Five

 

 

 

The world was suffocating, pressing downwards until it flattened her into the floor, or at least that was how Luna was feeling. She had been tossing and turning all night, unable to get more than a few hours’ sleep before waking up to the sensation of someone watching her.

Because there always was.

Michael regularly checked in on her through the night since she outright refused to share a room with him, slowly opening her door to ensure that nothing had crept into the house without his knowledge. He’d obviously tried to do it quietly, but the creaky hinges always woke her up. Glancing at the time on her phone, Luna reckoned it would only be an hour or so before he checked in again. Urgh.

There was nothing worse than an overprotective brother with a dozen people under his command. Chase, as his beta, took his alpha’s orders without hesitation and Pierre, even though he wasn’t a member of the pack, was happy enough to accept his command to keep Luna safe.

Safe. Luna should be happy that there was a team of supernatural beings ready to protect her with their lives – as they had demonstrated in the past – but the bubble of frustration was slowly consuming her. What she wouldn’t give just to have a couple of hours to herself, without the shadows of Michael and the others darkening her personal space. But no, they continued to follow her around, never getting more than a few feet from her at all times.

Sighing, Luna sat up in bed, the duvet wrapped around her legs. What she wouldn’t give just for some freedom right about now. True, Michael was in his room across the hall, but he was still too close for comfort. If she just sat on the porch, getting some fresh air, what harm could it do?

Gingerly, she got to her feet. With each quiet step she took towards her bedroom door where her robe and slippers waited, her muscles reminded her of the intensity of yesterday’s training session. Ignoring the ache as best as she could, Luna quickly pulled the thick plush damson robe over her flannel pyjamas before slipping into her faux fur bootie slippers. They may not have looked sexy, but they were warm. Just as she reached for the door, her eyes fell onto the black box sitting on her dresser. Better to be safe than sorry, she told herself. Slowly, she opened the lid, revealing the dagger inside.

Only a few months ago, this dagger had saved her life. Six inches long and only an inch wide, the metal shone in the fading darkness, the black hilt decorated with geometric designs. Chase had given it to her, the magic it possessed useless in his hands. It only worked for women. As far as they knew, it contained two powers – the ability to set things alight when you said the word ignite, and the ability to suck the life force out of whoever’s body it was plunged into. Luna had found out about the second power through personal experience. Even now, the horror as all the life drained out of the werewolf she had stabbed gave her shivers. Securing the dagger in the side of her pyjama bottoms, Luna welcomed the warmth the blade gave off. For a brief moment, it was as though it enjoyed being next to her, like a cat purring and rubbing itself against its mistress.

Slowly, trying not to disturb her brother, Luna opened the door and crept down the stairs. Taking care not to step on the creaky one in the middle, she heaved a sigh of relief when she managed to get all the way without Michael catching her. Now for the tough part; opening the front door.

To her right, the fancy alarm system that Michael had installed stood out in the shadows. Quickly punching in the code, she held her breath as the audible click sounded in the silence. The metal handle was cold in her hands as she pulled the door open enough so that she could slip out and then closed it with the softest click.

Outside, the air was as still as glass but cold enough to hurt. Gasping as the cold air hit her face, Luna hurried to close the door behind her. Bitterly cold, the sky was still dark but just starting to lose some of its intensity. Stars twinkled above, fading with the coming of dawn, visible through the light drizzle of snowflakes drifting lazily to the ground. Ice clung to every tree limb. Her breath was vapour in the wind, the cold licking at her exposed skin. Clutching her dressing gown tighter against her body, Luna headed for her favourite seat on the porch, lightly dusted with snow, protected against the falling snow.

Freedom. She was finally alone. The thought reverberated in her head, a mantra that breathed satisfaction throughout her mind each time she repeated the words. This was exactly what she needed. A smile drifted across her face as she inhaled the crisp air, taking in the beauty of the early morning. The woods in front of her were a line of dark shadows and pure white snow. Virginia was a world away from the bustle of Paris. There, even in the dead of winter, in the early mornings, the noise would find its way up through her closed windows. While she was used to it, the silence of the woods filled her with a comfort that she hadn’t really expected when she returned.

