Crimson Moon (14 page)

We fished together as the sun rose and the atmosphere turned humid. The air was different here, heavier and more stifling, generating the illusion that it was hotter outside than it actually was.

I heard a noise in the distance and Billy reeled in his line, standing. “That'll be the boys, best help them unload."

He waited patiently as I did the same. I followed him to the barn, handing over my pole which he sat carefully on a small ledge on the inside of the door. We walked to the porch together.

A flash of silver in the distance had me smiling. I watched anxiously as they approached, hoping the small but nonetheless meandering plan I'd set into motion paid off.

Caleb's face was visible first; he was smiling and laughing. Derek was beside him; his face a mask of agitation.

The suburban pulled to a stop near the stairs, and Caleb's laughter spilled out as he opened the door. He came around the back, thrusting open the doors and gathering bags under his arms. Billy gathered some of his own and carried them inside.

"I should kiss you right now,” Caleb said, grinning as he passed. I kept my attention on Derek, waiting for him as he climbed up the stairs and onto the porch. He glowered at me the entire way.

"You owe me,” he vented, thrusting a plastic bag into my hands.

"Did you get everything?” I asked, smiling innocently.

I dipped into the bag and shifted the boxes and containers around with my hand. I frowned, digging around at the bottom.

"No fucking way!” He stomped past, hurrying for the cabin. “Caleb can go back if something isn't there."

"Derek,” I said, and he stopped, pivoting on his heel and narrowing his eyes. I reached into the bag, sifting through the vast array of feminine products and make-up, pulling out the box of maxi pads. The fruits of my labor manifest. “It's okay, I don't even need them."

I thought he was going to explode; his face turned a bright lobster red.

"You're fucking evil, Emma."

He stomped inside and I finally let my laughter escape. I grabbed my sides, laughing so hard the bruises on my ribcage hurt. I heard Caleb's chuckles before his hand brushed my shoulder.

"You should have seen him. He told me I had to do it when he saw your list."

"How did you manage to change his mind,” I asked, continuing to laugh.

Never doubt a man's fear of feminine products.

"I told him I never thought I'd live to see the day he'd admit to being a chicken shit.” He chuckled, leaning over to add, “But that's not the best part."

"No?” Just knowing there was more made things so much sweeter.

"Cassi Dean was working today. I think having a girl check him out made everything worse."

"I hope you're enjoying your little joke there.” Derek stomped past to get the last of the bags.

Caleb stifled his laughter but I didn't, smiling broadly as Derek returned to us. He leaned in, remarkably close without touching.

"It's
ON
. Just you wait.” He glared at Caleb. “That goes for you too, hombre.” He stopped frowning as if ideas had suddenly come to him and walked back inside, whistling as he went.

"Oh no,” I groaned. My victory much more hollow thinking about what Derek was scheming. I winced, it would be good too. He would never let this one go.

"Well.” Caleb chuckled. “You can't say you didn't see it coming."

Billy was in the kitchen, sorting out groceries and putting them into the refrigerator. He glanced at us and shook his head. I was fairly certain he'd overheard everything. I wondered how exasperating it was for him, being surrounded by impulsive people who enjoyed riling one another.

"Come upstairs, you can see what I managed to find."

Caleb encouraged me to run up the stairs; obviously excited by the things he had waiting. I kept my eyes trained on each slat, mindful of each step. I stopped in the doorway, mouth agape and eyes wide.

The bed was littered with bags.

"You're lucky we have an outlet here. Otherwise, it would have been Marshall's general supply store. Then you would have been stuck with the boots and overalls."

I never had this many new things at once. I didn't enjoy shopping and I wasn't a frilly or high maintenance kind of girl. I approached the bags cautiously, opening them one at a time.

Inside were jeans—mostly Levi's—a few shorts, a mixture of shirts, some cotton polo's and other more girly sweaters. When I saw the lacy bras and underwear, I turned beet red. Writing down the sizes was mortifying enough.

"Please tell me you did not buy the lingerie.” I closed my eyes in mortification.

