Black Moon (The Moonlight Trilogy) (16 page)

Chapter 17

Waxing Crescent

June—Present Day

“A
ny more news from England about those poor monks?” Solace sat in her favorite rocking chair in the
Early Life of Twelve Acres
room, a book opened on her lap. Willa moved through the room, dusting the display cases.

“Nope. Nothing,” Willa answered.

“So, that
’
s it then? No one has any idea who did it, and now two new moons have passed without any more quakes?”

“Yeah, that
’
s right.” Willa swished the feather duster over a collection of chipped china and avoided Solace
’
s waiting stare.

The ghost snapped her book shut. “Willa! Tell me what
’
s going on! Is it over? Did the Dark witches just
give up?
”

Willa dropped her arm. “
I don’
t know, Solace!
We
don
’
t know. The whole thing is just . . .” Willa stabbed the duster at the front of a glass case, her frustration bubbling to the surface.

“Just what?” Solace prompted.

“Just insane,” Willa snapped, throwing the duster onto a nearby table.

“Well, you don
’
t have to yell at me about it!” Solace fumed, her face flickering.

Willa dropped into one of the chairs around an antique wooden kitchen table. “I
’
m sorry. I
’
m not yelling at you.” She jabbed her elbows down on the table and then buried her face in her hands. “Ugh. I think my head is going to explode.”

Solace moved to the chair opposite. “Why? What
’
s wrong with you today?”

Shaking her head, face still shielded with her hands, Willa muttered, “A million things.”

“
Well, let
’
s hear the list then.”

Willa dropped her hands to look at her friend, Solace’s face opaque in the dimly lit room. Willa exhaled a long breath. “It
’
s not just this weird nebulous Dark threat looming over us. Ever since the buried-alive challenge, things have been . . . strained. Simon agreed to try training with Rowan, and it seems to be going well, but I can
’
t shake the feeling that the tiniest thing might drive him off, for good this time.”

“I highly doubt he
’
d actually do it. He
’
s just trying to deal with the bizarre hand he
’
s been dealt.”

“I know. But he still hasn
’
t opened up about the cave. It
’
s been eight months, Solace.
Eight months!
I
’
ve read so many grimoires; I think I might now know as much about magic as the others in the Covenant, but I still don
’
t have any answers for Simon. There
doesn
’
t
seem
to be
any
information on how he could have multiple gifts and be as powerful as he is. Maybe it
’
s hopeless. Maybe we
’
ll never know.” Willa pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes. When Solace didn
’
t say anything, she let the floodgate of her stress open. “And then there
’
s the thing about me moving out. It was supposed to be right after the semester ended. Well, that was a week ago, and my mom keeps finding reasons to stall me. She also keeps asking me if I
’
ve talked to Simon about getting married, which I haven
’
t—there is way too much going on to think about that. And now
I don’
t know if moving in with the Covenant is still a good idea. I don
’
t think Simon wants to. He
’
s too used to living alone.” She inhaled and went on. “And the Elemental Challenge is coming up soon. And I didn
’
t do
well on any of my finals. And . . . then . . .” Willa brought her thumb to her mouth and chewed on the already ragged nail.

“What?” Solace asked leaning forward, eyes wide with anticipation.

Shaking her head, Willa looked at Solace. “
I still can
’
t believe it really happened.”

“What happened?!” Solace nearly lifted out of her seat.

“Simon
’
s mom came to see me.” A cold chill moved down Willa
’
s neck at the memory.

“
WHAT?!”
Solace jerked back, blinking several times. “When?”

“A week and a half ago, just before school ended.”

“A week?! Why didn
’
t you tell me sooner? What did she say?” Her eyes grew even wider. “What did Simon say when you told him?” Solace scooted to the edge of her chair.

Willa hung her head
.

“Sun and moon!” Solace gasped. “You didn
’
t tell him?”

