down I knew he would never lie to me, and that was enough to vanquish my insecurities, if only for as long as he held me in his arms.

  There was no telling how long we were there. By the time we pulled apart, I was on Ty's lap, the heat of our kiss rushing through my entire body. It felt good to lose myself in the moment, and we only pulled apart when a gust of wind delivered a fast food wrapper against Ty's shoulder with a loud thwap.

  He laughed and brushed it away. "I guess that's our cue."

  "I guess so," I struggled to get my ragged breathing under control. Ty seemed to be having the same problem. A flush went through me at the thought I had that kind of power over him.

  "Thank you for this," I whispered.

  "You're welcome." He kissed me one last time and pulled us both to our feet. "Time to get you back before your dad sends out a search party."

  We linked hands and headed back toward the car. I listened to our soft footfalls on the cement, content for the first time since this whole mess began.

  "Can I confess something?" I asked, immediately frustrated that my mouth interrupted the moment.

  He nodded.

  I paused, unsure of how to phrase my thoughts without sounding like a complete idiot.

  "With everything going on—or rather, despite everything going on—I've never been happier than when I'm with you." A thousand wings beat a tattoo against my stomach.

  "Same here," he said, his hand tightening around mine.

  I let out a relieved breath, and buoyed by his response, I continued. "I-I've also never felt more guilty. I mean, you're going through so much right now. And with Kim's death—and someone out there, plotting Lord knows what—is it wrong? Us, I mean?"

  His jaw clenched. "You're the only thing that's right in my life right now. We're not doing anything wrong."

  So many other things went unspoken between us, but they didn't need to be voiced. If something were to happen to either of us, this might be all the time we would have together. We had to take advantage of every minute—just in case. The thought of any harm coming to him coiled my stomach into a tight ball.

  "You're right," I said.

  We continued down the street, fading in and out of the shadows created by the evenly spaced street lamps. A comfortable silence descended upon us, and I relished the moment, knowing all too soon it would end. I smiled up at him, wondering if he would kiss me again before the evening ended.

  When he abruptly whipped me against his body, I laughed, believing he had been musing about the same thing and had decided to take the matter in hand.

  Then I saw his wide eyes and felt his body go taut as an electrical wire.

  "Run," he said. "Run!"

  Chapter 15

  Before I could react, Ty yanked me back in the opposite direction. I stumbled behind him, my arm straining painfully at the socket as I struggled to keep up with his fast pace. Everything whipped by, the buildings blurring together and keeping me from getting a firm bearing on our location. When he stopped abruptly, I collided into his back. It felt like I hit a brick wall, my shoulder taking the brunt of the impact. I took in a ragged breath that seared through my lungs.

  Eyes alert, Ty scanned the area, tuning into things far beyond my senses.

  "What—" was all I managed before he led us down another darkened street.

  "Will you tell me what's happening?" I choked out. But he didn't need to answer. My ears had picked up the sound of approaching vehicles. "Who is it?"

  His eyes swept back to me. I knew without him having to say. David. Vince. Who knew how many others may be with them? From the look on Ty's face, we were in deep trouble.

  The first headlights hit us while we were crossing a street just a few blocks from where we had left Ty's car.

  We ducked inside the alcove of a shoe store. Ty hovered over me, his face a mask of frustration. "If I tell you to—run. Don't worry about me."

  "I'm not leaving you behind," I argued, my voice rising in pitch.

  "Do it." He grasped the back of my neck and pulled me into a rough kiss. "Later you can kick my ass for this. I promise. But you will go when I say to."

  Squealing wheels skidded to a stop in front of us. They covered our escape routes well; cars came from all directions, blocking us in and forming a misshapen semi-circle around us. Bright headlights framed us against the storefront.

  I recognized all of them. David stepped out of his Camaro—the others following suit. Vince, Mike Lomond with Jenna in tow, and a few other players from the basketball team. The "Vote 4 Pedro" guy from the ice cream parlor hovered nearby, eyes averted.

  "Shit," I whispered. From their exaggerated movements, it was pretty obvious they were all drunk. Most likely they had been drinking out at the drive-in—where else would they be?—when Pedro-boy clued them in to our whereabouts. Belligerent when sober, the chances of talking any of them down were obsolete while they were under the influence.

  "Evening gentlemen," Ty said, his voice steady. "Lovely evening for a drive."

  He stepped away from the building. I followed behind him, a death grip on his hand.

  Perhaps that was a mistake. David honed in on our linked hands, the sight curling his lips into a sneer.

  "I never knew you were such a slut, Mac." He practically spat out my name. "Not even a week later and you're giving it up to this loser?"

  Ty chuckled. "You can't really blame her for preferring a guy whose methods involve more than brute force."

  I sucked in a breath. What the hell was he doing? It was almost as if he was purposefully trying to egg David on. I counted at least eight guys in the circle, and it seemed a suicidal move.

  "They say that kind of aggression is the result of being unable to get it up when push comes to shove," Ty added. "I always said you were an asshole, but man, that's just pathetic."

  My fingernails dug into his hand, but he ignored me.

  David's face turned red, his fists clenching and unclenching at his sides. The others in the group were watching him out of the corner of their eyes. I guess even a mob mentality had its limit. It was one thing to support a friend who had lost his girlfriend to another guy, a
nd quite another to support a would-be rapist.

  "Don't listen to him." David said. "He's just jealous I got there first." With this simple declaration, confidence seemed to return to the group. Drunken fools. They stepped closer, ready to pounce.

  Though he appeared outwardly relaxed, I felt Ty's body go tense beside me.

  "You have this coming to you," Vince growled, standing at David's right hand.

  "That's right, I heard you were pissed off about last week's game," Ty said. "Too bad you didn't make the team after—what was it—four try-outs?"

  "You son of a..."

  He rushed us.

  Ty stepped away and stiff-armed me in place. "Run," he yelled.

  Like an athlete who jumps at the sound of the starting gun, I hesitated, unable to budge for a split second. But then my feet started moving, my body propelled forward by the urgency in Ty's voice. I darted along the storefronts, running like an animal desperate to survive.

  I didn't get far. Todd York stepped out of the shadows a couple of shops down, a predator in wait. He lunged at me, nails digging into my forearms. I bit back the pain and managed to twist out of his grasp to run the other way. Head over my shoulder to see whether he followed, I faltered when I turned to find Mike Lomond looming ahead of me.

  "Ty..."

  Just a few feet away, he had somehow managed to ward off Vince. The jerk stood a few feet away, rubbing his reddened chin. The others seemed unsure of what they should do next, and stood at the edge of the light, arms limp at their sides. David was nowhere in sight.

  Despite the fact Vince and Ty had begun to circle each other, round and round in the middle of the bright lights, Ty turned to quickly assess the situation. He backed toward me and held out a hand to draw me into his protection. He pulled me tight to his back, slowly revolving us both around. I grasped his flannel shirt, my heart threatening to beat its way out of my chest when the group started to close in around us.

  "You don't want to do this," Ty said, his voice calm. "Just leave us alone."

  Vince laughed. "Too late, O'Neill."

  "If you want me, fine. Let's go. But leave Mac out of it."