Hunter Moon: A Grazi Kelly Novel #2 (8 page)

It was getting difficult to sit still in
school long enough for one period. Days when I had doubles were
killer. Ronan was always tapping out songs on his desk as if it
were a piano. I guess that’s just his way of channeling his
energies.

“Let’s go to the kitchen. Stew’s ready.
Printzyessa,
you will eat more and you will heal.” My
stomach rumbled and it was obvious I was still hungry. We filed out
of the study. I was second to last. Uncle Sean got my attention
before we exited.

“There’s a lot we need to discuss, Grazi. I’m
sure you are full of questions, but for now eat, heal and tomorrow
we will start going over what you need to know.”

“It’s about time.”

The next day at school went by quickly. It
was so cold already there was frost on the windows. Of course,
being a private school, only half the classrooms had heat. I
huddled into my school sweater, an ugly brown itchy thing that made
my blouse stick to me. Many girls wore opaque brown tights under
their skirts, but I ran a little hotter these days. I had on the
usual knee high socks.

My long hair was in a braid down my back.
Luckily only a few strands burnt in the Vampire explosion. It was
unnoticeable. I looked at Julianna and the cheering squad who of
course managed to look crisp and fresh.
Ugh.
They had
started a fundraiser with Sr. Diane’s approval selling hand knit
scarves in school colors over Etsy.

They each sported one of the pretty creations
over their uniforms. Julianna’s was a lovely crocheted infinity
scarf in gold and edged in a deep chocolate brown. I think it was
Lizette’s grandmother’s knitting circle who made them. They were
charging forty bucks a scarf so I happily passed. Besides with me
being a Werewolf and all, I wasn’t exactly freezing.

Sebby sat next to me in Algebra II. I sat and
I tapped my pencil. He smelled so good, like fresh laundry. I had
to stop myself from sniffing him.
I’m such a weirdo.
He
smiled at me and went back to the lesson. Algebra came easily to
me, but I must admit I wasn’t paying attention. I just couldn’t sit
still.

“Hey, Grazi. What’s with the bandage?” Sebby
pointed at my arm.

“Oh, I uh, cut myself taking out the trash.”
I pulled down my sweater over the conspicuous bandage.

“You okay now?” I nodded and he smiled his
thousand watt smile. He was so perfect. His warm brown eyes
refocused on his paper and he furrowed his brow in the cutest way
as he tried to figure out an equation. His hair was neatly trimmed
and when I watched him writing I noticed his fingernails were cut
and filed.

He was really neat for a boy. Ronan was such
an adorable slob in comparison. His room was scattered with
clothing, sheet music, sports posters, and exercise equipment. I
mean it was clean underneath it all. Werewolves couldn’t live in a
sty. The smell would drive us nuts. Anyway, he wasn’t dirty. Just
messy.

Physically Ronan was perfect. Just the right
amount of muscle and ruggedness. His features were chiseled, but
still had that boyish quality that would keep him looking young and
handsome even as he aged. I loved the way his hair grew so fast and
had so many colors in it. And his eyes, they were brilliant. He was
funny too. I sat up straighter in my seat.
Now when did I start
thinking of him like that? Oh boy.

“So, you coming to the scrimmage Saturday?
Well, will you come to my scrimmage Saturday?” Sebby’s cheeks
turned a flattering shade of pink as he asked me. I nodded my
answer.

“Great, we can stay after and watch the girls
play. Maybe you can decide if you want to join the team or not.” I
nodded again and he went back to his work. I had to admit the idea
of joining the girls’ soccer team was sort of appealing. It was so
blissfully normal.

Not like Werewolf training or whatever the
heck you’d call what I do with my Uncle and the rest of the pack. I
wasn’t sure if it would be entirely fair though. I mean I did have
a supernatural advantage over the other players. I didn’t have to
think about it. It just wasn’t possible.

Lunch came about quickly and I stood in line
next to Angela as she chatted away about this and that. I scooped
up a tray and started putting food on it. The organic section at
school was limited to a few choices and I made mine the way I did
almost every day. Protein shake, yogurt, turkey sandwich, and a
veggie soup since it was cold outside.
I love soup.