"I was not about to let Derek do that,” he growled, eyes flashing when I opened my eyes and met his gaze. I didn't know what to say, fumbling around the bags, trying to look busy. He shook his head, laughing quietly at my reaction.

"Don't laugh at me,” I snapped self-consciously.

Now he would know what I had under those clothes he bought, and I did have some sense of modesty intact.

He grimaced and said, “I'm not laughing at you. I'm laughing because you're reacting the same way Derek did when he read your list."

I winced, slamming my eyes closed. “Point taken."

"What about everything else? See no cowboy boots.” He waited for my approval.

"It's all great.” I smiled at him and our eyes met.

My smile faded, shyness taking over yet again. Being around Caleb was a mixture of intoxication, intense awareness of both of us, and a little bit of nervous tension. When everything clashed together, I scrambled for words, my thoughts turning to mush. I couldn't concentrate, couldn't think rationally, and I reverted to that self-conscious girl I worked so hard to keep hidden.

He came around the side of the bed, his hand gently turning me until we stood facing.

My eyes lifted slowly, trailing along his shirt and up his shoulders, past his chin and lips, until our eyes came together. His face was astounding, there was no doubt of that, but it was what I could see inside those pools of liquid blue I couldn't resist. He could communicate entire sentences with his eyes—telling me if he was happy or sad, angry or calm.

He advanced slowly, leaning down, our eyes closing at the last possible moment before our lips touched softly. I felt his left hand come up, fingers nestling in my hair. The right pulled my hip forward.

I placed my hands on his arms tentatively. He was solid, keeping me grounded as the world shifted and floated away. This time, I knew where the delectable woodsy smell came from. The awareness that it was all for me, that I brought forth these emotions where no one else had, was exhilarating and slightly frightening.

I kept my eyes shut as his lips left mine, cracking them little by little, until I could see his face. He waited for my reaction, grinning as my lips curved into a happy smile. He pulled me into his chest and I nestled in, listening to the steady sound of his heart beating rhythmically against my ear.

A sudden and unexpected pain pierced my chest.

I still didn't know where I was going or when I would meet my Father. Would that change anything between us?

"Caleb?” I whispered his name softly.

"Emma?” He reached around, tracing the indention of my spine with his fingers.

"When the time comes to meet my Father—” I was afraid to say the rest and didn't know how to pose the question so I blurted, “—will you have to leave?"

Time seemed to stop after I spoke. He didn't answer me right away, continuing to strum his fingers along my back lightly, swaying our bodies from side to side.

"I will never leave you, Emma.” His voice deepened with emotion, the tone unmistakable.

He meant every word.

"Good,” I exhaled in relief.

I snuggled closer, removing my hands from his arms and clinging to his waist, leaning wholly into his comforting frame. As insane as it might be, I didn't want to imagine tomorrow without Caleb.

I was entirely certain it would break my heart.

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Caleb did an exceptional job choosing the clothing, everything fit perfectly—including the underwear.

I selected a soft pink polo to wear, along with a new a pair of jeans. It felt incredible sliding into clothes that were made for my body instead of something ten times larger than me.

Caleb and Derek purchased movies in town. They wanted to grill steaks and burgers, shoot some pool, and watch a movie later in the evening. I didn't argue. It was nice to feel things were returning to normal—whatever a person considers normal, anyway.

At lunch I made the unsightly mistake of offering everyone sandwiches. Unfortunately, I was unaware of just how much werewolves eat. I made at least a dozen, in various assortments of chicken, ham, and turkey. Which were gone within minutes.

It explained the twenty or so containers of various sandwich meats and cheeses placed in the bottom drawer of the refrigerator.

I finally managed to wrap up cleaning the mess in the kitchen and took a seat in the living room. Derek idled over, plopping down beside me. Caleb wanted to remove a few things from the barn, and Billy had taken the phone outside to call his family, which left us alone together.

I held my breath. I didn't know when it was coming, but Derek had something in store. It was like walking on eggshells, waiting for the inevitable.

"That was pretty good earlier,” he mused aloud, “I hope you take as good as you give."

He didn't say anything else, turning on the television.

