Riley's Torment, A Moon's Glow Novel #2 (8 page)

In the silence
of the car, Nate could smell perfume and cologne from people
waiting in their vehicles along with lake water, garbage and pizza
from the restaurant down the street. But the familiar scent of
raspberries was not among them. He missed her bright green eyes and
the feel of her strawberry blond hair between his fingers. His
heart ached as the image of her beautiful face appeared in his
mind. Forgetting his vow to calm down, he worked himself into a
wolfish rage. The feel of his teeth lengthening came on so fast
that he was shocked. He couldn't turn inside the car with innocent
people all around them. He closed his mind and concentrated on his
human teeth, taking deep calming breaths. He clenched his hand into
fists and fought for control.

"You okay?" Joe
asked as Nate shook, resisting the urge to turn. "Full moon's
tomorrow night. Is it affecting you?"

"No, I was
thinking of Megan, and my wolf got impatient with our search."
Nate's voice was gravelly, but at least it wasn't a growl.

Joe was silent
with a thoughtful look on his face. "We'll find them,” he said. “We
knew it wouldn't be easy. Charlotte wants us to suffer."

"I know that!”
Nate snapped. “Just tell that to the wolf who marked his mate. He
wants to kill her."

Joe tensed. His
hand gripped the steering wheel. "Nate," he began, his tone a
warning.

"Here comes the
ferry," Nate announced, interrupting his friend before they could
resume the argument on how to handle Joe’s sister. He saw the bow
of the boat move toward them. The Canadian flag rippled in the wind
and left a muddle of shiny colors in the water.

"I'll slip out
and sneak on. I won't be long." Without another word, Nate glided
out the door.

Nate hid in the
shadows as the boat docked and slipped onto the metal landing,
inching unnoticed along the sides of the boat. A stab of
disappointment flowed through him when the only scents he could
smell were from the men working, garbage, and lake water. It was
too strong—it washed away any traces of the girls.

Back in the
car, he shut his door and explained his news to Joe.

"Should we go
over to scout for their scent?" Joe asked, disappointment shining
in his eyes.

Nate was torn.
"Yes, we should check, just in case. I hate wasting time, but if
they're there..." He trailed off, knowing that Joe would
understand.

His friend
nodded his head. "I agree; we can't risk missing them."

When all the
cars were loaded, a man in a big blue coat and navy blue hat leaned
in the driver’s side window. His bushy eyebrows were the prominent
feature on his otherwise plain face.

"Passports?" he
said, shivering from the cold air. Both men handed him what he
requested, and with a small smile that moved his eyebrows up and
down, reminding Nate of caterpillars creeping over a branch, he
moved to the vehicle behind them.

The motor
chugged for about twenty minutes. By the time they docked at their
destination, it was close to ten. Once they were finally on solid
ground, the men pulled over to the side of the road about a hundred
feet from the dock.

"Should we
change? We could cover the whole island faster in wolf form." Joe
suggested, glancing around the deserted area. The roads were paved
roughly, and no houses were visible. Woodland was all they could
see, but they could smell humans a few miles away.

"Good idea. You
take the east, I’ll take west?" Nate asked, glancing from side to
side, making sure the coast was clear before he began
stripping.

Once Joe
nodded, they parted ways to prepare for their change. As soon as
they had stashed their clothes by a nearby tree, they both leaned
down on all fours, concentrating on their wolf form. Normally,
without the full moon, they had to call to their wild side, but
ever since they found their mates missing, they had been holding
the animal at bay.

The wolf burst
out of Nate, the image of green eyes and strawberry-blond hair in
his mind. He didn't wait for the wolf next to him; instead, he took
off through the unknown terrain searching for his mate. He flew
through the trees and bushes, jumped over overturned logs and brush
effortlessly. Branches and thorns bit into his fur, but he didn't
notice. His mind was filled with white noise; he registered
nothing, only concentrating on one scent—that wasn't there.

His paws
pounded the uneven ground as he raced through the woods; he inhaled
all the smells around him deeply. About a half mile into the trek,
he turned as civilization appeared in the distance. A house stood
at the end of a driveway, but he paid no attention. The only smells
emanating from the house were fried chicken, vegetables, and a
combination of human sweat and soap—nothing that interested
him.