Willa shook her head. “I couldn
’
t.” She exhaled, the weight of the secret pressing on her. “I wanted to, but . . . he was so stressed out with finals, and his nightmares have come back and everything else. I
’
ve almost told him several times, but it just won
’
t come out.” She dropped her face into her hands and mumbled, “
I feel terrible. I
’
m a terrible person.”

“But what did she want? What did she
say?”

Willa dropped her hands. “Solace, it was
so
bizarre. I mean, one of the weirdest moments of my life. She walked up to me on campus—”

“Willa!” Simon
’
s voice echoed from the hall, startling them both, cutting off the story.

Solace jumped up from her seat. “No!” she whispered. “I can
’
t sit here waiting to hear the rest of that story!”

Willa moved next to her. “
I promise I’
ll tell you as soon as I can.” Solace looked up at her with pleading eyes. “Sorry! Bad timing.”

“The worst,” Solace mumbled as Simon walked into the room. She scowled at him.

When he saw Willa his eyes lit up, and she couldn
’
t help but smile back. He wore a white V-neck T-shirt, khaki shorts and flip flops, effortlessly sexy. “Hey!” he called out as he hurried over.

“Hey!” Willa said, slightly nervous considering what he
’
d nearly walked in on.

“
Hello, Solace,
” he said looking around. “If you
’
re here.”

Solace
’
s scowl deepened. Willa said, “She says hi.”

“I certainly do not!” Solace stamped a translucent foot and vanished.

“Ready to go?” Simon pulled Willa into a hug and kissed her forehead.

“Of course, yeah. Let
’
s go.” Willa moved away from him to walk back to the office to get her bag but then stopped a few steps away. She turned back and opened her mouth. “Simon?”

“Yeah?” His smile fell, and he stepped forward. “You okay?”

“Of course, yes.” Willa looked down at her wedge sandals and then back up, her heart pounding. “I just wanted to say . . .”
Do it! Tell him!

He put a hand on her shoulder. “What is it?”

“I
’
m just frustrated with my parents—that
’
s all. Solace and I were talking about it.” It wasn
’
t a complete lie.

Simon lowered his eyebrows but offered a smile. “I know. I
’
m sure they
’
ll come around soon.” He moved his hand to her neck and stroked the skin with his thumb. “You sure that
’
s all you wanted to say?”

Willa smiled.
Coward!
Pushing down her emotions into a place she hoped he couldn
’
t sense, she said, “Yeah. Let me go grab my purse.” Then she turned and walked away, stomach knotting with guilt.
Why don
’
t I just tell him?
As she approached the office, she had a terrible thought.
Am I keeping this from him because he
’
s keeping something from me?

She picked up her purse and looked around the small office. The clock on the wall ticked loudly. She stepped back into the hall, her stomach aching now, leaving the spiteful question unanswered.

Simon watched Willa closely as
they drove out of town toward Denver for a night in the city. Tension and worry leaked from her every pore, but he couldn
’
t get at the cause, with either his gift or his questions. The problem with her parents was bad, but not as bad as what he felt from her. Maybe
lingering finals frustration
? He felt guilty about that—it was his fault she
’
d spent so much time researching magic instead of studying. She wanted to help him, but he wished she
’
d just stop. It wasn
’
t doing either of them any good. But how could he say that to her?

He
’
d begun the training with Rowan, which felt too much like therapy, but Simon didn
’
t complain. He had to give it his best effort, for Willa
’
s sake and his own. Maybe all of Rowan
’
s emotional training actually
would
help; he had to stop being so skeptical about everything.

But his nightmares about the cave had recently come back, worse than before. It was hard not to attribute that to the training.

Simon flicked on the blinker and changed lanes. Willa stared out her window, body turned away from him. He suddenly wanted to pull the car off the road, gather her into his arms, and make everything better with a kiss.

If I just talk to her, open up, get this pain out, maybe everything would be better. I could fix it all if I just talked to her.

He opened his mouth. Shut it tight.

I am so broken. Why does she even stay with me?