Sick bastard—he was giving me time to think over his words and let them sink in. Maybe the maxi pads and tampons weren't the best idea.

"Why do you keep the sound so low?” I asked curiously. I couldn't detect anything coming from the speakers.

"The frequency on some of the channels hurts like a bitch.” He sat forward and grabbed the remote, increasing the volume bit by bit, tilting his head to the side and increasing the sound so I could hear. “We can tolerate it, but if the noise gets too loud, it makes our ear drums bleed."

"Bummer,” I offered my sympathy.

He nodded, reclining back again, watching another horror movie of some kind. The front door opened and I heard footsteps pounding up the stairs, followed by a heavy thud. The footsteps came back down and the front door closed.

"I put the stuff in your room.” Caleb strode to the other side of the couch and sat beside me.

"Where's Billy?” Derek turned his head to look at us.

"He's still on the phone.” Caleb didn't elaborate, leaning back, keeping his body close.

We decided to watch the first movie, yet another horror flick. I was relieved that the sound was down because it allowed me to avoid the loud screams and wails accompanying the gore and carnage. Of course, Caleb and Derek loved it, arguing over about what looked real and what didn't, which made me shudder since they would actually know.

The movie ended and I excused myself, stepping into the restroom. I pulled my hair into a ponytail, glancing at my reflection in the mirror. Soft pink sunburn graced my nose and cheeks, but I looked decent enough. I finished, walking back into the living room and following Caleb's and Derek's combined voices. They were in the pool room, boasting about who was going to clobber the other.

"Straight eight or nine,” Derek taunted, racking the balls into an oak triangle.

"Straight eight, of course.” Caleb walked to the rack, choosing a dark cue with a jade and ivory inlay.

"Okay, man. Remember, you asked for it."

Derek arranged the balls tightly, pulling the frame against his hands, pressing up and then away.

Billy stepped through the front door. His normally relaxed face was tight, his warm eyes narrowed and eyebrows crushed together. He alternated between checking the phone and glancing at the table, waiting until the last ball sank before striding over.

"'Fraid I got some bad news.” Caleb and Derek lifted their faces, concern taking the place of smiles. “Marissa called. Marcus ain't doing so good. I'm gonna’ have to cut this one short. I tried to get in touch with Haven, but couldn't. I figure he must be out and about. And Sam said they couldn't divert no one this way for at least a few days. So, I called the only person I knew you'd trust out here."

Billy glanced at Derek.

"Oh no, Billy,” Derek pleaded, “Please tell me you didn't call her."

"I'm sorry, son. I didn't have much choice, and it's time you two worked out those issues anyway."

Derek cursed under his breath, staring at the floor. “When will she be here?"

"She's on the way now. I need to get my things together. I'm gonna’ need to take the truck."

"No problem, Billy,” Caleb said. “The keys are in the kitchen on the counter."

Caleb watched as he passed, frowning slightly.

"Damn it.” Derek rubbed his head over and over. “You take my spot I need to get a shower.” He shoved his cue at me and rushed up the stairs.

I peered at Caleb. “I'm guessing here, but did Billy call Sarah?"

Caleb hadn't moved since he'd told Billy where to find the keys. He broke out of the trance as my voice registered.

"Yes, something I don't want to think about really.” He looked up, listening for the shower, waiting for the sound of rushing water through pipes.

"Do they fight that badly?” I didn't want to get in the middle of a spat, especially when the couple could literally rip one another apart.

"No,” he sighed, shaking his head and taking a deep breath. “It's sad, actually. They were both torn up over it. They still are."

"Oh,” I whispered.

"It's going to be fine. Sarah is wonderful.” He took the stick from my hand, laying it with his across the table so he could pull me close. “And she will love you."

I blushed, unable to hide the smile that emerged so readily when he was around. “I hope so."

I heard a bump upstairs and remembered Billy; Billy and his son. “Poor Billy, I hope everything is okay at home."

"Marcus will be fine,” Caleb reassured me. “It's just not easy in the beginning."

"Can you tell me about it?” I worried he might not. Caleb didn't seem to enjoy discussing that part of his life.