By the Pale Moonlight (Book One of the Moonlight Series) (26 page)

"Watch where you put your hands," Ty growled
at Ed.

"Same to you, buddy," Ed said, smacking Ty's
crown off of his head.

Mary and I laughed along, exchanging
light-hearted banter and insults. Halfway through the marathon of a
song, we decided to forego tradition and switch partners. Ty spun
me around the floor with a dramatic flourish and all of us were
laughing like loons by time the final note sounded. Melanie and
Matt joined our group; I smiled to see the pair getting along so
well.

"You guys are idiots," David muttered as he
brushed past us with Sarah Holsten on his arm. I tried not to size
her up, but the captain of the cheerleaders is hard to ignore. She
wore a painted on dark blue number that practically dipped all the
way to her belly button. Her silvery hair skimmed her lower back
and she just radiated sex.

Jenna, as it turned out, finally snared her
man. She danced in the background with Mike, the basketball player
she practically stalked into submission.

Ty and David glared at each other, but
thankfully, David left the area before anything bad could go down.
I let out the breath I held.

"Hey, you guys wanna get out of here?" Ed
asked. "This thing seems to be winding down."

Ty raised a brow in question and I nodded.
"Sounds good."

"We're in," Matt said, taking Melanie's
hand.

We all tried to slip out the entrance, but my
mother's voice stopped us. "And where do you two think you're
going?"

Ty and I exchanged a worried glance. We
hadn't done anything, but it was never a good thing to have a
parent show up this way.

She laughed. "I mean Ty and Mary. We need to
get a few pictures for the yearbook. It'll only take a few
minutes."

The others followed my mother, but Ty
hesitated for just a moment, a look of discomfort on his face.
"This stuff is so embarrassing."

I straightened his tie. "Yeah, but you look
very handsome."

And he did. His dark suit accentuated his
broad shoulders in just the right way.

His eyes were troubled, and he shuffled his
feet while giving me sidelong glances.

"Do you need to use the restroom first?"

He laughed nervously. "No."

"What's up then?"

"I'm feeling like a complete tool for doing
something and I don't want you to get upset."

He grasped my elbow and pulled me away from
the crowded exit. With one last glance to make sure no one was
within earshot, he leaned down and spoke softly. "First, let me
just say you can say no and I won't blame you." He waited for me to
agree before continuing. Then he spewed the words out so fast I
could barely understand. "I got us a room, but we don't have to
go—or we can, you know, just to hang out. I don't expect anything,
but I thought—hoped—maybe... Never mind. See, I'm a tool."

God he was cute. "I'd love to go."

"Are you sure?" He looked completely
dumbfounded, a miracle for a guy who had rented a room without
asking beforehand.

"Yes." A thrill of desire spread throughout
my body, followed by a spurt of bravery. "Let's ditch the others.
Go take your pictures."

I bit my lip as he strode away quickly. A man
on a mission, I thought.

Still smiling and off in dreamland, I didn't
hear anyone approach. A rough hand touched my elbow. I jerked back
to reality. Caleb Martin stood beside me, his cool gaze taking in
my entire appearance. Whether or not he appreciated what he saw, I
couldn't tell. His expression didn't change from complete
disinterest.

He was dressed in jeans and a dark jacket.
Not exactly Homecoming-wear.

With a jerk of his head, he motioned for me
to follow him. Not waiting to see if I'd obey, he left the
auditorium, heading toward the classrooms at the opposite end of
the building. My heart pounded, but I hesitated, not really sure I
wanted to follow a guy like Caleb into a dark building.

Standing on tiptoe, I searched the room for
Ty. I spotted him standing with Mary in front of a star-covered
backdrop with a fake stairway leading up to the heavens. The
photographer's flashbulbs were going off in rapid fire. Melanie and
the others stood around the pair, exchanging friendly barbs. No one
would notice if I slipped away.

Before I could have second thoughts, I
hurried after Caleb.

