Moon Crossed (Werewolf Hunter Series): Season 1 (Episodes 1-6) (Crescent Hunter) (30 page)

“You don't know?”

“No, not really.”
I pull my lips to the side. “I mean, like, since the party, no
one has talked to me.”

“I'm talking to
you. Who's no one?” He fidgets with one of the picture frames
on my desk.

“Well, it'll be
easier to name the people who
have
talked to me.” I tick
them off on my fingers. “You, Tor...yup, that's it.” I
think for a moment. “Was I an asshole or something?”

“No, you weren't
an asshole that I'm aware of.” He thinks about it. “No,
you weren't.”

“So what the
hell?” I ask, completely confounded.

“You've talked to
Cole?”

“No, I haven't.”
I blow out a breath.

“You've watched
the sunrise with him every morning since the party, right?”
He's confused. Yeah, me too.

“Yes, but we
haven't spoken.” A crazed smile darkens my features.

“So neither of
you have spoken?” He pinches his eyes shut.

“Nope.” I
emphasize the “p.”

“Have you tried?”
he asks, like it's a silly question.

I hang my head and look
away. “No.”

Kyle blows out a
breath, sitting back in the chair. “You guys are so
ridiculous.”

I deflate across my
desk, putting my head down. “I can't be the first one to talk.”

“Why not?”

“Because then I
lose,” I say, widening my eyes.

“Lose what?”
He shrugs, completely exasperated with me.

I have no good answer
other than, “If he doesn't return the feelings, not only am I
alone, but I'm also the dumb girl who thought someone like him could
ever care about me.”

“Pride?” He
ticks his head back. “Really?”

“Yeah.” I
squeeze my eyes shut. “I don't want to be the fool.”

“You already
are.” He shakes his head.

“Thanks.” I
pull my lips to the side.

He closes his eyes as
though he's trying to organize his thoughts. “Here's the deal.
You, Cole...” He shakes his head. “Wait, hunters and
wolves. There's a connection, yes?”

I nod.

“Well, just like
you, we
feel
.” He puts his fist in the middle of his
chest, closing his eyes. “
Everything
we are and feel is
driven by our hearts. It's in the lore of your race; the first hunter
was made from the heart of the oldest Shaman-wolf. He gave his heart
so that you could
be
. That's why all you hunters are so
touchy-feely and incapable of having any kind of happiness with
anyone other than a wolf.”

His words make me want
to cry tears of sadness, pain, and reverence. I often forget that
hunters were created from the heart of the wolf-borne. I look at him,
lost and helpless.

“Claire, don't
throw this away because of pride,” he pleads with me. “Just
try to remember: a wolf can't be killed unless its heart is
destroyed. It's
all
about the heart. Follow yours and it will
lead you to the right conclusion.”

I nod with a tight
smile. “You're right. I need to focus on the heart.” I
put my hand on my chest and it comes to me. He's right; everything
revolves around the heart. “That's it,” I blurt out.

“Yeah, you've got
it.” He's satisfied with my understanding.

“No, the heart.”
I shake my head and rush into my lab.

“Claire, what are
you doing?” He's totally confused.

“I'll tell you
later.” I run out and grab his face with both hands and kiss
his forehead. “You're a genius!”

“I try?” he
questions.

“I've got some
stuff to take care of before I go out on patrol. Are you working in
the morning?” I ask as I head back into the lab from my office.

“Yeah, but I'll
see you tomorrow night. Apparently, we're having a Fourth of July
thing.” He gets up and pushes the chair back into place.

“I'll see you
tomorrow, then. Love you!”

“Okay, be careful
tonight,” he calls from my office.

“I will.”

The alarm on my phone
goes off, indicating that it's time to get ready for my patrol. I
really wish that I had more time, but at least I'm set up. I start to
run upstairs to grab my gear. I'm so lost in thought, I forget and
step on the broken step, but the wood isn't loose anymore. A smile
blossoms, cutting deep into my cheeks. I look up and with a sad lilt
say, “Thank you, Cole.”

I'm really hoping that
this patrol is uneventful. After the attack on the Boy Scout camp,
the forestry service put out a warning. The only problem is that
everyone with a rifle thinks that it's hunting season, making things
dangerous for wolf-borne, hunters, and actual wolves.

I'm wrestling with
whether or not I should text Cole that there's a possibility that
I'll be late in the morning.

I park in my usual
spot, gear up, and start for the woods, then check my phone one last
time before getting deep into the woods and turn it off. Nothing.

No messages, no missed
calls, nothing.

It's okay; I'm going to
take Kyle's advice. Even if Cole doesn't feel the same for me that I
feel for him, it's worth the risk of telling him how I feel. Because
I'm only a fool if I let love go over something as silly as pride. A
smile rises to my lips, thinking of Kyle's words.

“Claire,” a
male voice calls from the darkness.

Before I realize it,
I've unsheathed my sword and I'm at the ready. “Who's that?”
I sniff at the air. “Corey?”

“Yeah, chill
out.” He comes into view and conjures a ball of light.

“What are you
doing here?”

