Moon Crossed (Werewolf Hunter Series): Season 1 (Episodes 1-6) (Crescent Hunter) (66 page)

Eighty-two days

The
house has been completely silent for a week now. Hayden isn't giving
me any info, but Zane told me that he was called to council to give
evidence of what I'm doing. Of course they aren't going to be talking
about anything that Pike has done.

No patrol for me, due
to my actions. It doesn't matter what my intentions were. Honestly, I
don't care. My time can be spent in the lab.

The information that
Lili brought me is disturbing. Pike has been experimenting on hybrids
for over twenty years. To what end, I have yet to figure out. There's
a lot of missing information.

Between the research
that Pike and I have been doing, I've confirmed that hybrids can't be
infected. There's also some interesting data on hybrid healing
abilities, as well as lifespan. It would seem that hybrid wolves
don't live nearly as long as pure breeds. My phone dings as the
presence of a wolf comes over me.

Hey I wanted to come
and check on you. Are you in the lab? ~Hayden

Yeah, let me know
when you're here and I'll come up. ~Claire

I'm here. ~ Hayden

I bound up the stairs,
wondering who's with him. I hope it's Ben; I haven't seen him in
days. “Hey!” My spirits lift as I see Ki.

He wraps his arms
around me, picking me up. “Hey there, kiddo, lookin' good.”

“Yeah.” I
roll my eyes, regaining my footing, then give Hayden a hug.

“Lookin' skinny
if you ask me.” Hayden studies me for a moment.

“So to what do I
owe the honor of your presence, oh wild wolf-borne?” I mock-bow
to Ki, hoping he won't acknowledge the skinny comment.

“We wanted to
talk to you about Pike and the council.” Ki sits at the kitchen
table, donning an uncharacteristic scowl.

“Oh, well I have
some things to bring to the council that they'll be very interested
in.” I get a cup of coffee and join them.

“It would seem
they are more interested in your activity.” Hayden shakes his
head. “What were you thinking?”

“I was thinking
that I needed the tissue to find a cure.” My tone is indignant,
not defensive.

“They do not
approve.” Ki leans forward on his elbows.

“Really?”
Oh, I can't wait to lay this on Ki, and pause for a moment to savor
it. “This information might just make them forget anything I've
done that they perceive as
inappropriate
.”

“What's that?”
Hayden asks, exchanging a look with Ki.

Inhaling a breath for
effect, I say, “I have evidence that Pike has been performing
experiments on live subjects for over twenty years.” I wait for
their reaction.

Ki gets a sick look on
his face, but Hayden remains stoic. My neck juts forward. “Did
you hear me?”

Ki nods. “That's
pretty bad, but...”

“But what?”
I stand from my chair. “How could this possibly not be earth
shattering news? The council would never agree to this!”

“The problem is
that Pike has most of the council in his pocket.” Ki shakes his
head.

“There is no way
that they are going to sweep this under the rug.” I pace the
floor, thinking. “The council has lost its way.”

“Claire, don't
talk like that,” Hayden warns.

“It's true. They
have ignored everything that's happening down here. Pike has waged
war against hunters and other packs.” I stop pacing and stare
Hayden squarely in the eye. “The biggest threat from the
council is their inaction.”

“I agree, but we
have to choose our battles,” Ki adds.

“We aren't given
the opportunity; the battles are being brought to us.” I shake
my head. “Yes, I should have been a little more discrete in
taking the organs out of the dead wolves. But I wasn't desecrating
them; for all we know, they were organ donors. What greater cause
other than saving their race could you think of?” My voice has
reached an upper register with my outrage.

“No one is seeing
things that way,” Ki says, hoping to reach my ability to
reason.

“If I could cure
the touch, would you be okay with me cutting your heart out if you
were dead?” I scrutinize his reaction.

Ki puts his hand to his
chest absently. “I guess.”

“Don't guess, Ki,
think.” I put my finger to my temple. “If I can find a
cure, so much of this is no longer a problem. Hunters and wolves can
live in harmony again, and the war can stop.” I throw my head
back in frustration. “The war is here. We're all just ignoring
what it is. Hunters are protecting other packs, and dropping like
flies I might add.” I turn to Hayden. “How many hunters
died last week?”

Hayden blanches at the
thought and visibly deflates. “Thirteen.”

“Thirteen.”
I'm disgusted. “One is too many, but thirteen?”

“Claire, you have
to understand that the council isn't sympathetic.” Hayden tries
to reason with me.

“Well they should
be.” I sit back down. “I'll go to the council and present
my evidence, and they will see no other choice but to stop Pike.”

“I hope that
could be the outcome, but it's not looking good. You have to behave
yourself.” Hayden narrows his eyes at me. “I have no
choice but to send you back out there due to our losses. Things are
getting worse. Pike’s attacks on Red Top have escalated. No
kills unless they're clean. But you've got to keep the patrols going
to protect Dugan and, more importantly, Rayel.”

“Do you really
think Pike would be so bold as to kill one of the original Elder
Shamans?” Surely he wouldn't.

“The threat has
been made, and Rayel is at risk.” Ki blows out a breath.

“Unbelievable,
and yet the council does nothing,” I huff out. “There's
no hope for peace at this rate.”

Ki's frustration level
increases and his body tenses. “Well let's talk about what we
can do instead of what we can't.”

“Good idea.”
Hayden gets a cup of coffee.