The dimly lit corridor was quiet except for
the clack of my heels across the tile. The music from the dance
occasionally flared as people started exiting to leave for parts
unknown, and every now and then I could hear a burst of laughter. I
didn't know which direction Caleb had gone, and I stopped, afraid
to go any farther. The only thing that lay ahead was empty
classrooms.

"Caleb?" I called.

There was no response and I continued
walking, turning every few steps to sweep the area. The open
doorways of the classrooms scared me, the darkness within
completely impenetrable. Anyone could be hiding inside.

Forget this.

I turned on my heel and started back toward
the gym. Soon I was jogging as fast as my heels and gown would
allow. I rounded a corner, my head doing a fairly good impression
of Linda Blair from The Exorcist, and ran into something solid.

I shrieked and shrank away. Caleb.

"You asshole!" I yelled, not caring who or
what Caleb was capable of. "You scared the shit out of me!" I
punctuated each word with a slap to his chest. He didn't raise his
arms to protect himself, just stepped back out of my reach.

"Jumpy," he said.

I glowered at him, trying to catch my breath.
"What the hell do you want?"

The corner of his mouth quirked up. I half
expected him to light a cigarette. Instead, he watched me in the
near dark, shadows playing across his face.

"Well?" I said. I don't know what it was
about the guy, but I had the urge to stamp my foot like a three
year old. For some reason, he brought that reaction out in me.

"I have it," he said, simple and to the
point.

My next barrage of words died on my lips.

"It wasn't cheap. I expect you to pay."

I nodded, too stunned to say anything more.
He rattled off a price I hadn't anticipated, but it didn't matter.
He'd found a capture gun.

Unable to control it, I smiled. "Thank
you."

It was ridiculous considering I had
blackmailed him into it, but I think my reaction genuinely
surprised him.

"Christ," he said, turning on his heel. "Get
the money, Princess. I want it up front."

He disappeared into the shadows, and I found
I could barely contain myself. When Ty found me a few minutes
later, I was still grinning.

"What is it?" he said, grinning back.

"Nothing," I said. "It's just been a really
good night."

Linking arms, we made our way through the
hall to my locker. Earlier I had stashed my coat there, afraid it
would get lost in the melee. I was smiling as I turned the
combination, smiling when I opened the door.

That smile faltered when I saw what awaited
me inside.

Etched into the metal door of my locker were
two words.

"Five days."

The message behind the words was clear. It
was a warning, a promise, a threat. Five days until the next moon
cycle began, and then, the hunt would begin.

"It's Carrie. I know it." I paced the room,
my gown swooshing with my agitated movements. "The girl is crazy.
She blames me for your breakup."

"Stand still, Mac. You're making me dizzy."
Ty sat hunched in one of the winged-back chairs, his jacket off and
sleeves rolled up. He looked defeated. I reluctantly obliged him by
perching on the edge of the bed.

"Do you believe me now?"

"Maybe."

"Maybe? Ty, she cornered me in the restroom
and warned me away from you. You should've seen her face. I've
never seen anyone so angry...And my hair! If her grabbing my hair
isn't a dead giveaway, I don't know what is!"

"Stop." He balanced his elbows on his knees
and ran his hands across his face. "Please, just let me process
everything for a minute. You saw for yourself—she didn't react to
the dog whistle."

I reluctantly held my tongue. That was the
one sticking point in my theory. I chose to disregard it, just as I
would now. It had to be her.

"Maybe it's like this—no rhyme or reason. You
can't smell stuff, she can't hear it." I shrugged when he shot me
another warning glance.

Why was he refusing to accept the obvious?
Did he still love her? Is that why he didn't want to believe
me?

I chewed on my lip, frustrated. This wasn't
the way the evening was supposed to go.

Never one to spare expense, Ty picked a
romantic spot for what was supposed to be one of the greatest
nights of our lives. Foregoing the usual Holiday Inn or run of the
mill hotel, Ty booked us a room at the Rose Hill Bed &
Breakfast. The old-fashioned house sat on a bluff overlooking
Rosemead Lake. As kids, we'd stolen peeks inside through the etched
windows along the wraparound porch.

