By the Pale Moonlight (Book One of the Moonlight Series) (29 page)

Caleb pointed out several aspects for this
particular model, even pulling out a dart from the black case and
showing me how to load it. When he finished, he hesitated before
aiming the gun at the wall behind me.

"When you go to shoot—" he said.

"I know how to shoot a gun," I said,
gathering the darts off the crate and zipping the case closed
again.

I could feel his dark eyes studying me. He
lowered the gun. "Then I guess we're done."

"The tranquilizer?"

He stood and pulled a small white box from
the fridge in the corner. I stuffed it, along with the gun and
darts, into my backpack and zipped it closed.

I stood, slinging the bag over my shoulder.
"We good?"

At that, the corner of his mouth lifted. He
leaned against the armrest of the couch, his arms crossed. "Unless
there's anything else I can do for you, Princess."

Now that you mention it, how much juice do
you think it'll take to bring down a werewolf?

"I'm good," I said.

He studied me for a few beats longer, then
stood and motioned me out the door.

It wasn't until I got home that I noticed the
slip of paper tucked into the case, a phone number scribbled across
it. It looked like a male's writing—small and sloppy. Caleb.

I started to throw it away, but hesitated. My
mother's voice carried from the other room, and I hastily put the
paper in my desk drawer. For now, I told myself.

o0o

After dinner, I went in search of Melanie and
Ty.

I found the two of them in Ty's room, exactly
as I had left them. Ty jumped up from his chair and motioned for me
to take his seat. I sat, sliding the backpack to the floor beside
me.

"We have an idea that might work," Melanie
said. "We've checked and cross-checked lots of different sources,
and they all say the same thing."

"There's a theory that wolfsbane could be a
cure," Ty said, picking up where she had left off. "It's a long
shot, and may not work, but..."

"And we don't know how to get the wolfsbane
yet," Melanie said, throwing Ty a quick look as she interrupted.
Both were grinning. "But it's something."

"That's great," I said.

The two of them were so excited, I didn't
know how to interrupt. They rambled on about early morning dew and
wolfsbane—the two of them picking up each other's sentences and
talking over one another. By the time they finished, my head was
spinning.

Ty caught my expression and laughed. "Sorry,
Mac. That was a lot." He rubbed my neck with strong fingers. "What
were you doing?"

Pulling out the capture gun at that point
seemed to dampen the mood. They both stared at it.

"What is it?" Ty asked, picking it up and
testing its heft.

"My protection." I held out my palm
containing the silver bullets I'd pilfered from Ty's hiding spot in
the storm cellar. "You won't be needing these anymore."

"Where'd you get it?" Melanie looked
befuddled.

A flash of annoyance shot through me.
"Ebay."

Not acknowledging my biting tone, she
unzipped the case containing the darts. "I can't believe we didn't
think of this sooner. This is awesome, Mac..." Her words trailed
off.

Ty said nothing, a frown pulling down the
corners of his mouth. She glanced up at him, her brow quirking up
slightly. He returned her gaze for the briefest moment before
turning to pace the room. Rubbing a hand across the back of his
neck, he still didn't speak.

"Don't you see?" I said. "You get free, I
juice you. No bullets necessary."

"Yeah, Mac," he said. "I understand how it's
supposed to work."

I just stared at him, shocked. "What the hell
is wrong with you? Do you want me to shoot you—is that it?"

At my words, he stopped pacing. We locked
eyes; at last something inside his seemed to shift. "No."

"Then be happy. Or try, at least." I stuffed
the gun and accessories back in my bag.

"I'm sorry," Ty said, placing his hands on my
shoulders.

I shrugged away and stood. He wouldn't let me
leave, only stepped in front of me every time I tried to skirt
around him.

"I'm sorry," he repeated.

He smiled then, trying to provoke the same
from me. His green eyes wore me down, and eventually I couldn't
help but return it. He pulled me into his arms and gave me a big
hug, lifting me from the ground.

o0o

"I'm not saying you can't shoot a gun. I just
thought it might be important to make sure." Ty shrank beneath my
glare.

