Ties to the Blood Moon 2nd Edition (32 page)

I felt a sharp pain shoot through my heart, and I guess William felt it, too, because he reached across the seat, gently taking my hand, and pulled me closer to him.

“I love you,” he said tenderly, just before we stopped in front of his cabin.

When Luna climbed out of the truck, I knew right away she hadn’t gotten over her anger. We barely made it inside before she started in on me, and Joseph grabbed her.

“It’s all your fault!” She tried pulling away from Joseph, but he held her firmly. “If my brothers are dead it’s on you,” she cried.

I lowered my eyes, unable to speak with the huge knot forming in my throat. She was right. Everything that had happened was all my fault. “That’s why I tried to do this alone, but you guys wouldn’t let me.” A tear ran down my cheek. “I can’t help who I am. I sure as hell didn’t ask for any of this, and if I could take it all back, I never would have come here. I would rather die than see any of you guys get hurt.” I ran upstairs to one of the bedrooms and slammed the door.

His big eyes immediately softened. “No,” he said quietly. “I don’t blame you at all, Gen, and Luna doesn’t either.” He stood just inside the doorway, gazing at me longingly. “I lo … um.” He cleared his throat. “I just wanted you to know, if you ever need me, I’m here.” He turned around, and as he walked out he whispered something he didn’t think I could hear. I gasped, and my heart fell as the words,” I’ll always love you,” sank in.

Chapter 53

After I downed the two bags of blood William brought me, I nuzzled my face against his chest, feeling intoxicated and satisfied. Even though I had to fight to stay awake, I didn’t want to lose the euphoric feeling that came over me each time I ate.

When I closed my eyes I saw Joseph, so I quickly opened them and I was in another place. It was sprinkling rain as Joseph walked along the top of a cliff. He was wearing nothing but a pair of tight blue jeans and brown leather work boots. I watched the rain roll over his taut muscles.

Every time he moved, new muscles bulged, dancing under his skin. He shook his soaking wet hair, sending water in every direction. He gazed at me, parting his full lips, and I waited for him to say something, but he didn’t. As I walked closer, I saw the water on his face wasn’t rain, but tears. He mouthed the words “I love you” just before diving off the cliff.

I turned to run and saw my aunt holding hands with Zane, and waving good-bye at my mom and me. You know, like the television families who have perfect children and perfect lives and everybody lives happily ever after.

Zane and my aunt got into a car and as they drove away, he rolled his window down and tossed something out. I’m not sure why, but I ran to get a closer look. I screamed when I saw he had cut off my aunt’s head and thrown it out the window.

I bolted upright in bed panting heavily, my eyes flitted around the room. William picked up on my heartbeat and he burst through the door in a flash. My heart jumped when Joseph appeared a few seconds later.

“What’s wrong?” William asked earnestly, glancing around the room, then fixing his gaze on me. Joseph stood to the side, trying to see into the room.

I sort of fell into a trance when I saw them both together. I had such deep feelings for them both, but I knew I belonged with William, now more than ever. I could never be with a human, or in Joseph’s case, a werewolf. I just couldn’t bear to watch helplessly as someone I loved eventually died while I remained the same young Genevieve.

“Uh … I had a nightmare. It was awful,” I said with quick short breaths.

William stared at me for a long moment. “It happens sometimes with bagged blood. Sorry,” William said, acting a little short with me. “Come down stairs, we’re going over the plan.” He promptly disappeared from the doorway, and Joseph looked at me, quickly tilting his head and shrugging his shoulders, before following after William.

“Uh … yeah,” I replied warily. “I’ll be right …” I trailed off. It wouldn’t have mattered what I said, because William hadn’t waited around to hear it.

Luna and Joseph sat at the bar and William stood behind it. Luna was laughing, but when she saw me step through the door, she suddenly stopped. Even William’s smile faded when he saw me.