“In Pike's notes
there were two names: Coretta McAbee and Simone DeYoung. Do those
names mean anything to you?” I look at both of them.

Ki's demeanor changes
slightly, but they both shake their head. “I haven't heard of
them,” Hayden says, looking at his phone. “Hey, I've got
to go.” He looks at Ki. “Are you coming?”

“I'm going to
check Claire's gear; there are some modifications I want to make to
the bodice now that it's winter.” He nods.

“Okay, stay out
of trouble.” He eyes me, pointing his index finger in my
direction.

“I will.” I
press a smile. “Oh hey, I haven't seen Ben in a couple of days.
Can you tell him I miss him?”

“Will do,”
he says, closing the door.

Pinning Ki down with a
look, I say, “Adjusting my bodice, huh?”

“Hey, I want to
be sure you're safe.” He looks down.

“Tell me, what
real
news do you bring from the front?” I narrow my eyes
at him, watching to see if he's going to lie.

“Yes, it actually
is a full-blown front.” He blows out a breath. “I know
Hayden wants to keep you away from all of this, but you have to know
how bad things are.”

“Tell me.”
I raise my eyebrows.

“Things really
have escalated. Red Top has suffered a lot of casualties. The Cohutta
and Conasuaga packs have basically been dissolved. Their alphas have
been murdered and Pike absorbed the packs into Amicalola.”

“Ki, he has to be
stopped.” I stand up and start pacing again. “Is anyone
doing anything?”

“The Jacks River,
Coopers Creek, and Blue Ridge packs have all united. But that's not
going as well as one would hope.” He shakes his head. “Someone
needs to get in there as a moderator of sorts. There are too many
alphas and not enough cooks.” He glances up at me with hooded
eyes to see if I get the meaning of his mixed metaphor.

“Are you
suggesting I do something about that? Because I'm thinking they all
have one thing in common: they hate me.” A sarcastic smile
spreads across my face.

“Yes, but the
enemy of my enemy is my friend.” He looks for my understanding
in his words.

“So you're
suggesting I go to those packs?” I'm incredulous.

“Yes, I am. But
you didn't hear that from me.” He taps his finger on the table.
“I think with unity, Pike won't be able to make the other packs
an easy target.”

“Wow, how am I
not going to be killed moving around Chattahoochee?” I ask,
because I really am curious.

“You're smart.”
He sits in silent contemplation. “For instance, I'm sure you've
stocked the bunker in case you need a good place to hide.”

Interesting. “How
did you know about the bunker?” I ask, which seems like the
wrong thing to be concerned about.

“I helped Aengus
build it.” He doesn't look up at me. “It's completely
wolf-proof.”

“So you know
something else?”

“Yes, I know you.
You won't give up without a fight.” He looks into my eyes.
“Will you?”

I shake my head and a
defiant smile rises. “Nope.”

“That's my girl.”
He nods. “Also, I know those names. Don't involve Hayden.”
He gives me a look that tells me I need to keep my mouth shut.

“Why would Hayden
have a problem? Wouldn't he want me to find the answers I need?”
I'm baffled.

“It's not that he
doesn't want you to have the answers. It's that we all know how
reckless you are right now and following up on this info is going to
be very dangerous. You can handle it.” His confidence honors
me.

“Okay so what do
you know?” I get a pen and pad of paper from the desk in the
kitchen.

“Simone DeYoung
was a hunter. She died twenty-three years ago, so that's a dead end.”
He steeples his fingers.

“Nice pun.”
I nod, looking up after writing down how long she's been gone.

“Thanks.”
He lowers his eyes and continues with a sad lilt in his tone. “It's
rumored that Coretta McAbee is also dead, but since I didn't witness
it I can't say for sure. No one has heard from her in a long time.”

“Was she a
hunter?”

“Yes, she was.
Now, the good news is that there's a woman named Vivian McAbee who I
believe to be Coretta's kin.” His eyes widen.

“Do you know her?
Or know where I could start looking for her?”

“I know her.”
He nods. “And I can tell you the last place that she was.”

Noticing a longing look
in Ki's eye, I can't help but ask, “How well did you know her?”

He hangs his head.
“Well enough. Now, do you want the address?”

“Yeah.” I
push the notebook to him and he writes down an address way up in
Sugar Valley. “That's a day trip.”

“It is, but be
careful,” he warns.

“Always.”

As much as I want to
run up to Sugar Valley, I take heed to what Ki said. I need to be
ready. I've already been to the bunker a few times since things
started getting bad to make sure that there's food and water. Now I'm
going to take some things that are important to me, mostly of
sentimental value, like all of the family photo albums and important
papers. At least they'll be safe.

Ninety days

Running.
My heart is pumping so hard, making its presence known as I gulp in
the air, letting life flow through me. I'm free. The trees fly past
in a blur. Every scent in the air is multiplied: the blue indigos,
the crepe myrtles, the earth, and even the fresh flowing water in the
creek flows through my senses with an explosive sensation.

Cole keeps pace beside
me; this is just right. He gets ahead, jumping in front of me. I run
straight into him, lunging and landing on top of him. The essence of
his scent is making me drunk with passion. I have to touch him, take
him into every part of me. I still for a moment, looking into his
beautiful blue eyes and bask in this perfect moment. It's just us.

He shifts into human
form under me and scratches behind my ears. It's like heaven. Cole
pulls my head down gently and whispers in my ear, “Shift.”