As she glanced upwards, watching snowflakes fall from the pre-dawn sky, something caught her attention. A creak just off to the side of the long driveway that hid the family house from the main road. Eyes widening slightly, Luna froze, her breath lodging in the back of her throat. You should get back inside now, a little voice told her, but curiosity took hold of her, demanding to know what was out there threatening her sense of freedom.

Slowly rising to her feet, Luna made her way towards the steps. Nothing was visible in the shadows of the woods that she could see as she as she squinted through the snowfall, but Luna carefully made her way down. The cold air began to numb the skin of her face, the residual heat she’d brought with her from the house fading with each step. Each breath produced another cloud of vapour that threatened to block her vision. Gently, Luna stepped onto the snow, the thick powder causing her to sink into it up to her ankles, pulling more heat away from within her body. Clutching her robe tighter as if to stop the precious heat from escaping, she took several steps forward.

A whisper of sound breathed through the woods. The creak came again. An icy shiver ran down Luna’s spine. The voice in her head urged her to go back, but she froze in place. Luna craned her head to the side, trying to pin down the exact location where the noise originated from. Holding her breath, she attempted to peer into the utter blackness of the woods, where the lightening dawn or the still visible moon still couldn’t touch.

Another crack sounded throughout the clearing, a whisper on the wind. Twisting her head to the right, Luna gasped.

A shimmer of a thousand fireflies lit up in the middle of the driveway, a shadowy outline emerging from its centre. Each step, the shimmers faded, the figure moving closer until she recognised the handsome features of Chase. A black leather jacket and his trademark dark jeans moulded to his body, his tanned skin looked warm in the bitter cold, and she ached to feel that warmth underneath her freezing fingers. A slight breeze blew the snow around his feet in swirls.

“Chase,” she whispered as relief flooded through her body, his name melting the coldness away. An urge to go to him, to run through the snow, consumed her, but she stayed fixed to the spot, her eyes never leaving Chase’s face.

“Luna,” he called, his voice seductive and low. “I’m here for you. I’ll protect you from all harm. You don’t need to fear anything when I’m around.”

Luna watched as he sauntered towards her. Damn, the man was sexy. Chase was sin on legs, especially the way he strode down the path towards her, confidence and protectiveness oozing from every pore. But still, there was something off about him.

The shimmering light had all but faded, the lingering traces illuminating the seductive expression stretched across his face, the amber hue in his eyes shining intensely. As Luna continued to gaze into those amber eyes, a sense of dread washed over her. The need to move, to move backwards away from Chase’s slow strides, flowed through her. Those eyes weren’t Chase’s eyes; they weren’t the eyes of his wolf. They were too bright, too intense - too wrong.

Move, Luna, move your damn feet now! Sucking in a breath, Luna forced every ounce of energy inside her body to step back. As her foot touched down into the snow, a shimmery white light flashed before her, and then ripped apart like a curtain tearing at the seams. The translucent particles revealed a woman’s face only a few inches from her own. A hideous grin stretched across her tanned features and ruby lips pulled back into a maddened expression of murderous intent. A shimmer of metal flashed in front of her eyes.

A gasp ripped out of Luna’s mouth as the metal blade slashed down in front of her. Instinct took control of her; as the woman’s arms hurled down, Luna’s arm instantly blocked it. The knife missed its target, hitting air and produced a hiss of anger from its wielder as she stumbled forward.

“Damn you, you little bitch,” she spat, her accent thick and unusual to her ears. “I almost had you there, but I’ll get you now.” She slashed at Luna again.

Fear and dread coiled within her chest. Wide-eyed, Luna dodged the knife again, jumping to the side. In the fading darkness, snowflakes shone against the dullness of the woman’s unkempt slate grey hair. Wearing black jeans and a thick leather jacket, she had the appearance of someone who had recently escaped from a mental institution, complete with customary mad expression plastered across her face.

“What do you want?” Luna gulped, her breath coming in short, shallow gasps.

“Your blood smeared all over my hands would be a nice start,” she replied, her words ending on a maniacal cackle as she lunged for Luna again.