"I've kicked your ass in every video game
since we were kids—not to mention my dad is a gun freak. You really
think I don't know how to handle one?"

He twirled the fake gun over his finger. It
was one of those cheap kinds that shot out plastic darts with
miniature suction cups on the end. He proudly pulled it out as we
popped the first DVD in the player. It wasn't quite dark yet, but
the first trick-or-treaters began to sing-song their greetings,
sinking their grubby little paws into the trough of goodies I
presented them.

I placed the bowl on the foyer table and
giggled at his eager expression. He really thought his idea was
genius.

"Fine. Give it to me."

"Just remember I'm the enemy." He backed
away. "No holds barred. Go in for the kill."

I loaded the gun and watched him prance
around the room, darting to and fro like a wild animal. I giggled
as he did an impressive leap off the side of our couch.

He stopped. "Mac."

"Oh, sorry. Kill, kill. Got it."

He continued his weird dance and I followed
his movements with the tip of the gun. When I had a clear shot, I
pulled the trigger. The dart zoomed home, landing in the center of
his forehead with a loud sucking pop. He groaned and fell back on
the couch.

"Is this when I stuff your mouth with an
apple and mount you?"

"Kinky." He grinned and pulled me down with
him. "You're an ace."

I pulled the dart off his forehead; it made a
soft pop as it came free. "Told you."

Our lips barely made contact before the
doorbell rang and a rendition of "trick or treat, smell my feet"
began.

"Hold that thought." I hurried to the door
and did the candy thing. I chatted with a neighbor for a few
minutes while her kids ran around our front yard. When I returned,
Ty had his game face back on.

"What?" I said. "Do you want me to put
another cap in your ass?"

"No. I think you've got that part down."

His somber tone worried me. "What's wrong
then?"

"This."

The scrape of metal against wood made my
nerves jump as he placed a gun on the coffee table.

"What are you doing with that?" I asked.

His flat eyes met mine. "I'm not going to
argue with you about this. You're keeping the gun with you."

"I don't need it."

Ty ignored me and pulled on a thick glove. He
loaded the weapon with silver bullets and snapped the cylinder back
into place. I recognized my father's gun. A .357 magnum
revolver—the one he kept for home security. With so many guns in
the house, my father was a stickler on gun safety. I knew how to
handle all of the pieces in his collection. That knowledge was the
only thing that kept me from marching over to Ty and snatching it
out of his hands. It didn't have a safety feature.

"Unload that damn thing and put it back where
you found it."

"After you lock me in the cellar, I want you
to stay in your house. Stick with your parents. Don't come
outside—for any reason."

"What if you get out? Do you really think I'm
going to stand by and let you get hurt?"

"Better me than you."

"It's not only about us, and you know it.
What if you hurt someone else?" The bitter taste of guilt lay heavy
on my tongue. I swallowed hard and raised my chin, prepared to
stand my ground.

Ty pulled off his glove and tossed it across
the room. He leaned back and rubbed his eyes roughly. "You're
right. God, what are we going to do?"

I sat next to him. "Melanie and I think we've
figured out a way—but it's going to require you to loosen your hold
on the remote, okay?"

He rewarded me with a half-smile. "Okay. I'm
open to suggestions, but you're keeping the gun."

"Fine."

His head jerked in my direction. "Don't just
say that. If you need it, use it."

"I promise."

He walked me upstairs and watched as I tucked
the gun in my nightstand. With my task completed, he at last
relaxed.

Ty led me back down to the couch. On our way,
he snapped off the front porch light.

Screams filled the room when we started the
movie again. I was thankful Ty bypassed the werewolf selections and
gone for a teen slasher. I snuggled in close to him and tried to
lose myself in the predictable plotline.

Too soon, my thoughts returned to what might
happen in two days.

Instead of the butchered co-eds on the
screen, my mind saw Ty dead—my guilty hand holding the gun that
destroyed us both.

In history class the next morning, Melanie
managed to slip me a note as we passed our assignments to the
front. I covertly unfolded it when my teacher began scribbling on
the dry erase board.