After a few
more miles, he encountered more houses, more smells, but no
Charlotte, no Megan, and no Lauren. Frustration filled the wolf’s
mind as he forced himself to move faster and cover more ground. His
paws pounded the earth like thunder. It didn't take long before he
came to a road that was lined with businesses—a general store, a
hotel with a bar, and a few restaurants. There was a long line of
cars that must be waiting for another ferry to take them to the
neighboring city, but he didn’t care, since none of the girl’s
scents were around.

He followed the
road, slipping through backyards, hoping to avoid being seen. It
was late, after midnight, but this part of the island was alive
with activity. Crowds of people gathered around a hotel, and loud
music pumped out of the building.

Leaving them
behind, Nate followed the road back to the rear of the island, this
time from a different path, knowing that Joe would take an
alternate route so they could cover more ground. They didn't need
words—they had been running together off and on for fifty odd
years.

About ten
minutes away from the village, he caught a whiff of werewolf. Out
of curiosity, he followed the scent to a house, and he crawled over
to peek through the window. A man he knew was not entirely human
sat on a leather sofa watching TV by himself. Nate didn’t detect
any of the scents he was looking for, so he moved on.

Time was
passing by, and he was no further ahead in his search. The wolf was
getting agitated the longer he was away from her. The scent of
dirt, pine, grass, and animals was all he could smell. He could
sense his pack member a few miles away searching with the same
results—there was no sign of them.

As he came up
to the spot where he had begun his hunt, he skidded to a stop. He
felt defeated, lost, and incredibly angry. He leaned back on his
hind legs, lifted his head to the night sky, and howled.

I sat up
quickly at the sound of an agonizing howl. My head felt dizzy by
the sudden move. I glanced around my surroundings, feeling confused
and lightheaded. My limbs were achy, and drained of all energy. I
was lying in a bed in a small room that smelled of mothballs. The
walls were lined with faded wood paneling, and besides the creaky
bed underneath me, all that occupied the room was a white
dresser.

Through the
window, I could see that darkness had fallen. A lamp on the dresser
gave off the only light, creating creepy shadows along the walls.
The howl I heard had been a lone one, and there was only silence
now. Not even the sound of a clock ticking broke through the quiet.
The lack of noise was like an overwhelming pulse of energy that
threatened to suffocate me. I suddenly had a powerful need to hear
a voice, a ring, even a scream. Any sound of life would help the
fear that sat on my chest like a weight.

The last thing
I remembered was being at the cottage with Lauren and then
Charlotte. A flash of déjà-vu went through my mind. I had woken up
the same way earlier in the trunk of a car with Lauren. Being
knocked out was really getting old. What I wouldn't give to slam
Charlotte's head into something for a change.

Moving slowly
to the edge of the bed, I felt a spring that poked through the
mattress as I placed my feet on the wood floor to test my balance.
I was still wearing the ballet flats I had put on this morning. I
felt a little dizzy, but I was stable enough to stand. I tiptoed to
the closed door and put my head against the smooth wood, listening
for any signs of Charlotte. Again, there was only silence.

I tried the
knob, half expecting it to be locked, but it turned smoothly. The
hinges from the door creaked when it opened. The noise was
extremely loud in the otherwise quiet surroundings. Beyond the room
was a small kitchen and living room combo, all wood-panelled.
Flowered curtains faded from the sun hung on the tiny windows. The
room was filled with dusty plush furniture and rickety looking
table and chairs. Deer shaped salt and pepper shakers were placed
on the table and a stuffed fish decorated the fireplace mantel. The
smell of mothballs permeated the room.

I flinched at
the sound of a moan behind a door next to the room I emerged from.
Afraid of who it could be, I headed over slowly, careful not to
make too much noise.

"Megan?" Even
though Lauren's voice was muffled through the door, I could still
hear the panic in it.

Relief washed
over me in a wave. I hated that Lauren was in this situation, but I
was thankful I wasn’t alone. I turned the knob, and pushed the door
open.