“Why do I suddenly feel like an intruder?” I asked dubiously, searching their faces, and caught Luna rolling her eyes when she thought I wasn’t looking.

“Maybe it’s just your own insecurities,” Luna said, shrugging her shoulders.

When she said that, I flew across the room in a blur. I knew I was getting much faster, because William barely had time to move before I stopped an inch from Luna.

“Let me tell you something right now,” I said through gritted teeth, pointing my finger at her chest. “I don’t need
you
to remind me this whole thing is because of me, but it’s not something I chose. It was chosen for me, just like the twins going to Tok. I didn’t have a choice in that decision either. You were there, too, and I sure don’t remember hearing you object.”

I guess William thought I was getting too close to Luna, because he tried to step in between us. I was so angry and hurt, I felt the skin on my face tighten, and I shoved him so hard he flew all the way across the room, hitting the hearth on the fireplace.

I gasped, and ran to him. “I’m sorry,” I said throwing myself on the floor next to him. I expected him to be really pissed, and by their speeding heartbeats, I assumed Luna and Joseph did too.

A huge smile stretched across William’s face. He quickly got to his feet and pulled me up. “Mad? I’m impressed. I had no idea you would grow to be so strong, especially this fast.” He looked passed me to Luna and Joseph. “We’re definitely ready.”

We sat at the table and went over the plan until we had each individual step memorized. William said we were as ready as we’d ever be. Luna slowly came around, and by the time we were ready to go she was over being angry with me. She apologized for blaming me and I apologized for getting in her face the way I did.

Joseph’s phone rang. “It’s Grandfather,” he said, hurrying to get up from the table. He came back a couple minutes later, holding his hand over the phone. “He says there’s been movement in the tunnels,” Joseph said, looking at William.

“Okay then. What are we waiting for? Let’s go kick some more Lycan ass.” William rose from the table.

Joseph returned his phone to his jeans pocket. “I’m with you, Bro.”

Chapter 54

When dawn broke we left the cabin and headed a short distance into the woods and stopped. Luna and Joseph transformed so they could keep up. I couldn’t help but stare at Joseph in wolf form. He was still the most beautiful Adlet wolf I had ever seen.

I was a bad ass vampire and yet I had the worst case of butterflies ever. I think William knew it, too, because he put his arm around my shoulders, giving me a quick hug.

I stood still and grinned at him. “Last one there is a rotten fart,” I called out just before bolting, leaving them all behind. I mean, everybody was stressed and we had to run a long way, so why not have a little fun.

At one point I had gotten pretty far ahead, so I ran part way up a tree and quietly waited. When William ran under me, I leaped, expecting to land on his back and scare the crap out of him. My plan quickly backfired. Somehow William knew, and he jumped to the side just before I landed, causing me to hit the ground so hard it sounded almost like thunder. Even though it hurt, the pain subsided quickly.

“Did I make that noise?” I asked incredulously, looking up at him.

He was too busy standing over me laughing hysterically to see Luna leaping through the air. She landed dead center of his shoulders and sent him rolling.

“Who’s laughing now?” I asked sarcastically, brushing pine needles and dirt off my jeans. “Thanks, Luna,” I said. What happened next really had me freaking. She had answered me in her mind, and I heard her. I hadn’t been able to hear her in my thoughts since I’d turned, but I definitely heard her just then.

William gave me a look, and I just shook my head. As a vampire, he couldn’t hear their thoughts, and therefore I shouldn’t have been able to either.

We reached the frozen lake sooner than I thought, and Luna and Joseph were thirsty and tried lapping at the ice. I remembered the night at the Ice Cave and placed my hand over the back of my neck to see if my tattoo would still radiate heat even though technically I wasn’t an Adlet anymore. When I removed my hand, it was solid red. Being a vampire I didn’t feel pain in the same way I had as an Adlet.

William was in awe watching the ice melt away under my hand. “How did you just do that? Are you magic now, too?”

