Hunter Moon: A Grazi Kelly Novel #2 (29 page)

Beyond the spray of the shower I heard
something. A rumble like a landslide in a movie. No, it was
laughter
. The mark on my arm flared up, like a brand. I
whined in pain. Then a deep inhuman voice pierced my brain.

Now you will feel the truth. I can get to you
anywhere, She-Hound. I will destroy everything you love…

I saw an image in my mind. A great shadow
larger than any man. It was humanoid in shape. Huge horns protruded
from either side of its head, cloven hooves replaced feet, huge
fangs jutted out from an angular face, and large, muscular arms
reached up to the sky as the thing taunted me with its horrible
voice.

I was a wolf at his feet, teeth bared. The
shadow pointed at me and I felt a searing pain in my arm. I hunched
down, ready to attack, but it was over before I had the chance.

When I came to I was lying on my bath tub
floor. The water from the shower was ice cold by the time I found
my feet. I rinsed my soapy body off in the frigid water.

Afterwards I hurried to get dressed. A pair
of comfortable sweats and a loose fitting tank top. I grabbed my
arm where it stung. It was hot. The mark was a darker red than
before and it was raised. It throbbed when I touched it.

“But what is it?” I rubbed my arm. Ronan had
covered the mark with an ace bandage, but not before he placed some
oils and herbs onto it.

“It is a demon glyph. The hunters will be
back and in full force now. The paste Ronan put on will hide you
from them for a little while, but we need to go.” Uncle Sean was
meticulously packing a bag with weapons.

Most I recognized. Some looked completely
useless. A tiny silk scarf, a small silver cup, a sliver of wood,
some dried up bits of herbs or plants, and a Hall & Oates CD. I
didn’t know what he was packing that stuff for, but whatever. I had
other things on my mind.

“Go where? Thanksgiving is in three days.
It’s my birthday. Nonna will be furious if I’m not home.” I raised
my voice. This was happening too fast. It was out of my control and
I hated that.

“Yeah, well she’ll be even more furious if
your dead now won’t she!” Cara spat at me.
Great
. I didn’t
even notice she was there.

“Grazi, I will endeavor to have you home by
your birthday, but we need to leave now. If what you saw is true,
we need to go.”

“Go where?”

“On a pilgrimage. Our party will be light.
You, me and Cara.”

“No way. I go where she goes.”
My
protector.
I knew he was there in the doorway before he uttered
a single word. It warmed me.

“Ronan, you’ve advanced, but you’re barely
more than a pup. You have yet to pass your trials. I can’t let you
go.”

“This
pup
, is the Madden family heir.
I am a chieftan’s grandson and Maria is my
geall
. You
can’t
leave me behind.”

I did not know what
geall
meant, but
his meaning was clear in his stance.
So I was his, huh? I guess
modern feminism had yet to be taught in Werewolf puppy school or
something. Did he say chieftan? I wish I knew more.
It was
times like these when I knew I still had so much to learn.

Uncle Sean nodded, but he was unhappy. We
left before dark. Uncle Sean spoke to Nonna first. Alone. She came
out wiping her eyes on her small white handkerchief.

“You will be back Thursday,
si
? I’ll
make your favorite.”

“I’m sorry I won’t be there to help.”

“Maria Graziana, I may be an old woman, but I
cooked for plenty before you came around,
si
! Now come,
bella
, you go, learn to protect yourself.”

“What about the IRS stuff? Will you be okay?
Is Uncle Vito taking care of it?”

“No, you don’t worry now. It’ll be okay.
Ti amo, bellisima.
” She kissed me and I bent to hug her. I
had never stayed away from Nonna for long. I wondered if these
three days would feel longer.

Please God, take care of Nonna while I am
gone. Protect her.

I said a small prayer for my parents and the
angels to watch over her. My palms were sweaty as I hugged her one
last time goodbye. I would be sixteen the next time I saw her. I
guess it’s silly, but somehow I felt as if it would make all the
difference in the world.

Julianna entered the kitchen as my companions
walked out of the back door. Nonna nodded at her and left the room.
I knew she didn’t want to drag out our goodbye. I let her
leave.

