Blood Moon (9 page)

Chapter
Seventeen

The kitchen was warm with the aroma of
smoked meat and barbeque marinades, making Logan’s stomach growl.
He was used to a big breakfast, and the coffee had been a poor
substitute, especially so close to a full moon. He envisioned
taking down a fat deer later that night, and his mouth watered.

Country music seeped from a beat-up radio on
the counter, sputtering static when Zelda walked past it to peek
inside the big oven built into the wall. She closed her eyes and
breathed in the smells rolling out to greet her.

Violet stood at the stove,
wearing a frilly apron over her black skinny jeans and cut-off tee
shirt. She waved her spatula and gave Logan a lopsided smile.
“Looks like we’ll be settin’
two
extra places. Nick’s moving around better today,”
she said.

It took Logan a second to remember that Nick
was the boy Zelda had patched up a couple of nights before. He
hadn’t gotten a good look at the kid, and with the recent events,
his suspicious nature went into overdrive.

“
What’s all this?” he
asked, noticing the plates spaced around the table.

“
It’s Monday,” Grant said,
coming through the back door with a pot of baked beans. He set them
on the table and then held the door open for Charlie, who carried
in a cookie sheet covered in bratwursts and meatballs. His bald
head bobbed as he hummed what Logan vaguely recognized as a
Christmas tune, and his garish Hawaiian shirt looked like someone
had barfed up their summer vacation all over him.

Kerri came down the back staircase, taking
small, careful steps. The neck brace had been removed, but a thick
bandage was still taped over her shoulder, stretching up under her
ear. A blue ribbon was tied in her hair, and she cradled a basket
of dinner rolls against her stomach.

Zelda gravitated to her, touching the girl’s
arm softly. Kerri smiled and then glanced up at Logan. “Thanks for
stitching me up.”

He dipped his chin, giving her an
indifferent nod. Kerri was a nice enough girl, and she was probably
the only one of the rejects who had more than an eighth grade
education. Logan still kept his distance. Letting his guard down
with even one of them could spell a whole world of trouble.

Selena had explained how pack mentality
worked. He recognized it among the rejects all the time—the way
they knit themselves together, entangling their lives in a net that
seemed to snare Zelda without her even seeing it. He wouldn’t let
them trap him too.

A moment later, Pat and Jamie, the two most
recent additions to Zelda’s lot, arrived with a green bean
casserole and potato salad. Violet arranged three platters of
smoked pork and turkey in the center of the big oak table, and the
sides and condiments were wedged in between. Then Grant fetched a
pitcher of sweet tea out of the refrigerator and began filling
glasses for everyone.

Logan followed Zelda to the table, taking a
seat beside her. He considered dismissing himself, but he had
promised to stay by her side. Any of her wolves would have given
their life for her, but it still wasn’t enough for his comfort.

Nick was the last to join them, timidly
creeping down the back stairs with his broken arm in a sling. His
shoulder was still tightly bound, holding his arm against his body.
The kid looked like he’d had one too many sponge baths. He smelled
clean enough, but his greasy brown hair refused to lay flat.
Someone—Violet, Logan guessed—had helped him get his good arm
through a blue flannel shirt and draped it over the mass of
bandages holding him together.

“
Have a seat,” Zelda said,
pointing him to a spot next to her.

Logan suppressed a growl, wishing she had
placed him on the opposite side of the table so he could keep a
better eye on the kid. His nerves only worsened once everyone else
was seated around the table. Their collective aura engulfed him,
and he suddenly couldn’t breathe.

Joy and gratitude radiated
from every single one of the rejects. Even the new kid.
Especially
the new kid,
his life so freshly spared. The swell of emotions hit Logan hard,
and he coughed into his fist, trying to hide the fact that he was
choking up.

Violet held her hands out, beginning a chain
reaction, and everyone linked together. Logan grudgingly took Zelda
and Kerri’s hands and instantly regretted it.

