Harvest Moon (20 page)

In the cold and dark of the moonless night, Dawn
worked with Jase to dig a shallow hole in the small bit of earth that made up
her backyard. Though she was hot and sticky with sweat, Jase told her to keep
his coat on, lest the chill freeze the sweat on her skin.

He’d started the hole on his own with a shovel from
the back of his truck while Dawn scrubbed the blood in her house. The shot
through Gavin’s heart had drained most of the blood from his body, and Dawn had
scrubbed with bleach for an hour just to remove the pool his body had left, but
then she had to move on to the walls.

No matter what she scrubbed, how much she swept and
tidied, some of the evidence was going to remain. Jase assured her that they
weren’t working to hide the evidence of what had happened there forever, but
long enough that they would be far out of town before it was discovered.

When she was done, she’d joined Jase in digging. The
grave didn’t need to be deep, but the ground was cold and hard and they had to
move in shifts, each taking turns until finally they had enough of a hole to
hide the bulk of Gavin’s body. The man, the monster, had been so tall and
muscular that they were digging well into the night to hide the evidence.

“How long until they find him?” Dawn asked as she
grabbed Gavin’s heels and Jase took his body by the shoulders.

“If we’re lucky?” Jase asked. “Maybe a few months.
Depends on how many people are looking for him. With no bear or wolf found,
chances are when people
do
notice he’s missing, they’ll be looking in
the woods, not in your house. With the snows coming, it will hide the grave for
a long time, too. Really, the biggest danger is some dog digging him up.”

“But you... we... we’ll be long gone, right?” Dawn
asked.

“That’s up to you,” Jase said as they carried Gavin’s
body, his dead weight almost more than Dawn could handle. As they dropped his
corpse into the hole, she couldn’t hide the strain she’d been holding on to.

“You willing to take me along?” Dawn asked, unsure if
she wanted to know the answer.

“It’s rough on the road,” Jase said, and Dawn braced
herself for the blow of his rejection. “But having someone there beside me will
make it a little easier.”

“You mean it?” Dawn asked, unable to hide her smile.

“A hunter’s life isn’t easy,” Jase said. “And our life
expectancy is low.”

“My life has never been easy,” Dawn said. “At least
not for a long time. Let’s do it.”

“Good,” Jase said as he handed her a shovel. “Now,
let’s get him covered up.”

It was after two in the morning by time they got the
body covered in the loose dirt they’d dug up. Quietly, they marched over the
ground to try to hide the rise in the soil, but still, the arch remained,
making it hard to truly hide what they’d done.

“Shit,” Jase muttered. The rise in the earth wasn’t
much, but it was enough to notice something wasn’t right. The wrong person
looking into the backyard would lead to trouble.

“Look!” Dawn said as she held out her hand.

The snow that had been threatening to fall for weeks
had finally begun. White flakes rained down on them, slowly at first, but
quickly it grew heavier while Dawn let snowflakes land on her cheeks.

“Well, damn,” Jase smiled as he leaned on the handle
of the shovel. “Luck is on our side, for once.”

“I’ll take it,” Dawn said before she caught a flake on
her tongue. “Now, let’s get inside before we freeze.”

Scrubbed and swept, her house looked almost like a war
hadn’t broken out inside. Sure, a lamp was in the garbage and the throw pillows
on the couch had to be turned around to hide the deep slashes in them, but it
was enough to mask what had happened. Even better, it was warm.

“I’m going to have a shower,” Jase said, and he had
good reason to. Dawn was sweaty and tired, but Jase was filthy. None of the
wounds he had suffered were more than superficial, but he was caked in blood,
dirt, and God knows what else.

While he retreated to the bathroom, Dawn moved to her
still-open suitcase. Somehow, it had survived the battle, and everything inside
was unscathed. She took quick stock of what she had packed and then zipped it
closed before she dropped it by the front door where the lock was still busted
and useless. At least the latch still closed.

She listened to the sound of the shower, and a sudden
urge struck her. Just the idea of Jase, naked and wet, sent her body shivering.
She’d missed him so, the taste of him, the way he felt on her skin, and she
needed him.

Without warning him, she stripped off her own clothes
and stepped into the steamy bathroom. Inside, Jase had his back to her while he
showered in the glass stall, but she was certain he’d heard her. He was too
careful, too observant not to.

“I wondered how long you’d be,” he said without
turning around to face her, confirming her suspicions. “Care to join me?”

“Of course,” she said as she stepped into the stall.

It was one of the features that Dawn had really liked
about the place. It didn’t have a bath, but the shower was spacious, and there
was plenty of room for both of them inside. Even with Jase’s muscular body
blocking most of the water, there was enough spray that Dawn’s face was wet and
she shivered against it.

“I missed you,” she said as she leaned her cheek on
his bare back. “I missed you so damn much.”

“I missed you too,” Jase said as he finally turned to
her and used his finger to raise her chin.

“You shaved your beard,” she said with a smile. While
she couldn’t deny she’d liked the scruff the time in the woods had given him,
it was nice to see him clean shaven.

“I figured it was time to clean up,” he said. “I hope
you don’t mind that I used your razor.”

“I was leaving it behind, anyway,” she said. “I, uh,
was going to take off.”

“I know,” Jase told her. “But I’m glad you didn’t.”