“I’m not sure. I mean no, I’m not magic, silly. It’s got something to do with this tribal Crest on my neck.” I turned around and pulled up my hair. “See?” I asked, but when William didn’t answer I spun around. He wasn’t even looking at me. I followed his gaze across the lake. “What?”

“Let’s go!” He had seen something, and ordered us back inside the tree line.

“What did you see?” I asked, stepping to a thicker part of the trees when the sun peaked out from behind the clouds.

“Nothing. That’s just it,” William said, staring at nothing, rubbing the stubble that had formed on his chin. “Zane knows we’re coming. He should have Lycans guarding the entrance, but I don’t hear or see anything.” He turned to face us, his eyes flew between the three of us. “Be alert, they could be anywhere.”

We ran again, only this time nobody played. We all watched everything around us for movement. The next time we stopped we were at the cave’s entrance.

Luna and Joseph quietly transformed back, their hearts pounded like mad, which told me they were as nervous as I was. William’s heart never wavered. His was just as slow and steady as always. I couldn’t help but be a little bit suspicious. I was trying my hardest to trust him, but somewhere in the back of my mind I still remembered the lies. What if he was a part of Zane’s plan? What if he was using my feelings for him to lure me into Zane’s trap?

I glanced at him suspiciously as he lead the way. Joseph went in behind him, and Luna and I followed through the narrow opening. Luna said the opening was narrow to keep bears from wandering in.

Once inside, the cave opened up to a small room with an opening to a larger room. It was dark, and smelled of rotten blood and stench, a typical Lycan scent. A single torch hanging on the wall lit the first room.

“Remember … keep your eyes and ears open,” William whispered as he walked through to the next room.

The second room was much larger and smelled better, because incense burned in different areas of the room. Large rock pedestals covered the floor. Different sized pottery jars were placed on the tables.

“What are these for?” I asked, reaching to touch one of the colorful jars.

Luna slapped my hand away. “They are filled with the remains of great warriors and past leaders of the Inuit,” she said somewhat angry. “You must never touch them.” She paused for a moment, and sighed. “I’m sorry, Gen.” She smiled apologetically. “I’m just really freaked being in here. This place is sacred. No one but our leaders are permitted in here.”

I walked around the room admiring the handmade drawings on the walls. “These are really cool.” I smiled at Luna.

“All right, girls, this isn’t a sight-seeing trip. You’re supposed to be looking for an entrance to the tunnels,” Joseph said, not unkindly. He brushed up against me as he passed by, quickly shooting me a sly grin, and my heart fluttered. I immediately felt William’s eyes on me, so I pretended to be looking at a particular drawing.

While I was looking I noticed that one of the drawings portrayed a monster, a girl and a red moon. I was about to ask Luna about it when William called us.

“I found it,” he said, standing next to a tall rock he’d pulled away from the wall. Behind it was a dark hole with stone steps leading downward.

William led the way, and I was amazed at the tunnels after we reached the bottom. They weren’t at all like I had been expecting. The tunnels we were looking at were actually large walkways at least eight feet high and six feet wide, and there were six of them leading off from the bottom of the stairs.

Even though it was totally dark, William and I had no trouble seeing, but Luna and Joseph had to transform in order to see.

“We need to split up,” William said. “Joseph and I will each take a different tunnel and you two girls take one together. Remember, all were doing is looking. We’ll meet back here and search the other three tunnels if we don’t find anything in the first three.”

Before I could object, William was gone. Joseph reluctantly picked a tunnel and disappeared, leaving Luna and I to fend for ourselves.

“Come on, Luna, let’s go,” I said nervously, and she followed.

We didn’t get far and our tunnel came to an opening with even more tunnels. We were about to turn around when Luna growled from behind me. Before I had time to turn, we were surrounded by Lycans. There must have been ten or more.

She lunged and I did the same. I was able to move at lightning speed, grabbing them by the throat and ripping off their heads one-by-one. Luna used her sharp fangs, ripping out throats.