“Where are
you
going?” The accusation
was there in her voice. Like I had no business going anywhere.
She’d have been just as unfriendly if I said I was staying.

“Nowhere.” I wanted to tell her to be
careful, but I doubted she would head my warning. I wanted to tell
her to stay away from Lizette too, but I knew she wouldn’t.
Still.

“Julianna, um, be careful, okay?”

“OMG. Whatever. Like I need you to tell me
how to act. Are you serious?” She turned her back on me and I had a
moment to wonder at her new hairstyle. It was still as blonde and
pretty as ever, but with some subtle low lights. It was on top of
her head in a complicated twist that suited my cousin.

I shook my head and left. She may not be
right, but the things I could tell her she had no business knowing.
We never did seem to belong in the same world anyway.

She just had no idea how different we really
were. And if Lizette really was mixing it up with witches, I
suppose there would be time for me to investigate after this little
trip I was taking. At least, I
hoped
there would be.

I sat in the back of the SUV and looked out
the window. It was raining. Not a smattering, but an actual
downpour. My Werewolf vision allowed me to see each drop as it fell
with amazing clarity. It was like watching the rain fall in slow
motion.
Incredible
.

I guess it’s like my brain has been reworked.
Like I now have a brand new LCD HD TV screen in my head, when all
my life I was watching some crappy little black and white set with
rabbit ears on top.

No one spoke. It was strange. I mean, we
could all
feel
each other’s feelings, but the way everyone
stayed out of each other’s space was incredible.
Respectful.

Soon Uncle Sean closed his eyes. He wasn’t
sleeping exactly. It was more like meditation. I’d seen him like
this once or twice before. Usually after I had come to him with
something he couldn’t really explain.

Ronan and I sat in the third row by
ourselves. He held my hand in his. It was so much bigger than mine
and mine was not exactly small. I looked at our skin. With our
summer tans gone I noticed my natural coloring was more olive toned
than his. I guess I take after my mom’s side.

Ronan’s skin was very fair. Smooth and clear.
I wondered how it was he did tan so well in the summer. Now he was
all ivory with a smattering of dark copper hair on his arms. I
liked it. His leg touched mine and again I was struck by how much
bigger than me he was.

For the first time in my life I realized I
liked the fact that I was tall. I was about 5’ 10” with no shoes
on. I had grown at least an inch and a half the last few months.
Ronan was at least 6’ 4” and I still had to look up to him.

His hair was now almost hitting his shoulders
and I realized it grew faster when we got closer to the full moon.
What had seemed a lighter shade of red when I first met him was now
a mixture of browns, golds, and reds.
Beautiful.

I’m sure Julianna and her clones would pay
big bucks for that array of hues. He played with the ends of my
hair with his free hand. It fell down to my waist now. I had it in
a low hanging braid.

The platinum streak I had gotten when I first
changed stood out among my dark locks. I used to hate my hair, the
way all girls do, but the way Ronan always played with it made me
like that too. He was good for me, I realized. He made me feel good
about myself. Had to mean something, right?
I am such a
weirdo.

By my feet was my old backpack. Clothes and
other essentials were in a duffel in the back of the vehicle. My
backpack held more personal things. My cell and charger, my knife,
my mom’s diary, and a picture of my parents. I don’t know why I
brought it with me. It just felt right.

We drove west for almost two hours. Leaving
our little Northern New Jersey suburb and heading right smack into
Pennsylvania. I think we were near Nockamixon State Park. Uncle
Vito took us camping there once when I was about ten. Aunt Theresa
hated it. So did Julianna and Rebecca. Not me though. I loved
it.

The fresh air and clean smell of the woods,
the thick green forest, the birds and animals. I thought it was
great. The only thing they enjoyed was the lake, but me. I hiked
for miles and miles through those trees.

I spent hours in the woods. They thought I
had gotten lost. Nonna just hugged me when I made it back to our
tent, but Aunt Theresa yelled at me for so long when I got
back.

Truth is I had known exactly where I was
going. I mean I just
knew
my way back. I guess my Werewolf
skills were starting to come forward even then. If I had used more
common sense I would have marched myself straight back to camp
after a few minutes, but the woods had been so pretty.

