Moonlight Read online

  I didn’t know what I wanted.

  Face your fears, Dr. Brandon had urged me. It would be a lot easier to do if I knew exactly what those fears were. I honestly didn’t have a clue. I just had a sense that something momentous was on the horizon, that I was poised on the edge of change. I didn’t know what to expect, but I felt as though it was connected to my past and would influence my future. I had questions, but no answers—fear without justification.

  I skirted around the side of the tent and headed into the forest. I’d taken only a couple of steps before I heard low voices. They were nearby, near one of the other tents.

  I knew it was none of my business, but I crept closer.

  “I know, Dad. God, how many times do I have to say I’m sorry?” I recognized the voice. It was Mason.

  “We don’t want to raise any suspicions.”

  “You’re the one who started talking about werewolves.”

  “As legend.”

  “But you were sounding like a preacher, preaching the gospel of werewolves. That’s the reason Kayla asked you if you believed in them. You did just as much damage as I did.”

  “We just need to stay alert and be more careful about what we say to them.”

  “Like I said, I’m not the one who started it.”

  “Seriously, Mason, any of our guides could be one.”

  I had to put my hand over my mouth to stop myself from laughing out loud.

  “My money’s on Lucas,” Mason said, and I was even more shocked. “That guy is too quiet. It’s eerie how he can get so still. Why does he keep disappearing, every time we stop to rest? What does he do when he’s gone?”

  “We’ll figure it out. Don’t worry, we’ll figure it out.”

  I stood there, stunned, while their voices got quieter as they walked away toward their tents. What were they saying? That they thought the sherpas were werewolves? That Lucas was a werewolf?

  The whole idea of people morphing into animals was ludicrous, but the thought of anyone truly believing it was frightening. I thought about all the equipment they were carrying. Was there a cage inside that large crate? Were they going to try to capture a wolf? And when they realized the wolf was just a wolf…what then?

  I knew people believed in all kinds of things that didn’t exist, but this seemed a little out there.

  As quietly and cautiously as possible, I crept toward the trees. I certainly didn’t want them to hear me, to know that I’d overheard their conversation. I didn’t think they’d kill me to silence me or anything crazy like that, but I was a little spooked that they seemed to be on a werewolf-hunting expedition. Although where was the real harm? People searched the skies for UFOs. Some believed they’d been probed by aliens or been in a spaceship. Others invested in fancy equipment to detect the existence of ghosts. I guessed it wasn’t so strange that someone would believe in werewolves. I thought it was loony tunes, but as long as they didn’t hurt anyone, I supposed they had as much right as anyone to explore the forest.

  When I thought I was far enough away not to be detected, I switched on the flashlight. It provided a reassuring light, but strangely I was as comforted by the trees surrounding me as by anything else. I heard the leaves rustling in the breeze almost like a lullaby. For a crazy moment, I thought I could hear my mother singing. I didn’t believe in ghosts, but I believed that the soul or the spirit or whatever made us who we were lived beyond death. So maybe believing in werewolves wasn’t so crazy after all.

  “Going somewhere, City Girl?”

  I swung the beam of the flashlight around to where the voice originated. Lucas was standing beside me. I hadn’t heard him approach. How had he arrived so quietly?

  I pressed my hand to my chest, where my rapidly pounding heart was threatening to crack a rib. “You nearly gave me a heart attack.” My voice held accusation—rightly so.

  “What are you doing out here?” he asked.

  “I couldn’t sleep.”

  “So you thought it was a good idea to wander from camp?”

  “I wasn’t wandering. I was just—” Why was I explaining myself? I narrowed my eyes at him. “What are you doing out here?”

  “Couldn’t sleep either. What was keeping you awake?”

  Having regretted being so open with Mason earlier, I decided to be vague. “Just a lot on my mind.”

  “Your parents were killed out here, right?”

  His voice held sympathy and understanding.

  “How did you know?” I asked.

  “Heard something about it last summer. We were told why you were here. So we wouldn’t say something insensitive when we were guiding you through the wilderness. Must have been hard coming back here.”

  I nodded, my throat suddenly thick with unshed tears. “Yeah.”

  “If you want to walk some more, I’ll walk with you.”

  “Thanks, but…I’m not really in the mood for company.”

  “No talking. Just walking. I can keep an eye out, keep you safe.”

  “And if we get lost?”

  “I know these woods like the back of my hand. When you grow up in Tarrant, the national forest is your playground.”

  “Okay, yeah. If you don’t mind. I just need to wander for a while.” I started walking and he fell into step beside me. I didn’t like to admit it, but he was way more comforting than the trees or the beam of my flashlight. It was actually kind of nice just having him there, not needing to keep up a conversation or anything.

  It was strange, but as we walked along, I was able to smell the unique scent of his skin. It was an earthy smell like the woods around us. It was pleasant, powerful, and sexy. I couldn’t believe how quiet he was. I swept my flashlight back for a second. He was barefoot.

  “Isn’t that a little dangerous?” I asked as I redirected my light forward.

  “My feet are tough. I’ve gone barefoot since I was a kid.”

  “You move so quietly.”

  “Had to learn to do that. Connor, Rafe, and I used to play war games with the other kids. The only way to win was to be able to sneak up on people undetected.”

  “And you like to win.”

  “Absolutely. No point in playing if your goal is to lose.”

  I came to a stop and leaned my back against a tree. I pointed the flashlight down so we had light but our faces were lost in the shadows. But still I felt him watching me. “Do you have any bad memories?” I asked. He had an idea about mine. I wanted us on even ground.

  “Everyone has some bad memories,” he said.

  “That’s not an answer.”

  “Yeah, I’ve got some.”

  His voice held no emotion, and I knew he wasn’t about to talk about them, but knowing that he had them was enough. I sighed heavily. “I was with them when they were killed. My parents. But I don’t really remember what happened. I remember the echo of the gunshots. They were so loud. And then my parents were dead. It’s been driving me crazy lately, ever since I came back to the forest this year. Last year it was like I was inside a bubble, trying to insulate myself from the past. I didn’t want to face it. But this year it’s different. It’s as though something inside me wants to break free. I can’t explain it, but I feel like I’m on the verge of remembering something really important.”

  He moved closer to me and skimmed his knuckles along my cheek. Until that moment, I didn’t realize I was crying. I released a short burst of embarrassed laughter. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to lay all that heavy stuff on you.”

  “That’s okay. It has to be difficult, being back here again. I love these woods. You must hate them.”

  “You’d think I would, but I don’t. In a way, when I’m here, I feel a connection to my parents.”

  He kept silent. In an odd way, it made me think better of him for not trying to say something, because anything would have been trite. I felt like maybe I should pull away, but I didn’t. Even if he felt my pain, he couldn’t experience it.

  “According to my therapist, I