The deep mahogany banister of the sweeping
staircase had been a favorite of ours, and the owners graciously
allowed us an occasional ride when there weren't any paying
customers around.

Our room was magnificent. Decorated in
various shades of deep rose—a nod to the Inn's namesake—it
contained a turn of the century bedroom set with a glossy
cherrywood finish. The fine linens covering the bed were of top
quality and I tried to block out the image that scuttled through my
mind: Ty and I together beneath them.

Fresh red roses adorned the small table
beside the bed and their sweet fragrance filled the room. It was
the perfect place to begin the new phase of our relationship. But
it would never happen now.

"I just can't believe it's her." He didn't
look at me. "She's just not capable of something like this."

"Why am I not surprised?" I whispered.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked.

I shrugged, the pain in my chest unbearable.
"Despite everything, you still won't tell me why you went off with
her the other day. And now, by refusing to believe me, you're
basically calling me a liar. Crazy, but I expected more from
you."

"That's not what I said. Come on, Mac. You
have to admit you may have a slight bias when it comes to her."

It was true, but I couldn't believe he
thought I'd somehow let that influence my perception of what
happened. I also couldn't help notice the way he sidestepped the
mention of their secret rendezvous. "She cornered me in the
bathroom and threatened me. I'm not sure how you can deny that
fact."

"I'm not denying it. I'm just saying maybe
you don't know the whole story."

"And why is that?" I shook my head. "This is
pointless. If you don't want to believe me, fine. Obviously, you
two share something I'll never understand. And if you won't let me
in, then I give up." I hurriedly gathered my things. "God, I
must've been out of my mind to think this was a good idea."

"Where are you going?"

"Home."

He stepped in front of the door. "No."

I glared up at him. "Get out of my way."

"Not until we settle this."

"What does it matter? I bet you think I'm
making this all up anyway."

"Don't be stupid."

I jerked out of his reach. "Now I'm stupid.
Lovely."

He growled and threw his hands in the air.
"Jesus! I don't think you're stupid. But if you'd shut-up for a
minute, we could clear the air and get on with our evening."

I laughed bitterly. "You wish. If you think
I'm going to sleep with a guy who still has a thing for his
ex-girlfriend, you've got another thing coming."

He snorted and shook his head. "I take it
back. You are stupid."

I gasped.

"What else would you call a person who hasn't
the first clue when someone's in love with her?"

"W-what?" I sputtered in disbelief.

"I mean you, you idiot. I love you. Though
Lord knows it's a mistake." The corner of his mouth lifted.

"B-but what about Carrie?"

"What about her? Just because I don't think
she's capable of coming after you, doesn't mean I want her back. If
you hadn't noticed, I'm here with
you
. I love
you
."

His words devastated me. If it's possible for
a person's insides to turn to goo, that's exactly what happened to
mine. My belly felt full of warm liquid as he leaned into me, his
eyelids slowly dropping as he honed in on my mouth.

I pushed him away. Caught off guard, he
smacked the door behind him.

"Nuh-uh," I said, shaking my head. "You're
not getting off the hook that easily."

"Damn." There was a smile in his voice.
"Okay, we talked. That's all—I swear. She's having some personal
issues unrelated to me, and she needed my help."

I eyed him suspiciously. "What kind of help?
A way to off your new girlfriend?"

His mouth turned down. "Come on."

"Well?"

"It's private—that's all I'm going to say
about it." He took a deep breath. "Fine. We'll keep an eye on her,
if that will make you happy."

"It will."

"Okay, then." He raised an eyebrow. "Can I
kiss you now?"

"No." I suddenly felt very weary. "But you
can drive me home."

With a dubious expression on his face, Ty
brushed past me and stretched out on the bed. He kicked off his
shoes and they landed with loud thumps against the hardwood floor.
With a flick of his wrist, he loosened his collar and snuggled into
the thick pillows adorning the bed.

I watched from the other side of the room,
not quite knowing what I should do. The thought of walking home
wasn't exactly appealing, and it was clear he had no plans of going
anywhere.

"You can't just refuse to take me," I
said.

"Yes, I can."