Riley's Secret (A Moon's Glow Novel # 1) (38 page)
Read Riley's Secret (A Moon's Glow Novel # 1) Online
Authors: Christina Smith
We were in deep conversation and didn’t notice that we
were losing light until the sun had already gone down.
“Holy crap, it’s dark,” I whispered. In the complete
darkness it seemed wrong to speak out loud. The limbs of the willow trees kept
the moonlight out. I couldn’t see Nate, who sat only inches beside me. I heard
what I guessed was the lid of the cooler snapping open, a click and then
suddenly the boat was filled with light. A small lantern sat on the floor
between us. Nate was smiling, his face in shadows and his normally bright blue
eyes black. He looked haunted.
The boat glided slowly down the creek. I pulled out
the blanket and covered myself, lying down so I could look up at the sky
through the cracks. Nate lay down beside me. The gentle motion of the boat
swaying was soothing.
We came up to a gap in the trees. “It’s almost a full
moon,” I murmured, looking up at what looked like a complete circle, but I knew
it couldn’t be since Nate was in his human form.
“Yes, I’ll change tomorrow night.” His voice was soft,
almost relaxed.
“Will you and Joseph change together?”
“If he’s still here. It’s more fun to change when you
have someone with you. He likes to race to see who the fastest wolf is.
Unfortunately, he always wins. And he never lets me live it down.”
I laughed. It was a nice change to hear him speak with
some fondness for who he truly was. “You seem happy tonight, almost content.
I’ve never sensed that from you, even after I found out what you are.”
He gave me a lazy smile and looked up at the sky for a
few seconds before he answered me. “I suppose I am, content, I mean.” He leaned
up on his elbow, resting his head on his hand. “I have feared Rowan for a
hundred years. Always keeping my distance from people I love. Always looking
over my shoulder for fear he’s back, ready to kill me or someone I care about.
Now that he’s dead I feel liberated,
free
.
“I know I still need to be on guard. There are other
werewolves out there like Rowan, who are bored with their long lives and live
to torment. But for tonight, I’m going to relax, gaze up at the stars with no
worries and the woman I love beside me.”
He leaned above the lantern to kiss me softly, his
face glowing red. He looked like a scary jack-o’-lantern. “You have no idea how
hard it was for me, for those few minutes after Rowan told me you had died. I
never want to feel that again, I felt empty. It was different than before I got
to know you. I was miserable not being with you, but after we kissed for the
first time, I knew I could never go back to that. I had finally let myself be
happy, something I had neglected for years. But now that I had it, there was no
way I was going to let Rowan, or anyone, take you away from me. But when I
thought you were dead, my body felt like a vacant shell, like I had died too.
You don’t know how happy and relieved I was when I saw your face after you shot
him.” He touched my cheek softly. “Megan, I love you so much. Please don’t ever
leave me.”
I felt a few tears escape as I embraced him. “I’m here
and I’m not going anywhere.” I gave him a kiss that I hoped was full of the
tenderness glowing inside me. I wanted to reassure him that I was here and not
going anywhere, for a while anyway. I loved him so much. I understood how hard
it was for him, to think someone else he loved was dead. I wanted to tell him
that he would never lose me, but I couldn’t. We both knew that I was only human
and one day I would die. Instead we kissed and for a short time we forgot the
inevitable.
We snuggled on the boat under the fleece blanket for
hours, glancing occasionally at the stars through the gaps in the trees.
I don’t know what time it was when we finally made our
way back home, but I woke the next morning beside him. His arms were wrapped
tightly around me. “Good morning,” he said, kissing the top of my head.
I turned around to face him. “Good morning. Are you
going into Riley House today?”
His expression turned sad. “Yes, I told Julia I’d be
back as soon as I could. I have to leave in an hour. Are you going home?”
I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded. “I guess
so. I should get up and pack. Is Joe staying at the main house?”
“No, he’s coming back later. He’s going to the office
with Will for the day. But since he’s found Lauren I think he’ll be staying for
quite a while. Are you okay with that?”
“Yes. I like him a lot. I can see why he’s your
friend.”
He smiled, playing with the ends of my hair. “He
really helped me after Rowan shot me and killed Sadie. It’s great to have a
friend who understands me.”
“I’m glad you have someone like that in your life.”
I climbed out of bed and grabbed my suitcase from the
closet. Nate had a shower while I packed. I was thankful for the privacy. I
didn’t want him to see the tears streaming down my face as I shoved my clothes
roughly into my suitcase. I longed to hear him tell me he wanted me to stay.
But I was going to have to get over that.
I heard the muffled sound of my cell phone ringing. I
lifted up various shirts and pants that were thrown on the bed as I had folded
and packed. By the time I found it, the ringing stopped. It was under Nate’s
pillow and I had no idea how it got there. I picked it up and saw Lauren’s
number displayed on the face of my phone. Before I had the chance to call her
back, it rang again. “Hello.”
“Why didn’t you answer?” she demanded from the other
end.
“Because I couldn’t find it and I’m packing.”
“When are you leaving?”
The answer was stuck in my throat. The word “Soon” was
all I could manage.
“Come back tonight, because I told Ally that we’d meet
her, Lily and Eddie at Manic. You and Nate bring Joe. I want to make him
jealous.”
I smiled. It seemed our roles were now reversed. Not
long ago she knew the truth about Nate’s feelings for me, but couldn’t say
anything. And now I found myself in the same predicament. I desperately wanted
to tell her how much Joe felt for her, but I knew it wasn’t my place. I promised
Nate that I wouldn’t say anything, but I really hoped Joe would do something
soon. I knew how much it hurt when the guy you loved acted like he liked you
one minute and then the next he couldn’t care less.