Lauren sat up
in a bed similar to the one I woke in. Her hair was messy and
falling over half of her face. Her eyes were sleepy and confused.
The room was as equally small as mine but with a rocking chair in
the corner. Thankfully, Charlotte was nowhere to be seen.

I rushed to
her, throwing my arms around her neck. For some reason, the
raspberry scent from my shampoo in her hair brought me comfort—a
little piece of home.

"Where are we?"
she asked into my hair.

I let her go
and drew back. "I don't know, I just woke up. It's dark outside; we
must have been asleep all day."

Lauren nodded,
her face scrunched up in fear. "She drugged us."

"How do you
know?"

"After she
slammed your head against the trunk and knocked you out, she shot
you with a needle, and said, ‘This will keep you out.’ Then she
knocked me out and no doubt did the same."

"That's why I
feel so drained."

"I guess so. Is
Charlotte here?" Lauren whispered, her troubled hazel eyes shifting
behind me and to the door beyond.

I shrugged.
"I'm not sure. I don't think so." I stood up, pulling her with me.
"We should go explore. Maybe there's a phone or something."

Hand in hand,
we ventured back out to the living room; the tapping of our shoes
on the wood floor was the only sound. We separated with Lauren
taking the small kitchen area while I looked in the living room.
Neither of us could find a phone.

I sat down on
the stuffed chair while Lauren checked the only door to the
outdoors. When it opened, cold air rushed in. I jumped up and
joined her, peeking outside. All that we could see was a small
yard, with a forest beyond. Bare branches and cedar bushes danced
with the breeze. At the sound of waves crashing in the strong wind,
I realized there must be a lake behind us.

Lauren paused
at the door. "I saw a flashlight in one of the kitchen drawers."
She left me, but was back in a flash, now with a beam of light to
guide us.

We ventured
outside to try and find a way out of this awful mess, wandering
down the yard looking for a road. There was nothing but trees.
Besides the flashlight, the only illumination was the moon, which
helped to light the way. I was right; the cabin was located next to
a lake. Now that I lived with Nate, I was used to the sound of
waves.

My eyes
widened, and hope flared as I spotted a motorboat docked at the
edge of the property. Our salvation—we were free. I actually knew
how to drive one. Nate had taught me in the summer. All we needed
was a key. I crossed my fingers as I rushed towards the midnight
black vessel, the uneven ground making me wobble more than run. The
only reason we saw it was because the moon shone off of the shiny
paint; otherwise, it would have blended into the darkness.

As I stepped
onto the deck of the boat, my heart sank, and disappointment
wracked through my body. The ignition was empty.

"Damn
it," I said, feeling deflated. I wanted to get mad and have a
tantrum. But I needed to stay clear-headed… and be smart.
I could be
smart.

Lauren came up
behind me and started to move the flash light around, looking for
the key. She searched under the seat, the steering wheel, in both
compartments and every inch of the floor, with no results. Whoever
owned this boat had the key with them unless it was in the cottage.
Before I could voice my thoughts, Lauren spoke.

"Do you think
this is the only cabin around? Maybe we should look around to see
if there are any neighbors with phones we can use."

The idea of
walking around in the middle of nowhere in the dead of night with
the threat of a sadistic werewolf lurking about terrified me. But
what other choice was there? We were left alone in a cabin, and
this was our only chance. We joined hands once again and followed
the water’s edge, which was pebbled and at times rocky. The wind
whipped our hair and cut at our skin. We were wearing
short-sleeves, but we hardly noticed the cold. If we could get
free, then it would be worth it.

As we walked,
the tiny pebbles turned into stones and eventually boulders that
were almost impossible to walk over without tripping. My choice of
footwear this morning was not exactly suitable for hiking on rocks
and boulders. The rocks dug into my soles. And since there was
absolutely no tread on the bottom of my ballet flats, I slipped
over the boulders and stubbed my toes against the hard edges. I
gazed towards the edge of the trees, constantly hoping for flat
ground to make our trek easier, but there was none. The brush grew
right to the edge of the water.