Riley's Curse, A Moon's Glow Prequel

By Christina Smith

Copyright
©
2012 Christina
Smith

Published by Christina Smith

Smashwords Edition

Cover art © by
Stephanie Mooney. All rights reserved

For my husband Brad, and my son Josh, the two
men in my life.

This is a prequel in
The Moon's Glow
Series
. See what happens
to Nate before he meets Megan.

If you enjoy this free book, pass it on to
your friends and share your thoughts with a review!

This book is a work of fiction and any
resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or
locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of
the author’s imagination and used fictitiously

The darkness holds many secrets, and in the
forest, many dangers. I used to think of the forest as mysterious,
and at night delightfully spooky. The tall oak and pine trees cast
shadows the shapes of mystical creatures. The weeping willow
emanates the illusion of secrets. What lies beyond its long low
branches and what was it hiding?

The howls and moans from animals hidden in
their burrows and dens, the hoot of the owl and the eerie caw of
the crow. I once loved the forest at night. The romance of the
unknown was exciting.

But now that I know, I yearn to return to the
time when I was blissfully unaware. A time before I became part of
the mystery. I long to go back to a time before that horrific
night…

June, 1894

The necklace was beautiful, I had to admit
that. But would she think it too much? It was her seventeenth
birthday. I had to splurge. The glass was cold against my forehead
as I peered at the jewelry through the window of my father's
general store. I was just passing by, with my friend Henry when it
caught my eye.

"Nathaniel, are you coming?" Henry called,
leaning against the wooden railing of the town's dress shop.

Lucy's birthday was tomorrow, and her family
had invited me for dinner. I had been courting her for the last few
weeks, and had every intention of asking for her hand when I was
more established. I had known her since childhood. Her family lived
in the home closest to ours and we had grown up teasing each other.
It was only last year that I began to see her as more than the girl
next door.

"Nathaniel!" Henry called, taking a few steps
in my direction. I hesitated, unsure if I should purchase the
necklace or go with my friend. He was in a hurry to get to the
carnival. It was in town for a couple of days and he was hoping to
meet a few girls there. I said I would join him when he asked.

"Can you wait a moment, Henry?" I asked,
glancing again at the sparkling jewelry in the velvet box. "I won't
be long. I've found the perfect gift for Lucy."

Henry's lip turned up in an amused grin. He
knew how I felt about my fair haired neighbor. "Is it all right if
I meet you there?" he asked. "You've found your girl. I'm still
looking for mine." His eyes danced with mischief. He was my closest
friend and spoke often of chasing girls.

I folded my arms in front of me. "Oh really?
What about Ava? I thought she claimed you."

"Just keeping my options open." He turned and
started down the street. "Besides, she's already there waiting for
me."

I laughed to myself as I pushed the door open
to our store. An array of smells accosted my senses. Since ours was
a general store, we carried everything from spices, to figurines,
and even garden tools. My father was leaning over the wooden
counter reading a catalogue, and then writing his order on a slip
of parchment. It was how we found most of our merchandise. Twenty
percent was from townspeople that were talented enough to make
interesting items. My father sold them for no extra charge. It was
part of the reason he was so well liked. He looked up from the
pages as I approached him. His smile was warm, matching the slight
glint in his bright blue eyes. He was fair-haired, like my younger
sisters and me. He was wearing brown trousers, white crisp shirt,
and suspenders. "Hello Son," he said, folding the book closed, and
pushing it aside. "I thought you were off to the carnival with
Henry."

I placed my hands on the counter and nodded.
"I was, but I noticed a necklace in the window as we were passing
by. I still haven't found anything for Lucy."

"The dinner is tomorrow evening, is it not?"
He asked, his voice held a hint of reprimand. I nodded again,
feeling foolish for having waited so long, but I just hadn't yet
found the right thing. Now, I believed I had. "Well, we just
received a shipment this morning. Which necklace caught your
eye?"

I pointed past him to the shelf in the
window. "The green stone, with diamonds."

He reached into the window display and pulled
out the item in question, holding it out to me. The diamonds
sparkled brightly. However, it was the stone that had drawn my
attention. "What is it?" I asked, touching the smooth gem.

My father leaned over me, his smell of
pipe tobacco hovered in the air. "
It’s a gem stone called Chrysocolla. The diamonds are all
clear, and the setting is silver." He touched the delicate rope
design that framed the diamonds. The stone sat in the
center.

"It's quite
remarkable. I've never seen anything like it." I lifted my head to
look up at him. "Where did you get it?"

His lips tipped
upward. "From Mrs. Wallace. She says the gem stone is lucky. It
will bring the owner happiness."

I was sold even
before he spoke the words. "I'll take it."

"All right, I'll just
take the amount from your earnings, and box it up. I'll bring it
home with me." He put the velvet lid on the box. "Are you headed to
meet Henry?"

"Yes sir." I stepped
toward the door. "And thank you," I said, just as Mr. Tillman
bustled up to the counter, carrying a rake. My father simply nodded
to me, taking the tool from his customer to ring up his
purchase.

I pushed through the
door into the spring evening, enjoying the soft breeze as it
touched my face. I couldn't wait to give Lucy the necklace.
Anticipating her reaction put a spring in my step as I headed down
the walk toward the fairway.