And let’s face it, I was in no rush to go
back to our cramped little tent where my aunt and cousins were
fighting and complaining. It rained after that day. Aunt Theresa
had blamed me for ruining the campout. Like I control the weather
or something. I shook my head. Dwelling on the past was never
good
.

It was dark and the rain had finally stopped.
The windows were cracked open and I could smell the damp asphalt in
the cold night air. The road we were driving on was pitch black and
empty.

There were no street lights and the forest
seemed to be closing in on certain parts of it. I was sure if I
reached my hand out of the window I could easily pull back a
handful of pine needles.

“Where are we?” I asked, my eyes adjusting to
the dark surroundings immediately.

The forest was dense in these parts. It
hardly looked residential. Maybe we were on our way to a farm or
some camp site? I didn’t know for sure and no one bothered to
inform me. I focused on a large white and brown owl perched on
branch of a tall leafless tree. It was still and silent. As if it
was waiting for something.
Watching
.

“We have arrived.” Uncle Sean spoke without
opening his eyes.

“Where?” I asked.

“Bethlehem.”

“Bethlehem?”

“Where else would we go on a pilgrimage?”

I didn’t answer. There was nothing I could
say. I knew the definition of pilgrimage. I mean I’ve been going to
Catholic school since I was three.

So what does a spiritual journey in
Bethlehem, PA have to do with anything? I mean, is it really the
right time to go and reflect on my faith when Vampires were hunting
me down to kill me, witches were possibly putting spells on kids
from my school, and, oh yeah, let’s not forget the evil demon who
has marked me for what exactly, I don’t know?

“Don’t discredit the importance of faith,
niece of mine. Sometimes it is all we have.” Sean’s blue eyes
seemed to glow a little and I knew he was on high alert. So he
hadn’t been meditating the entire drive. He had been listening with
all of his senses. Protecting.
Alpha
.

We turned off the main street, if you could
call it that and took and even more obscure road. It wasn’t even
paved. We drove for another twenty minutes through even denser
forest.

The dirt road was hard to maneuver and would
have been impossible with a regular car. But the SUV served us
well. Dimitri turned left and pulled up in front of an old dark
building. It looked like a log cabin.

Bags in hand, I stood in the back of our
group with Ronan as Uncle Sean knocked on the door. A man opened
it. I could tell immediately he was not a Werewolf. He smelled too
human. He was older, maybe fifty, and slight in stature. He
motioned for us to come inside.

“Welcome, welcome.”

“Yes, thank you, Wallace. Is everything
ready? Is he here?”

“He will be back later in the evening,
Father. Would you like me to show you to your rooms?”

“Yes, that will be fine.”

The man named Wallace led us down a flight of
stairs that were no more opulent than any other middle class home
across the US. From the outside it seemed to be a small one bedroom
cabin at most. The rooms below told another story.

It was as if an entire estate existed below
ground. Wooden stairs gave way to a sub-level of bedrooms and a
large den or living room area. There was no TV or game system, but
rather a huge shelf system filled with books. Most of them looked
old.

The wooden shelves were ornately carved with
angels, animals, and people. Wolves were the last depicted. They
stood guard at the base of every shelf. Sixteen of them stood
circling the great round space. Like every librarian’s or
bookworm’s dream room. I know I liked it.

Soft, comfortable looking couches filled the
area. End tables held lamps, notebooks, pencils, and coasters. A
large coffee table sat in the middle of the carpeted floor. The
tables were the same wood as the shelves. They were just as
ornately carved and highly polished.

It was inviting and cozy in the room. Even
though it was large enough to seat a good thirty people. Well, more
like twenty if we were talking Werewolves here. We did tend to be a
little larger than other people.

Anyway, it was like a super reading nook. Any
other time I’d want to investigate the many shelves, but right now
I was exhausted. Mentally and physically.

I was shown to a bedroom and wasted no time
settling in. I looked around at the spartan surroundings. There was
a bed, a dresser, a sink and not much else. A large book sat on top
of the dresser.