The energy in the room came alive in neon
rivers, arcing across his vision. It seemed to flow in circles to
and from Zelda. He saw it even when he closed his eyes, and he
could tell that it was healing her as much as it healed the
others.

Maybe Selena was
wrong
, he thought, glancing around the
table at the serene faces smiling back at him.

Chapter
Eighteen

Zelda watched Logan through dinner—the way
he looked at her wolves, really acknowledging them for a change. It
made her heart ache with pride. These were people worth saving.
He’d see it too, if he would just open his eyes.

It was so obvious now.
Logan had never had anyone besides Selena. He didn’t know what a
pack could be like. He didn’t know what a
family
could be like.

Zelda didn’t have many memories of her
mother, but she’d been raised by decent enough foster parents. They
had stayed in touch, at least until she left California. But what
she really missed was her coven. The bonds they had forged in the
circle of the goddess could not be forgotten as easily as familial
ties. The severance ritual was proof of that.

Zelda still mourned for her coven, but the
wolves comforted her. Her connection to them required less ritual
and more intuition. It felt natural, like she supposed family
should. She wondered if Logan had anything like that at all with
his sister.

The wolves talked and laughed as they ate,
their hands and mouths constantly full. They didn’t question
Logan’s presence, but they also didn’t push him to engage more than
he already had. Logan was probably right about their minimal
education, but they had earned more than enough street smarts with
the Raymore Clan, and they were all well aware of the unstable
ground they stood on with the reclusive Chase wolves.

The table was soon empty, every bit of food
devoured. The night before a full moon, the wolves were ravenous,
and even though Zelda was sure they’d get a belly full of woodland
critters later that night, she planned on making them a big
breakfast Tuesday morning. The pub didn’t open until early
afternoon, so they’d have plenty of time to relax before starting
the workday.

Logan leaned back in his chair and glanced
behind Zelda to give Nick a curious look. “Think you’ll have
trouble shifting tonight, kid?”

Nick shrugged, cringing when his bad
shoulder protested. He looked down at his broken arm and
frowned.

Zelda could sense his distress. She leaned
in and touched his arm gently.

“
That wrap is loose knit
and super flexible. It should shape with you when you shift. But
just in case, stay close to the others. One of them can check it
over before they shift too,” she said. “We’ll probably need to
rewrap it in the morning though. It should be healed up before next
full moon.”

Nick sighed and nodded, looking less worried
now that he knew someone had a plan for him.

Zelda seemed to have a plan for everyone,
except herself. She didn’t feel like she deserved one, and now that
she’d been told there was a metaphorical altar with her name on it,
she was even less inclined to dream up a happy ending for
herself.

Everyone helped clear the table, and then
one by one, they said their goodbyes. Zelda was showered with hugs
and kisses and thank yous, until only Logan remained.

He stood and tapped his knuckles along the
edge of the table. “I think you should stay at Orpheus House with
Dr. Delph tonight,” he said. “You’ll be safer there, and then maybe
Phil will have your security system installed by tomorrow
night.”

Zelda nodded, too drained from her injuries
and the ritual to argue with him. “Okay. I think I’m going to take
a nap. It’s been a long day.”

Logan yawned into his palm. “You can say
that again.” He tilted his head to the side and looked at her for a
long moment. “Do you want company, or should I wait down here?”

Zelda held her breath. None of her good
deeds seemed to have made any difference to the goddesses. They’d
called her selfish, and maybe it was true. She definitely wanted to
be selfish now. She sighed. “Company sounds nice.”

A familiar light flickered through Logan’s
eyes, and he followed her upstairs.

Nick had left with Kerri to do a little
shopping, since the only thing he’d taken with him from the Raymore
lair had been his life. The silence in the pub was eerie. Zelda was
used to a full house. There was always a patient on the mend, or
wolves gathered in the kitchen or pub for one reason or
another.

The quilt Logan had bundled over Zelda the
night before lay in a lump on her bed. She picked up a corner and
began folding it, stopping when Logan put a hand on her
shoulder.