“Orders from
Hayden.” Corey walks past me. “You don't hunt alone.”

“When was this
decided?” This irritates me.

“I'm not sure,
but I got the call from him yesterday that we were sharing the same
quadrant tonight. He wants you protected.” He shrugs as we
continue through the woods.

“Why would he do
that?” I'm at a loss for why now I'm not allowed to be on
patrol alone. “Well, that's fine. The more the merrier, right?”

“Well, it's just
us, you and me.” He twerks his eyebrows.

“Um, yeah.”
I dig my mouth into one cheek. “It's not a date, Corey.”

“I know, but
it'll be cool for us to hang out. Maybe you can get to know me a
little better. I'm not all that bad of a guy,” he pleads.

“Doubt it.”
I put more distance between us.

“No, seriously.
Let me start over–” He trots to keep up with me.

“Shhh, you're
making too much noise.” I put my hand up to him.

“I just want to
be friends, you know, so maybe we could hang out some time,” he
says in a whisper.

“Yeah, that'd be
great.” Anything to shut him up.

Five hours pass; I
swear, it felt like two lifetimes. Corey would not shut the hell up.
I swear that kid’s talking is like a nervous tick. Only two
more hours before I can go and meet Cole. Corey and I have taken
position on a ridge.

“It's been quiet
tonight.” Corey breaks the silence.

“Yeah, it has.
Not one wolf-borne.” I give it more thought. “Not
anything, really.”

We both stiffen at
once. “Ask and ye shall receive.” I smile at him, getting
up. “Let's be scarce.”

There's a fairly large
pack coming through. I give Corey a sidelong glance, shaking my head.
I don't recognize any of these wolves, and they typically don't move
in large numbers like this. At most we'll see five or so together,
but typically there's only one or two that are also on patrol.

I scale the tree I'm
standing under. I'm not sure where Corey went, but we'll regroup
after they pass. If they aren't Red Top, it's really not our problem,
unless they go after humans or have moon-touched in their ranks.
Honestly, if they did, I'd let them pass on by. I'm not up for the
kind of fight I'd be up against.

Corey and I give it
about ten minutes after they pass by to come back together. “What
do you make of that?” Corey asks.

“I didn't
recognize any of them as being part of the Red Top Pack. Did you?”

He shakes his head.
“What's our move?”

“Report it. There
were no moon-touched and there aren't any active campsites in this
area. That puts this in the category of shit that's not our concern,”
I say with a hint of relief.

“True,” he
agrees.

“Patrol's almost
over. You want to head that way?” I indicate back toward where
we met.

“Yeah, it's about
an hour’s walk.” He starts in the direction.

“Are you guys
having a party tomorrow?” he asks, likely wanting an invite.

“I honestly don't
know. Is there any particular reason we'd be having a party?”
With the lack of communication from the boys, it's possible that
Corey knows more than me.

“It's the Fourth
of July.” He says it like I should have known.

“Oh, yeah.”
I think about it for a moment. “I'm not sure what we're doing.”

“Well, let me
know. I'd love to hang out with you guys.” He seems sincere,
and he's been very well behaved tonight.

“I will.”

There's barely enough
time to drop my gear before heading to the clearing. I'm tired from
being up for over twenty-four hours, but knowing that I'm going to
swallow my pride and hopefully start getting Cole and I back to
speaking is infusing me with energy.

Albeit a little
nervous, but that's okay. Butterflies in the tummy aren't a bad
thing.

Before I reach the
clearing, I can feel him there. I go into stealth mode, because I
want to sneak up on him. I get directly behind him, lean down, and
cover his eyes with my hands. My lips brush against his ear when I
whisper low and sultry, “Guess who?”

He gently grasps my
wrists, lowering them from his eyes. He turns, looking up at me. The
hopeful grin that I can't help spreads wider across my features as
his expression softens. He closes his eyes and leans into my hand,
now cupping his cheek. He sighs my name with the relief of a thousand
heartaches. He opens his eyes, watery and hopeful, then he inhales to
speak, but I don't let him. I move as close to his lips as I can
without touching. His breath softly crosses my lips, leaving me
unable to process any thought or will.

Cole lurches up, gently
tangling his fingers in my hair, pulling me the short distance to
him. When his lips meet mine, my entire being explodes in a fiery
excitement. Never have I felt any sensation so strong, so compelling,
to leave me gasping for air but unable to separate from him to get
it.

He circles his strong
arms around me, pulling me down onto his lap, holding me tight in an
embrace that would shame eternity. The warmth of his arms and body
against mine is something that I've been craving, like oxygen. I've
imagined it a thousand times, but it still didn't prepare me for how
it actually feels, new every time. An upward spiraling euphoria,
every happy thought, tender moment in my life that has brought me to
this kiss, pales in comparison.

The surrender in this
kiss surges between us, igniting an undeniable fire. A lilac light
flows around us in a flutter of butterflies induced by the magic of
our love.

The danger in this kiss
only serves to excite us more, push us closer. The juxtaposition of
our love and our world will be our undoing.

And we don't care.