“So we have library next right? Good, I could
seriously use some time to think about my next NewsFlash piece. I
was going to do a write up on how accessories clutter our uniforms
and tarnish the school’s rep. Take that cheer team!” I had to cover
my mouth to stifle a giggle at Angela’s expression.

She really had it out for the cheer team ever
since they had made fun of her in the beginning of the school year.
Angela had bouncy red curls, freckles, and fair skin. She usually
wore colorful headbands and bows and had her nails painted weekly
in the most garish shades of polish available. She was smart,
opinionated, and my best friend. I wouldn’t have her any other
way.

Besides, if it weren’t for that incident we
might have never been friends. So I can’t say I regretted it, but
of course I was sorry for any hurt they had caused her. She seemed
over it now. Definitely happier since she planned on making them
the butt of her article.

We sat down at our usual table. Ronan was
already there. He was eating his favorite meal, four chili cheese
dogs and a basket of fries.
Yuck
. He wiped his mouth on a
napkin and took a swig from his soda.

“How’s the arm?”

“Fine.”

“Yeah? Good. I talked to Cara, she needs to
meet with you after school. Go over some things.” His voice was so
low I knew I was the only one able to make out what he said, but
still I looked around to make sure no one noticed. They didn’t.

“Fine. I’ll be there.” I unwrapped my
sandwich. Sitting next to Ronan I had a perfect view of his
sculpted features. He was truly a perfect male specimen. His
athletic build and ruggedly handsome features coupled with his
boyish charm and incredible eyes were enough to make any girl
breathless.

Forget any bad ginger jokes you may have
heard. They had nothing at all to do with him. His coppery
eyelashes and multicolored locks just made him all the more
appealing. I wondered if there was truth to what Julianna had said
in her room that day. Did he really go back to the dance after the
fight with Ms. Vorax? Just like that? And did he stay there all
night to hook up with her?
Ew.
I didn’t want to picture
that.

Something inside of me was all tied up and
confused just thinking about it. I glanced at him. He continued to
eat and joke with Angela. Unaffected by my turbulent thoughts.

“You know Ronan if you let me photograph you
for NewsFlash I bet you’d have a great shot at being crowned king
of the Christmas carnival.”

“Oh, I don’t know about that. Anyway it’s not
my style, darling.” Angela’s cheeks turned a bright shade of red at
the term of endearment. I’d have to talk to him about that. It
wasn’t fair for him to charm my friends like that.

I didn’t have to wonder for long about Ronan
and my cousin. Sebastian and his buddies came and sat down. The
cheer team followed close behind and took up the rest of our table
and the next one. Sebby sat on the other side of me and bent to
kiss my cheek hello at the same time Julianna poured herself into
Ronan’s lap.

“Hi there!” She kissed him once on the mouth
and got up to sit by her groupies. He didn’t answer her. Nor did he
kiss her back or hold her there, I have to admit. He just looked at
me. His face expressionless.

I turned my back on him and nodded at
everything Sebby said. Ronan cleared his throat, picked up another
hot dog and took a bite. Sebby was going on and on about how great
soccer was. I sat there smiling and pretending to listen. Honestly,
I have no idea what he was saying. It wasn’t fair of me, but all I
could see was that kiss.

During library I restocked shelves quietly
while Angela finished up her article.
I can’t believe him. That
dog! My own cousin!
I slammed book after book back on the shelf
in front of me. It shook and I had to hold it still to keep it from
falling over.
Oops.

“Finished! Bam, take that!” She dramatically
hit the update button and the article was live on NewsFlash.

“Grazi! Stop murdering that bookcase! You’ll
wake sister up!” We both giggled at Sr. Marcia dozing in her chair.
I admit I was being a little rough. I had to stop thinking about my
cousin and Ronan together or I might seriously hurt something.

“Do you want to go with me to Cybersodas
after school? There’s a
Wolf Moon
dress as your alter ego
party at the Factories on Friday and a bunch of us are planning it.
The creator of the game promised to swing by! Should be cool.”

“Sounds great, but I don’t know if I can make
it today. Friday definitely though.”

“Sweet. I already got my costume together, I
can work on yours if you want.”