“Not tonight. It’s a full moon.”
She cursed softly and then sighed. “Fine, I’ll call
her back and reschedule for tomorrow night. I’ll come over and keep you company
while the guys turn into wolves. We can watch a movie.” She laughed into the
phone. “How about
An American Werewolf in London
?”
I snorted. “Very funny.” We hung up soon after.
When Nate finished in the bathroom, I took my turn in
the shower. As I blow-dried my hair I could smell bacon cooking. He was making
breakfast for me for the last time. My eyes stung with the threat of more tears.
I shook my head. What was wrong with me? I was just going home. It would be the
same as it was before I brought my stuff over. Why did I have this feeling of
dread in the pit of my stomach?
I dressed in a black tank top and black shorts. I was
feeling low so I dressed accordingly.
I pulled my suitcases out into the kitchen and set
them beside my chair. “Thank you,” I said as he placed a heaping plate of
bacon, eggs, toast and hash browns in front of me. Although I wasn’t sure how I
could eat all of it. My stomach was in knots.
I ate as much as I could and what I couldn’t eat, Nate
finished for me.
The dishes were put into the dishwasher, the table was
cleared and now all that was left for me to do was leave. I walked slowly to my
suitcases, pulling the handles up. He stood behind me, giving me an awkward
hug.
“Thanks again for breakfast. Maybe after I unpack I’ll
come by the shelter.”
He nodded. “Okay. I love you,” he said, leaning down
to kiss me.
“I love you too.” I pulled out of his embrace, no
longer able to prolong the inevitable. Wrapping my hand over the handle of the
suitcase, I pulled it along the floor. I opened the door and started to step
out onto the porch.
“Don’t go,” I heard him whisper. At the sound of his
voice I froze. “Please, don’t go. I wanted to be able to let you. To allow you to
have your own life and still be together like a normal couple. But I can’t. I
can’t be without you. Please, I want you to stay with me.”
I turned around at the sound of those words I’d been
longing to hear.
“You want me?” I whispered. He nodded, his eyes full
of emotion. “You want me to live here…with you?” I asked again.
“I know it’s not what you’re used to. I can get a
bigger place or build onto this.” He stretched his arms out, looking around the
cozy living room. “You’re eighteen and you finished high school. Your parents
can’t say anything.” He took a few steps toward me. “Please, I can’t bear the
thought of waking up and seeing an empty pillow next to me.”
I smiled, dropped my suitcases and ran into his arms.
“What took you so long?” I asked, peering into his face.
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve been waiting for you to ask me to live here with
you in this
perfect
cottage, since Lauren first brought my suitcases
here.”
His face shone with happiness. “Really? Does that mean
yes? You’ll live with me?”
I nodded. “It means yes,” I answered and kissed him.
He pulled me closer, lifting me up and swinging me
around the room. My heart soared. I finally had what I’d always dreamed of,
someone that wanted and loved me.
Nate was the family I had always longed for.
###
If you enjoyed Riley’s Secret, please post a review at:
Here is a preview of Riley’s Torment, # 2,
the next installment in the Moon’s glow series. Available now at amazon
Prologue
The wind was crisp and cool as he watched the young
woman on the porch. It was past nightfall and the shadows had slithered their
way over the horizon, sucking all the light from the sky. But he could see her
perfectly through the branches that gave him cover. Her eyes darted around,
scanning the night. Was the darkness making her anxious? Or was it the immense
forest that loomed at the edge of the yard before her?
She gazed toward the tall trees as though she was
considering entering the lush woodland. At the sound of an eerie howl, she
looked away. Instead, she picked up the book she had discarded minutes before
and began to read by the light that shone from the porch lamp. Her long, silky
hair hung like a veil around the book, hiding her face from view. He longed to
brush it back, so he could see those beautiful green eyes and the freckles that
dotted her soft skin. Thankfully, the words didn’t hold her attention for very
long, because her gaze continued to roam towards the forest.
She stood up, leaving the book on the bench and
wandered to the railing, leaning over to get a better view of the woods. She
squinted in the direction of the trees and bushes. The branches swayed gently
in a gust of wind that blew strands of hair into her face. She stepped down
from the porch and crept cautiously to the edge of the woods.
A crow cawed from an oak tree above her and she
jumped, spinning in its direction. There were lots of noises out in the woods.
Was she going to jump at every sound? The crickets and frogs croaked noisily. A
splash in the lake behind her had her spinning around in time to see a bird
dive in the water. Her strawberry colored hair flew around her face.
At night, the darkness took on an infinite, inky
blackness. The shadows turned simple trees and animals into sinister creatures.
Since he was one of those creatures, he understood her fear.
Holding her hand to her heart, she took a deep breath
and peered into the trees at the path where he had entered earlier. Once again,
she was startled by the simplest of sounds. This time it was a squirrel and a
chipmunk scurrying through the underbrush. Giving up, she turned around to head
back into the house.
The sound of his deep growl behind her had her
freezing in place. She whirled around and saw him. He sat at the edge of the
trees on his hind legs, watching her. His body was large; he was probably the
biggest wolf the girl had ever seen. His paws were the size of human hands with
long sharp claws. He growled and his glassy eyes focused only on her as he took
a step forward.
The young woman was about to back away when she
noticed the blood that was dripping from his long pointed teeth.
“Damn it, Nate, did you eat?” Her face clouded with
annoyance and she spun on her heels, away from the wolf, storming off into the
direction of the cottage.