He looked at the side of her face, her skin now tan, soaking up the summer sun, glowing like fresh caramel. Her dark hair fell over her back and shoulders like a shawl for her white halter top sun dress. Sensing his gaze, she turned and offered a small smile. The space behind his heart warmed.

He reached across and took her hand firmly in his. Maybe moving in with the Covenant wouldn
’
t be so bad. Maybe giving up his independence to lie next to Willa each night would be completely worth it. Maybe it would help bring them back together and close the gap he
’
d driven between them.

“So, what do you think?” he said casually. “Indian, Italian, or Thai?”

Her smile grew. “I
’
m thinking a big greasy hamburger and fries.”

He laughed. “I know just the place.” He squeezed her hand. “And I say we forget about everything for tonight and just be two college kids on summer break. Okay?”

“Okay.” She shifted closer to him, leaning over the center console. “Good idea. No magic, no parents, no challenges, no impending doom from a Dark threat.”

“Exactly. Let
’
s just be normal for one night. Eat greasy food and maybe some ice cream. Sit in a park, make out on the swings.” He lifted an eyebrow at her. She laughed, and the sound was medicine for his soul.

Chapter 18

Waxing Gibbous

July—Present Day

W
illa and Simon lay happily tangled in each other
’
s arms on a soft flannel blanket under the canopy of the night sky and the spotlight of the nearly full moon. From the vantage point on top of the cliff, looking up, it felt like the chiffon sky might swallow them whole.

Willa closed her eyes as the cool mountain summer air trickled over her face. Below the cliff resided a sparkling clear lake, a jewel in the moonlight. Giant evergreens surrounded the lake, like favorite friends around a dinner table. Beyond the
evergreens
, a dense carpet of aspen trees spread out for miles. Even high above them, Willa could hear the rippling quake of the leaves as the breeze weaved through the aspens.

Simon had never brought her here before. When they
’
d rounded the last switchback and walked to the cliff
’
s edge, her breath had caught in her chest at the beautiful view. “How did you know about this place?” she asked.

With a satisfied smile, he said, “I stumbled upon the lake on one of my solo hikes. Figured there had to be a hike to this cliff. Took me a while to find it, though.”

“It
’
s amazing!
” Willa shook her head, kept her eyes wide to drink in the sight. “I can
’
t believe I
’
ve lived near this all my life and never seen it.” She turned to him, stepped close and held onto his arm, resting her head on his bicep. “Thank you for bringing me here.”

Simon pulled her into a hug. “My pleasure. It
’
s the perfect moonlight hike. Everything looks so different at night. Like it
’
s not real, but a painting or a . . . dream.”

He stiffened slightly at the word, and Willa lifted her head to look at the side of his face. A muscle in his jaw twitched. She opened her mouth to say something about his nightmares, but he pulled away, dropped his pack to the ground.

All tension vanished from his face, he smiled and said, “I brought some snacks. Help me spread out the blanket.”

Now, nearly an hour later, the moon higher in the sky, Willa fought the urge to drift off to sleep. It was late, her body tired from the long hike, and she was warm tucked next to Simon. Her eyelids closed as she slipped under.

“One year,” Simon whispered, pulling her back to the surface.

“What?” she whispered back.

“We
’
ve been together for over a year now.”

Willa opened her eyes. “The best and craziest year of my life.” She smiled. It was hard to imagine that everything they
’
d been through had all happened in just one year. Looking back, her life before Simon and the covens
seem
ed unreal, like an imagined past or something she
’
d read in a book. “Do you ever think about what we
’
d be doing if we hadn
’
t ever met or if we hadn
’
t found Wynter in the basement?”

Simon’s face grew serious. “Sometimes. I don
’
t ever like to think about my life without you,” he hugged her closer, “but I think about how things would be without the Covenant. Kind of hard not to, when everything is so crazy and . . . new. You know?”

“Yeah. I wonder how long it will take for it not to feel that way, for it just to be normal. I wonder when the questions will stop.”