She turned and laid her head on his chest,
closing her eyes and breathing in his earthy scent. His arms folded
across her back, forming a circle of warmth around her.

“
Logan,” she said softly,
almost sighing his name. She tilted her head up to drag her mouth
along his skin and lay a gentle kiss on his neck.

He squeezed her closer, and she felt his
heart pick up speed. A warm hand reached up to cup her chin, and
she opened her eyes to find him looking at her, a pained expression
on his face.

“
I don’t think I can do
this,” he said, pulling back to create some space between
them.

Zelda frowned. “Why not? You’ve been making
passes at me for months.”

Logan released her and took a step back. “I
spent all of last night listening to you cry out another man’s name
in your sleep. You’re still grieving, and I can’t take advantage of
you like that.”

Zelda hugged herself and blinked back tears.
“I am grieving, but not for Theo. I’m grieving over everything I
sacrificed for him.”

Logan inched toward her and brushed his
fingers down her arm. “Tell me. Help me understand.”

She sat on the edge of the bed and pressed
the heels of her hands into her eyes. “The ritual I did today was
to cut ties with my old coven.”

“
I didn’t even know you
were a witch until yesterday,” Logan said, sitting on the bed
beside her. He took her hand in his, lacing their fingers
together.

Zelda swallowed and breathed in through her
nose. “I haven’t practiced in two years, and I haven’t had contact
with the coven in all that time either.”

“
Why not?”

Her chin trembled. “When Theo died, I tried
to bring him back. I used every ounce of power I had—and when that
wasn’t enough, I tapped into my coven sisters and drained them
too.”

Logan squeezed her hand. “I’m sorry you
couldn’t save him.”

Zelda’s head snapped up.
“I
did
save him.
I almost killed my entire coven in the process, but I saved
Theo.”

“
Oh.” Logan’s eyes widened
and he sat up straighter. “Wow. That’s amazing—”

“
No,” Zelda said. “It was
stupid, and selfish, and it cost me everything. Even Theo, in the
end.”

Logan looked confused. His mouth opened and
closed, as if he couldn’t decide what to say next.

“
Theo was a good man,”
Zelda explained. “He knew what his life had cost. He could taste
the darkness of the magic I’d used to pull his soul back from the
beyond, and it destroyed him. He resented me for it, and less than
a month later, he took his own life.”

“
I’m so sorry, Zee.”
Logan’s arms were around her again, pulling her into his
chest.

Her tears fell quietly onto his shoulder. “I
couldn’t face my coven’s judgement. I couldn’t face Theo’s family
or any of our friends. I left everything behind—our home, my job at
the hospital.”

“
You needed a fresh
start.” Logan rubbed circles over her back.

She sniffled and pressed her face into the
crook of his neck, letting her warm breath pool there. “One of the
coven sisters was here this morning.”

Logan tensed. “Why? What did she want?”

“
To warn me. The sisters
felt my magic yesterday. They know where I am.”

“
But you did that
ritual.”

Zelda shook her head. “I might have been too
late.” Her eyes welled again. “I keep trying to do the right thing,
but I only seem to make things worse. First the Raymore Clan, now
the coven. It would probably be best for everyone if the council
did send me packing.”

“
No.” Logan squeezed her
arms. “You’re safe here. And the wolves need you.” He took a deep
breath. “I need you.”

Zelda smiled sadly. “Even if I stay, it
won’t matter. My time is coming. The goddesses told me as much
during the ritual.”

Logan slid to the floor and knelt between
her legs, pushing her chin up until she looked at him. “Then your
goddesses are stupid. I won’t let anything happen to you. I swear
it.”

Zelda rested her forehead against his. She
didn’t want to argue, so instead, she leaned into him, taking his
mouth with hers. If she was destined to leave this world so soon,
she wouldn’t feel guilty claiming this one thing for herself.

Logan moaned, his vibrations passing through
her lips and across her tongue. He returned her kiss, pushing up
off the floor. His hand slipped behind her, sliding in between her
shoulder blades as he lowered her to the bed.