It wasn't until we were finished dinner the
next evening that I had a chance to be alone with Lucy. We had
spent the evening discussing my future plans, and listening to Mrs.
Stewart list Lucy's accomplishments. She was learning the piano,
and studying a variety of languages. She had finished school this
year, but her mother wanted her to continue with a tutor, instead
of going to college. Of course I knew this, Lucy was just a year
younger than I, and we grew up together.

Finally, after dessert and wine, I excused
myself. Lucy asked her father if she could walk me out.

"Thank you for coming, Nathaniel," she said
softly as we stood on the veranda, a slight blush touched her
cheeks. The June air stirred lightly, the hint of orange blossom
wafted from the girl beside me.

"I was very happy that you invited me to
celebrate with you." I reached into the pocket of my trousers and
pulled out the velvet box. "Happy birthday, Lucy," I said, handing
her the gift.

Her face was filled with surprise and delight
when she took the box from me. "You didn't have to do this,
Nathaniel."

I smiled, enjoying the look of happiness on
her beautiful face. "I wanted to."

She opened the lid and gasped. "Oh,
Nathaniel, it's stunning." Gazing at the necklace, her finger
gently stroked the stone. Finally, she looked up at me, her eyes
shining. "Thank you," she whispered, lifting the necklace out of
it's wrapping to hold it up closer.

"Here, let me help you." As I took the
delicate chain, our fingers touched, her skin was warm and soft.
Brushing her silky locks off her shoulders, I fastened the necklace
and stepped aside. "It looks lovely on you, Lucy." My voice was
low, the image of her wearing my gift, made it difficult to speak.
The moonlight shone, giving her and the necklace an exquisite glow.
Unable to resist, I leaned down to gently brush my lips onto hers.
She tasted of sweet wine. Her only reaction was a soft gasp, before
responding to my touch.

When I pulled away, her face was flushed.

"Thank you for a lovely evening, Lucy."

She bowed her head shyly. "Thank you for
coming, and for the beautiful gift."

I felt light headed as I left her standing on
the porch. It had been our first kiss, and I couldn't wait for the
next.

After her birthday, I saw more of Lucy, at
least once a day. Even though we were both busy, me with the farm,
and her with her private lessons. There was always time to sneak
away for a few moments. A week after the dinner party I met her at
the river that bordered our two properties. "Lucile," I called to
her softly, when I saw her sitting on the bank with her feet in the
water. Her hose and shoes were tossed on the grass beside her.

She jumped at the sound of my voice. "Oh,
Nathaniel, you gave me a fright."

I couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of
her. Her fancy dress was caked with mud at the hem, and her golden
hair had fallen loose from the bun on her head. But despite all of
this, as soon as she looked at me with those bright sapphire eyes,
she took my breath away.

"Why are you grinning? You have seen me with
my feet in the river before."

"Yes, but not in some time. Have you
forgotten that you are supposed to be a lady now?" I took a few
steps closer and sat down on the bank beside her. Since I was
wearing work clothes, having been doing chores on the farm, I was
not worried about getting them dirty.

She waved away my comment. "I am tired of
trying to be perfect all the time. Those new dresses mother has me
wearing are too stuffy." This was the girl I knew, she had been
trying hard to act the lady ever since she came out last year, but
honestly, I preferred her this way. She seemed more approachable.
Although her features were perfection, resembling a porcelain doll,
her manner was altogether different. She could roughhouse as well
as any boy, and liked an adventure as much as I did. She wasn't
this proper lady that Mrs. Stewart wanted her to be, and I was
ecstatic to see that Lucy realized this as well.

I gazed at her face and noticed a smudge of
dirt on her nose. I leaned closer, to wipe it away. Her smile
disappeared and her eyes became hooded. I heard her gasp just as I
bent down to kiss her. It wasn't the first time since her birthday
that we kissed. However, I relished each one. I kissed her longer,
savoring her taste and scent, but when I had the urge to guide her
down onto the grass, I pulled away. I was a gentleman and I had to
remind myself of that. "I must go Lucy."

Her lips pouted at my words. "Must you?" She
asked. Her voice held a hint of the longing I felt.

"Yes, meet me after dinner tomorrow evening,
and we'll go for a stroll along the square."

She brightened, as she sat up straight. "That
sounds lovely, Nathaniel."

I left her then, knowing that if I watched
her dress, I would not be able to leave.

As I walked the short distance to my family's
property, I couldn't help feel excitement, to see her again.

The next evening, the air was warm, despite
the slight chill brought on by the quick disappearance of the sun.
It was dark, with the exception of the occasional flash of a
lightning bug, and the bright glow of the moon. All I could focus
on was the blood that dripped from the wolf’s fangs, her blood.

Finished with the girl, it turned to me. It's
growl was low and terrifying. It stared at me where I stood frozen
with fear. The wolf's fur was reddish brown, and the body was
nearly tall enough to look me in the eye.

Standing up on it's hind legs, it took a step
toward me, and I realized this was no ordinary wolf.

I backed up slowly, afraid to make a sudden
move.

Glancing down at Lucy’s body lying on the
ground beside it, I knew I was next. My only hope was that the end
would come quickly.

The wolf continued in my direction, finally
dropping down on all fours, preparing to chase.