“
What questions?
” he asked, adjusting his head to look at her.

“All the whys and whats and hows.” She met his gaze. “Does that make sense?”

He nodded. “Too much sense.”
He sighed.

She turned her head to the moon
’
s white face. “At least we have these escapes to the mountains, right? Just us. No questions, no problems.”
She sighed.
“It
’
s a beautiful night.”

“Yes, it is.” Simon touched her face. “I love you, Willa. You know that, right?”

She lifted onto her elbow to look down at him, at the dark pools of his eyes and the fleeting worry there. “Of course, I do. I love you, too.”

He put his hand behind her neck and held her eyes. “
I
don’
t want you to ever doubt that. I know things have been a little . . . weird lately, and I know it
’s my fault,
” she started to shake her head, but he kept going, “but you and me . . .” His words dropped off.

“I know,” Willa said. She pressed a hand to his chest, lowered her lips to his. The meaning of his words, said and unsaid, were a flush of fresh water through her murky mind. At that moment, all was right.

The rustle of wings brought them out of the kiss. A large great horned owl landed on a rock only a few feet away. Regally, he tucked his wings back and blinked at the couple.

“Does he look hurt?” Willa asked. “Is he here for you to heal him?”

Animals still came to Simon on a regular basis. On the hike up, he
’
d healed a squirrel with a lame forepaw and a blue jay with a bleeding wing. Willa had seen him do it so many times now, but, still, each time the miracle of it warmed her heart in rarely felt places.

Simon lifted onto his elbows to study the owl. “
No, I don’
t think so.”

Willa smiled.
“Should we go? It
’
s getting pretty late, and don
’
t you have the breakfast shift tomorrow?”

“Let
’
s stay a little longer. I
’
ll take a nap after my shift.” He smiled and lay back down, opening his arm for her to slip down beside him.

She reached for her pack and pulled out her phone. “I better text my mom. Let her know I
’
ll be later than I said.” She typed,
Still on our hike. Be back late.
The reply came immediately.
Be safe!
Willa frowned at it.

“What
’
s wrong?” Simon asked.

“I
’
m just sick of doing this,” she lifted her phone. “It
’
s worse than high school lately—having to check in all the time to avoid a fight.” She put the phone away and snuggled next to him.

“
Well, it
’
s not much longer. Unless you give into them again.”

“No way. This is getting ridiculous.
Next week
, as we agreed last night—I
’
m out
, no matter what. I
’
ve been patient long enough.” She watched a sliver of cloud move across the moon and then added “I just hope I can make a clean break. I feel like they think I
’
m a two-year-old playing in the knife drawer, that every decision I make is going to get me hurt.”

“
I promise it
’
s better than having them not care.”

She nodded against his shoulder. “I know. I just . . . I
’
m ready to move forward, not go backward. I should have been out on my own by now, living as an adult. With you.”
Willa paused
and then, before she lost her nerve, blurted out, “My mom thinks we should get married.”

Simon shifted, and she sensed a hesitation or perhaps some shock. After a long pause, he said, “And what do you think?”

Willa sighed,
“I
’
m not sure. My great-grandma Mabel told her that ‘Marriage between soul mates is a perfect magical circle.
’
And last week, I stumbled across the witch wedding ceremony in one of those grimoires Wynter got from her friend back east.” She rubbed her hand back and forth over his chest. “It
’
s beautiful. Simple and perfect. It
’
s called
a Handfasting
.” She wanted to look at him, see his eyes, but was nervous about what she might find.

Simon put his hand on top of hers. His heart beat faster under her ear. “Willa, I . . .” The owl let out a high pitched, mournful hoot, cutting off Simon
’
s words
. They lifted their heads. The bird spread its wings and started to pace back and forth on the rock, continuing to hoot. Willa sat up. “What
’
s he doing?”

“
I don’
t know,” Simon said as he sat up next to her. “It looks like something has spooked him.”