Blocking the madwoman’s aim, Luna kicked out with her left leg, sending her attacker muttering a string of curses. As Luna ducked under her arm, she held onto the woman’s wrist, twisting her arm upwards. Grunting, she kicked out, striking Luna’s knee. Gasping, Luna stumbled, releasing her arm. Spinning around, the madwoman grabbed hold of Luna’s robe before slamming her forehead into her nose.

Blood spurted all over Luna, a pattern of crimson lace settling on her clothes, sending her sprawling to the ground. Gasping, a wave of pain flowed through her as the woman struck her forehead with the blunt hilt of the knife. Luna fell backwards, the coldness of the snow instantly absorbing any remaining body heat. Drops of blood trailed the snow like crimson breadcrumbs.

She felt a heavy weight on her stomach. Through the haziness distorting her vision, Luna looked up to see her attacker. “The sight of your red blood all over your pretty face does look nice. Makes up for being out in the fucking cold at this goddamned hour. Now you’re gonna come with me, and I don’t want any fuss from you otherwise I’m gonna stick my knife in you until you cooperate. You got that?”

“Get this instead,” Luna spat out. Swiftly, she lashed out, her fist hitting the woman’s stomach. Forcing her off her body, Luna jumped up, kicking out with her feet, but her padded booties didn’t have quite the impact she had wished for. Her attacker reached up, grabbed her by the ankle and twisted, sending Luna face-first into the cold snow.

Snow swirled, sparkling like silver dust in the limited light. Spluttering out the cold powder covering her face, Luna felt the weight of the mad woman jump onto her back. Heart pounding in her chest, Luna cried out when she felt her punch her shoulders and upper back repeatedly.

“You fucking bitch! I’m gonna see you pay for that!” A string of curses unravelled from her tongue, her accent deepening with each word. Luna twisted around, attempting to block the rain of blows. Hot anger shimmered off her, her dark, cold eyes fierce in their relentless attack. Red light crackled along the woman’s skin, menacing against the frozen woods. The snow underneath her pressed against her back until she could feel her dagger warm against her skin.

Telling herself to get to the knife at all costs, Luna hissed in pain as she wrestled with the fist that was quickly making its way towards her face. “No,” she cried out, as she grasped that wrist with both hands. But the maddened attacker just struck her across the face with the hilt of the knife.

Stars exploded behind Luna’s eyes, tears seeping out from their corners. Sucking in a deep breath, all Luna could feel was intense pain shooting throughout her head. All she could do was wait for the next blow. Feeling herself drift into a sea of pain, she could vaguely make out the glimmer of cold metal rising above her head.

Push, Luna, fight back, the voice in her head repeated over and over again, but no matter how hard she tried, Luna couldn’t move. All she could do was feel the pain coursing through her body. Weakness slipped into her limbs. The glimmer came closer and closer, slicing its way through the air, only mere centimetres from her face. Luna closed her eyes, bracing for its impact.

But it never came.

A whip of cold air blasted over her, the weight of her attacker suddenly disappearing. A blur of shadows from her left caught her attention, but Luna couldn’t make out anything but the distant sounds of swearing and growling. The smell of copper rang through her nose. The sounds of cursing stopped, replaced by a sickening gurgling before it, too, ceased.

Luna gasped, sucking in as much air as she possibly could, trying to see through the shadows that were creeping in on the corners of her vision. She attempted to sit up, to understand what was going on, but dizziness flooded through her. Luna thought she could see another dark figure crouched over the woman, smaller than the madwoman, but she couldn’t be sure. The sight of fresh blood seeping onto the snow filled her vision.

“Who are you?” Luna whispered, her throat raw, the words barely audible as the cold wind picked up speed around her. Snowflakes landed on her face, numbing it as they settled. The other figure looked over at her, the face hidden by a dark hood, unable to see its eyes. A creak in the distance caught the figure’s attention. Scrambling to its feet, the figure ran off into the woods, hidden instantly by the inky shadows. A wave of blackness washed over her, threatening to drown her within its depths.

“Luna!” came a voice.

“Michael,” she whispered, his name barely spoken before she gave into the pain, allowing the darkness to take hold completely.