“I didn’t know if you were coming back,” she said as
she let him wrap his arms around her naked body. He was warm against her skin,
not hot like Gavin was, but a gentle warmth that made her feel right at home.

“You couldn’t have known,” Jase said. “I would have
understood. And I would have found you.”

She didn’t know how true those words were, but she
didn’t question them. All she wanted then was for him to hold her, to touch
her, to kiss her, and to take her.

He didn’t need her to ask for it. As the water washed
away the night’s horrors, Jase began to kiss down her bare body, his lips
lavishing comfort and reassurance on her. It was the one thing Dawn had wanted
for so long, and she had to work to convince herself that it was real.

Their lovemaking wasn’t rough, animalistic, or
forceful, but rather passionate and slow. Against the wall of the shower, Jase
slid himself into Dawn’s body and took her while he held her tightly. It wasn’t
about pleasure; it was about the closeness they both needed in that moment.

“I hated leaving you alone,” Jase groaned in her ear
as his hips moved in time with her own.

“So never do it again,” Dawn moaned as she reached for
him. “We’ll take care of each other, won’t we?”

“Yes,” he grunted, and Dawn sensed that he was close.
“Yes, always.”

They were promises that she wasn’t sure either of them
could keep, but as they found their releases in each other, she didn’t care. It
was enough for that moment, and that was all Dawn asked for.

***

“You know,” Jase said as he loaded Dawn’s suitcase
into the covered cab of his truck, “I am amazed by what a good shot you are.”

“My dad taught me,” Dawn reminded him as she grabbed
the last of her things and helped put them in the truck. She wasn’t bringing
much, but with Jase’s truck, she at least didn’t have to leave quite so much of
her life behind. “We lived in the city, but he was always a country boy at
heart, I guess.”

“Well, he did a damn good job,” Jase praised him. “You
all set?”

Dawn shook her head. “Not quite. There’s one more
thing I need to do.”

“Don’t be too long,” Jase said. “The sun is coming up,
and I want to be on the road before much longer.”

“Just one second,” she assured him as she ran back
into the house.

From a drawer in the kitchen, Dawn pulled out a sheet
of paper and found a pen. She’d never done it before, and she didn’t know if
she’d do it again, but she began to scribble a letter.

“Jim,

I’m so sorry I have to leave without saying goodbye
to you and Gabe. For six months, you’ve been like a father to me, and I will
never, ever, forget what a truly kind and honorable man you are. Please know I
am okay, but for the time being, I have to leave.

I will miss you so, so much, and I promise I will
write whenever I can. I’m setting out on a new adventure, but you’ll always be
in my heart, and Goosemont will always be home.

Love, Dawn.”

She wasn’t sure when he’d get the letter, or even if,
but she folded it and scrawled his name across the paper before she left it on
the kitchen table. The rational side of her realized that leaving the letter
was risky and ill-advised, but her heart wouldn’t allow her not to do it.
Everything, no matter how brief, in the letter had been the truth, and she
couldn’t just leave without giving him something.

“He’ll see it,” Jase said as he lightly stroked her
back. “I wouldn’t put it past the old guy to come snooping around.”

“I hope so,” Dawn said as she smiled. “He’s a good
man.”

“One of the best, I’m sure,” Jase agreed. “Take your
time. The road can wait, if you need.”

Dawn shook her head. “It’s okay. Let’s go.”

Like a true gentleman, Jase offered a Dawn a hand as
he helped her into the passenger seat of his truck. It was nicer than she’d
imagined from the exterior, with a polished CB radio under the dashboard and an
updated stereo where an eight-track player used to live.

“You ready to go?” Jase asked her as he inserted the
key and the truck roared to life.

“More than ready,” Dawn said. “I don’t know if there
is anything left here, not for me, at least. Where are we going?”

“Louisiana,” Jase said. “Message said a family down
south needs help with a bit of a ghost problem. Figured it would be good for
your first job. You ready to start training as a hunter, Jennifer?”

The sound of the name her mother had given her felt
foreign in her ears. Dawn gave her head a shake and stopped him there.

“No,” she said. “Jennifer died a long, long time ago.
I’m Dawn, through and through.”

“Okay, Dawn,” Jase said, grinning as he put the truck
in drive. “You ready to start your training as a hunter?”

“Yes,” she told him as they began to drive through
town. “Yes, I am.”

Ahead of them, the snow had finally begun to slow as
the sun peeked over the mountains. A fresh day had begun, and with it, a new
life. A hunter’s life might be hard, and might very well be short, but it seemed
like the life Dawn had been waiting for.

Coming early 2015

Coven’s Calling

Book Two in the Night Hunters Series

First and foremost, I want to thank everyone who’s
read this book, or any of my other releases.
Harvest Moon
was a labor of
love that never would have been possible if not for the generous encouragement
and feedback I’ve received from my readers and fellow authors.

Of course, I want to thank the fine people at Wyrmwood
Publishing & Editing for all their help turning my first draft into the
finished work it has become. With a gentle but firm hand, they’ve guided me to
my first complete novel.

As always, I want to thank my family for their love
and support. None of this would have been possible without you!

Helena Shaw resides in a small town in western
Ontario. When she is not writing, she is taking care of her two boys and her
husband.

You can get in touch with Helena through
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account, or by
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www.helenashaw.com