“Sure.” I was not fashion savvy so any help
on Angela’s end was always appreciated. A party on Friday sounded
cool. I’d never really been to one, a party that is. I had no idea
then that by Friday I would seriously need one.

Cara executed a perfect roundhouse kick and
sent me flying across the sparring room. I landed on my side on the
hard floor. A good foot and a half off of the protective mat.

Thank goodness I was a Werewolf and would
heal, but what the heck! She was actually trying to hurt me. That
much I was sure about. I wiped the sweat from my brow and tightened
my ponytail from my position on the floor. Breathing was a little
difficult right then.

“Too much, Cara.” Uncle Sean scolded from the
sidelines. I picked myself up and noted the bruise forming on my
shoulder where her kick landed. Same arm as the wide bandage. She
was going for my weakness which meant she was tiring too. My tank
top was soaked and I was breathing heavy. I could feel my Wolf’s
agitation as the match continued.

There was no doubt the other Werewolf was a
superior fighter and much more skilled than I was. I had neither
the training nor the experience to give me an edge over her. What I
had was patience. I narrowed my eyes and barely missed a jab. I
needed to last long enough for her to make a mistake.

It happened suddenly. She angled her upper
body and made to punch my bruised arm yet again. But her stance was
just a fraction off. With a well-placed shove I managed to knock
her down flat on her stomach. Before she could scramble up I had my
knee in the space between her shoulder blades and her arms bent
backwards. I pulled with just enough strength to cause her to
wince.

“I give, damn it!” She grunted and I let go.
I sat down hard on the mat and tried to catch my breath.

“Alright, get up you two. Meet me in the
study in ten minutes.”

I walked over to my water bottle and drank
the whole thing.
Mmm. Cucumber and lime water.
It was really
awesome. Dimitri should really consider marketing the stuff.

Cara didn’t look at me as she headed to the
guest bathroom for a shower.
Whatever.
I don’t know why she
hated me and I didn’t care. She was
so
not my favorite
person either.

I headed towards the study with a towel
wrapped around my neck. The smell of something amazing hit me as I
passed the kitchen. I stuck my head in. There was Dimitri, his
blonde hair neatly trimmed and combed back off of his face.

He wasn’t handsome, but he wasn’t ugly
either. He was just so big. It was sort of out of place to see him
with an apron on, putting together a tray of savory looking hors
d’oeuvres.

“Want to try one?” He did not smile. No, he
looked a little anxious actually.

“Sure.” I popped what looked like a mini
grilled cheese in my mouth. Flavor exploded and I realized he had
put a dollop of some kind of spicy fruit chutney inside the mini
melt. It was awesome!

“Oh, wow! That is good.”

“You like it! Have another, go on,
printzyessa
.” I grabbed three more before heading to the
study. Looked to me like this guard Wolf would rather be a chef. No
complaints here as long as I got to taste test for him.

“Hey, he gave you some?” Ronan looked
genuinely hurt as I licked the crumbs from my fingertips.

“Yup.”

“Oh, that’s not right. Won’t even give me a
taste before dinner.”

“That’s because a taste to you means the
whole tray!” Dimitri had followed us into the study and glared
meaningfully at Ronan.

“I’m hurt, Dimi. I really am.”

“You’ll get over it.” I covered my mouth with
my hand, stifling my laughter. His wounded expression was clearly a
put on.

I enjoyed this side of him. He was playful.
Teasing and mischievous.
Like a puppy
. Though I doubted he’d
appreciate the comparison. Dimitri had him in a headlock after he
insulted the last night’s dinner. But it was all in fun. The older
Wolf would not harm him. Just as Ronan would never seriously insult
Dimitri’s cooking. They cared about each other.
This is what
it’s like to be in a pack
.

Cara walked in and the atmosphere changed.
Everyone seemed to find a different place to look.
Dominant
Wolf. Hmm. Maybe I should meet her.
My Wolf spoke clearly to
me. Cara was clearly very dominant, but it would seem I had no
problem looking her in the eye.

She growled. I yawned. I don’t know what kind
of Werewolf I am. Dominant, submissive, or just totally nuts. I
just knew I wasn’t interested in fighting her for status or any
other reason. But I also wasn’t interested in looking away like
some of the other Wolves did.