The owl watched them, round golden eyes as bright and piercing as the moon. A chill lifted the hairs on Willa
’
s neck and arms. She scanned the dark landscape around them, searching for the source of the bird
’
s anxiety. Suddenly, the air was saturated with a heavy cold, so heavy it seemed to press down on her. Then her necklace flared hot. “Simon!”

He gripped her arm and leaned forward, senses tuned outward. “Mine, too,” he said in a hushed whisper. “
I don’
t feel anyone, but there is
something.
”

“What is it?” Together they moved to their feet. Willa braced, mind frantically going through all her training on how to defend against a Dark threat.
No, no. Please not here, not now.
The large bird continued to pace
and hoot
. Willa watched its eyes, trying to follow the gaze, but it seemed to only look at them.

The cold continued to press on her skin, and a pulse of instinct made her turn. Behind Simon, curled near his shoulder, flashed a thin string of pearly white light. With a panicked yelp, she reached out, grabbed his arm, and pulled him toward her. He stumbled, reaching out to grip her shoulders.

“What?!” he said.

“There was something . . .” Breathing hard, she looked around him, but found nothing. She spun, trying to find the ribbon of light she was sure she
’
d seen. Pawing at his shirt as if batting away a swarm of bees, she circled him once.

Simon grabbed her arms. “Willa? What is it?”

She blinked, focused on his face. “A light. I thought I saw a light behind you, but . . .” Her eyes moved around the cliff and over the trees. The only light was the moonlight, filtering down through a few wispy clouds.
Was it a trick of the moonlight?

Simon abruptly cried out, jerking away from Willa. He stumbled back a few steps and then fell to his knees, gripping his head. “Simon!”
Willa screamed.

A strange, painfully cold pressure
sliced down through the top of Simon
’
s skull, like a deadly icicle pushed into his head. Willa dropped next to him, her hands fluttering frantically from his arms to his chest.

“Simon?” she cried again.

He wobbled on his knees as the pain flared. Collapsing to the ground, he wanted to claw into his brain and stop whatever
was happening.
Is someone breaking into my mind, like Archard did to Willa?

Then it pulled away, so fast it left him gasping for air.

He sucked in a strangled gulp of air and flopped onto his back, his head throbbing madly. Willa leaned over him, her face pale, frightened. “Simon? Are you okay?”

He swallowed and took a few more breaths. His heart pummeled his ribs. “I . . . I think so.”

“What happened?” She pushed the hair back from his forehead, her warm hands a sweet relief from the cold pain. “Oh, you
’
re so cold. Your skin is like ice.”

“There was this awful pain in my head.” He put a hand on his chest, willing his heart to slow.

“Like someone breaking into your mind?” Her eyes widened. “Did you see anything? Any images? I thought your mind-lock was supposed to stop that sort of thing.”

He started to shake his head, but the movement was jarring. “It is. It does.” He exhaled and tried to think. “I didn
’
t sense anyone trying to push in or see anything. Just a cold pain. Holy moon, what was it?”

Willa bit her bottom lip, stroked his forehead again. “
I don’
t know, but I think we better get out of here fast. Can you stand?”

He closed his eyes and took another long breath. “Give me a minute. I can feel my healing powers working.” He took her hand, held it against his chest, and closed his eyes. “
Just give me a minute.
” The heat of his unique magic swirled in his blood, quickly pulling away all remnants of the pain. He sat up.

“Better?” Willa asked, leaning over him, eyes still scanning up and down his body.

“Yeah, I think so.” She stood and held out a hand. He took her small hand and dragged himself up to his feet. The pain was gone, but he still didn
’
t feel right. He nodded, “I
’
m okay. Let
’s get our stuff.
”

Willa turned, took a step toward the blanket and their packs but stopped short. On the ground at her feet, yellow eyes wide and accusing, lay the owl.

Wings spread out to the side.

Dead.

Willa
’
s scream sent a shivering ripple over the lake below.