"Meet me at my locker. It's important."

Over my shoulder, I nodded slightly to her. I
found it hard to concentrate during the rest of the class, my
thoughts preoccupied with what she might have to tell me. Finally,
the bell rang and I rushed out into the hall, arriving at Melanie's
locker just moments before her.

"What's up?" I spoke low.

"Don't be worried, Mac. I have good
news."

I exhaled slowly, the tension in my shoulders
dissolving. "Thank God." With only one day until Ty's cycle began,
I didn't think I could take any more hurdles being thrown at
us.

"I have a surprise." Her eyes danced as she
quickly spun her locker combination.

The excitement in her voice was infectious
and I practically bounced in anticipation. At last the door sprang
open.

She pulled a plastic wrapped bundle out and
drew back a flap to reveal the contents. Blue flowers peeked out at
us.

Each sprig was about a foot long, with dark
green leaves and prickly buds every inch or so. Attached to the end
of each was a pale blue flower with soft petals folded inward as if
to hide a secret they held in their center. They were pretty,
despite my knowledge of their poisonous nature.

"Oh my God! Where in the world did you get
wolfsbane?"

"This weird flower guy out at the mall. He
had to order them special, and I didn't want to mention them in
case they didn't come in time." Mel smiled triumphantly.

I clutched her arm, my happiness barely
contained. "Thank you!"

"I thought we should try tonight."

"Definitely. I'll tell Ty." I gave her a
quick hug. "You're a lifesaver, Mel."

I found Ty at his locker. Snaking an arm
around his waist, I hugged him tightly. "How would you feel about
an early morning roll in the dew?"

He grinned. I smacked his chest.

o0o

"Ow!" I hopped on one foot after Ty's heavy
boot landed square on my toe. "Watch where you're walking,
Bigfoot!"

"Sorry." He didn't try to hide his amusement.
I resisted the urge to smack him.

The darkness surrounding us was complete. I
shivered and drew my coat tight around me. The thick foliage
adjacent to the drive-in gave me the creeps, despite Ty's presence.
I kept expecting someone or something to jump out at us. Every time
a slick leaf slithered across my cheek, I swore I could feel the
very breath of the forest across my skin.

"Maybe we should've done this in our backyard
instead."

"Right. Can you imagine the look on our
parents' faces if they discovered us?" Ty took my hand and squeezed
it softly. "Don't worry. We're safe."

"But what will protect me from your size
fourteens?"

"I said I was sorry."

A slight rustling erupted in the shrubbery
ahead of us. I dug my fingers into Ty's hand and shoulder. "What's
that?"

Melanie's head popped into view, illuminated
by a small flashlight she aimed at her face. She looked ghoulish
and the low "Muhahahaha" she let out only added to the picture of
horror. "Did I scare ya, Mac?"

I released my death grip on Ty. "Not at all.
I knew it was you."

She quirked her brow, but said nothing. "I've
got things all set up. Follow me."

Ty tugged me along behind her. "Come on, oh
brave one."

I poked him in the side. "I wasn't
scared."

It seemed like we walked for miles through
the underbrush before emerging into a small clearing covered in
thick wild grass. The blades lay heavy with dew, bent nearly to the
ground with the weight. It was a perfect spot and I once again
marveled at Melanie's abilities. Mentally adding location scouting
and nighttime navigation to her skills, I hunkered down and plucked
a cool handful.

Melanie swept her flashlight over the
clearing. "I sprinkled the area with the wolfsbane, so try to stay
between the markers."

Small red lawn flags outlined a block of the
ground. She had truly thought of everything. At least one of us had
it together. She knelt down to light several candles encircling the
spot.

"Are you ready?" I squeezed Ty's hand.

"Yep." He shrugged out of his jacket and
handed it to me. "I can't believe I'm doing this." With a quick
crack of his neck, he walked toward the prepared grass.

"What are you doing?" Melanie asked.

"What do you think I'm doing?"

Melanie snorted softly and Ty's confused
frown deepened.

"Well, you see...you need to be naked for it
to work." She rushed through the last part.