Dark Guardian #4: Shadow of the Moon Read online

  “I heard it told you that you were next. We can protect you at Wolford.”

  I shook my head emphatically. “No, you can’t. Safety there is an illusion. That’s where the harvester will search for me. It won’t know to look for me here.”

  I knew I was being reckless. Going through my first transformation alone brought with it the possibility of death. But I’d been studying the ancient texts, and I thought I might have found a loophole. I’d experienced what another Shifter had felt while transforming. All I had to do was mimic the emotion, follow the path he’d taken.

  Daniel hesitated for a moment, and I felt a spark of hope that he might relent, but then he shattered it with his next words. “I’m sorry, Hayden, but the elders sent me to bring you back. It’s my duty.”

  Not willing to give up easily, striving to buy myself some time, I folded my arms across my chest and jutted out my chin. “I know all about duty and responsibility. When I took this job, I gave my word that I would work here through winter break. This is the last weekend. You see how crowded it is in there. It’s only going to get worse by tomorrow. I can’t just leave. It’s not fair to my employer; it’s not fair to the other workers.”

  I knew that they probably could get by without me, but it was an excuse to buy me more time until I figured out my next move. I wasn’t ready to go back to Wolford. And I certainly had no desire to be escorted back as though I’d done something wrong.

  As though he understood exactly what I was thinking, he shrugged carelessly. “Through Saturday night, right? Most classes start back on Monday, so people will be heading away on Sunday. Why don’t we talk about it when your shift ends?”

  He sounded so irritatingly reasonable. I wanted him to leave and to leave me. I’d never flirted with a guy, had never tried to twist him around my little finger. But even if I had, Daniel didn’t strike me as the easily manipulated type. “Okay, where do you want to meet?”

  “I’ll just wait for you inside.”

  “The shop doesn’t close until nine. That’s a long time to wait.”

  “It’s all warm and cozy inside,” he said. “I’ll be okay for a few hours.”

  “Fine,” I ground out.

  I spun on my heel and stormed back into the building, annoyed that, with the snow, I couldn’t actually tromp in order to make a statement. As I angrily removed my jacket and boots, I began mentally considering Plan B. And of course, thoughts of how best to evade Daniel made me think about him. My actions came to an abrupt halt.

  Why didn’t his emotions reach me? Was it because he had none? Was he a psychopath? Sociopath? Devoid of feelings?

  I’d never met a Shifter whose emotions didn’t come flying at me. I was a magnet for whatever they were feeling. So why not with Daniel?

  The inability to access his emotions should have been comforting, but instead it was scary. It wasn’t natural. So what was wrong with him?

  Or had a change happened within me? As my full moon approached, was I losing my empathic abilities? They’d seemed stronger than ever a couple of weeks ago. So why did they seem absent now?

  It was all so weird. But I didn’t really have time to ponder all the ramifications or possibilities. I had to get back to work. I stopped by the storage room and grabbed a plastic bag filled with paper cups and lids.

  When I got back to the counter, Lisa gave me a confused stare. “Took you long enough. What’d you do? Get lost?”

  I almost responded, No, got found. But I just said, “Took a quick break.”

  After arranging the cups on the shelf for easy access, I returned to my place at the counter. In the middle of the shop was a huge stone fireplace that was open on all four sides. Sitting areas had been arranged around it. I spotted Daniel lounging in a big stuffed chair, conveniently turned so I was once again in his line of sight.

  “Hot guy was gone while you were,” Lisa whispered. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”

  “Turns out I do know him.”

  “How could you forget a hottie like that? What’s his name?”

  “Daniel.”

  “Deets. I need deets.”

  I must have had a deer-caught-in-the-headlights look because she rolled her eyes. “Details. I need details. I swear that sometimes I think you were raised in a cave.”

  Almost.

  “I’ll explain everything later,” I told her, knowing that I wouldn’t.

  I started taking orders, but the entire time, I felt Daniel’s gaze on me. How could he sit so still, so patiently? And yet there was an undercurrent about him, as though he was amazingly alert, completely aware of everything going on around him, could strike within a heartbeat.

  Shifters had an animal quality about them. When you can transform into a wolf, the attributes of a wolf are never far from you. You have that whole pack mentality. The alpha, the dominant, the submissive. It’s a natural order for us. We mate for life. We hang around in groups. But sitting there, Daniel gave the impression of being a loner.

  It made me want to connect with him, because I’d always felt like a loner among my own kind. Shifters weren’t comfortable around someone who knew what they were feeling. It was only with humans that I felt as if I belonged—but even then I knew that I really didn’t. They’d never accept a being who could shift. I had no place where I truly belonged. I straddled two worlds: the one that brought me peace and the one marked with danger that was my destiny.

  But Daniel belonged in the world of the Shifters. Did he just give the appearance of being a loner when he was around Statics? He didn’t appear uncomfortable. He looked totally relaxed. Yet he was also alone.

  I knew so little about him, and I couldn’t deny that I was fascinated by him. But I recognized that my fascination was a dangerous thing.

  “When he went after you, he left his hot chocolate at the counter and it got tossed,” Lisa said, holding up a mug. “I made him a new one. Do you want to take it to him?”

  Okay, her matchmaking attempts were starting to get a bit annoying. I knew she meant well, but how many ways could I say that I wasn’t interested in Daniel? “No. If he wants it, he can come get it.”

  “You really don’t like him. What’d he do?”

  “He came here.”

  “Okay, that makes no sense. He’s hot and he’s nice. His coming here is an awesome thing.”

  “Take him the chocolate,” I snapped—something I’d never done here in Athena. I’d experienced others’ anger, had never been comfortable with it, so had worked really hard to keep myself as even-keeled around people as I could.

  Lisa’s eyes widened, but then she shrugged and went around the counter and over to Daniel. He smiled at her. She sat on the coffee table near him, and I wondered if he’d made her knees go weak. It irritated me that she could be swayed by his charm. The thought brought me up short. Was I feeling jealous because she was taking such an interest in him?

  Actually, her interest in him could be a good thing. Maybe she could distract him. But as his gaze shifted back over to me, I realized he was not going to be easily sidetracked.

  “Hey, can I get some service over here?”

  I snapped my attention to a guy who was terribly sunburned. People were always underestimating what the sun could do in winter. They thought they could burn only if it was hot outside. “Sorry,” I told him. “What’ll you have?”

  Darkness had fallen long before we started to close up. Spike came out of his office and flicked the lights to signal it was time for people to leave. He was a contradiction. With his shaved head and tattoos on his neck and arms, he just didn’t look like the type of person who would make a living from hot beverages.

  When everyone was gone except Daniel, Spike went over to him. “Sorry, bud, we’re closing up.”

  “I’m waiting for Hayden,” Daniel said.

  Spike glanced back at me, and I knew that if I shook my head, Spike would escort Daniel out. Or he’d try. I had a feeling that despite Spike’s massive size