First Moon (The Ternion Order Book 1) Read online

  He shook his head at himself. Man, what am I doing?

  It was so easy to fall back into the comfortable patterns he’d had with Sherry in their prior life together. The longer he stayed with her, the harder it would be to separate later. Adding sex back into the mix sure as hell wasn’t going to make matters any easier. He had to put an end to this somehow, before she got seriously hurt.

  While Sherry took her shower, Kyle got dressed and poured himself a cup of coffee. In the past, he’d always prepared Sherry’s cup for her too. He considered not getting hers ready just to break pattern, but he realized the gesture would be a hollow one. It would only hurt her feelings if she caught on to what he was doing.

  He frowned while he poured her coffee, knowing that at some point her feelings were going to get hurt anyway.

  By the time Sherry exited the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her head and another around her torso, Kyle was dressed and almost ready to leave.

  “Wow. You are in a hurry,” she commented as she let her hair down and used the towel to squeeze the last bit of water from it.

  Kyle stood at the door with his hand on the knob. “I guess I’ll see you here tonight. I’m not sure what time I’ll be back because of this new project, and I plan to stop by the house.”

  Sherry stopped fussing with her hair and came toward him. “What? No good-bye kiss?”

  Kyle leaned forward and gave her a brief but tender kiss on the lips. “Have fun at work today,” he said, opening the door.

  Sherry rolled her eyes. “I’ll try. You know those lawyers—they’re a hoot and a half.”

  Kyle chuckled as he pulled the door closed behind him and hustled along the walkway to the stairs that would take him down to the parking lot.

  Although Kyle did plan to get to work early, what he really needed to do was get away from Sherry for a while so he could think. The next full moon was only a week away, and he still hadn’t managed to get in contact with Amanda. Where was she? What was she doing? At lunch, he might shoot over to Butterflies and Rainbows to see if Lucille could tell him anything.

  He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he didn’t notice that the car parked next to his Explorer was occupied, until the dark-tinted window rolled down as he came alongside.

  “Good morning, Kyle.”

  Kyle jumped and took a step back. The face behind the sunglasses belonged to Fenris Kellen, the Foundation’s lawyer. “What’s up, Fenris?”

  “Skyler saw the report of the fire at your house, and we were all concerned. Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.” Kyle waved toward the hotel. “I’m staying here until the repairs are finished.”

  Fenris glanced toward the building with a smirk to show his opinion of it. “You know that isn’t necessary. Our offer to stay at the Foundation still stands. I can guarantee you’d be a lot more comfortable there, and you’d save a lot of money. It would be safer too.”

  A spike of anger over the implication that choosing not to stay at the Foundation might be unsafe pushed aside Kyle’s sense of caution. “I felt perfectly safe until I told Deputy Arpin that I didn’t want to stay at the Foundation. Now I’m wondering what the next accident will be.”

  The lawyer frowned. “I hope you aren’t suggesting that we had anything to do with the fire. That kind of slander would be actionable if you repeated it to anyone else.”

  Kyle rolled his eyes. Leave it to a lawyer to go straight to the threat of a lawsuit. “It isn’t slander if it’s true,” he retorted.

  The lawyer spoke in a bored voice. “If you find evidence that it’s true, let me know and I’ll take care of it. In the meantime, it would be in your best interest for you to part ways with the young lady and stay with us for the next week.”

  Of course they knew about Sherry. If they had started the fire, the curling iron would have been a giveaway as well as a convenient tool for arson. And now they were here, lying in wait for him. Kyle had never spotted them following him, but the Pack seemed to have eyes everywhere. He could add paranoid glances in the rearview mirror to his list of distractions. But to be fair, it wasn’t paranoid if they really were out to get you.

  “I told Deputy Arpin that I would let you know if I changed my mind about staying at the Foundation. I haven’t changed my mind.”

  The lawyer stared at him for a moment. “Kyle, let me be blunt. We are concerned about your well-being and the safety of your companion. If you do not place yourself in our care, you will jeopardize both.” He glanced around furtively and lowered his voice. “The one time you cannot control your transformation is at your first full moon. Your girlfriend will be in great danger. You must be in a secure location.”

  That was new information. Without thinking, Kyle asked for verification. “I can’t control the transformation at First Moon?”

  The lawyer tapped his fingers on the car door. “So, the witch has been telling tales.”

  Shit. They’ve never used the term First Moon with me. I’m sorry, Amanda. I did it again.

  It was time for Amanda’s emergency plan. “You people said you’d answer my questions, but you danced around a lot of details. Amanda helped me understand what I’m getting myself into.”

  The lawyer’s face colored slightly and he leaned forward. “As I told you before, the witch has an agenda. You should stay away from her. If she told you about Erst Mond, you know there is nothing you can do to stop what is happening. You will come to us one way or the other. If you come now, you will avoid causing pointless danger to those around you.”

  So Amanda had been telling the truth all along. She apparently didn’t know about the involuntary transformation, but it was unlikely that a human had ever witnessed First Moon and lived to report it. It was also possible that Fenris was lying.

  A wave of hopelessness sapped Kyle’s strength, making him stumble backward and bump against the door of his Explorer. He almost gave up and agreed right then to go along with Fenris. He’d heard nothing from Amanda. Sherry would be confused and hurt, but she’d stay safe. He could call in to work from the Foundation and give them some excuse to be gone for the next week. It didn’t matter what he told Vanya—he wouldn’t be going back to work there anyway.

  The lawyer sensed victory and smiled. He nodded at Kyle encouragingly. “You know I’m right. We can go to the Foundation right now.”

  Amanda’s words from their discussion on Saturday rose to the forefront of his mind. Don’t give up on yourself. And don’t give up on me. It was true that he had only a week left, but at least he had that one week. He couldn’t give up as long as there was even an infinitesimal chance of being cured.

  But how would he justify his continued refusal to Fenris? He had to buy more time without tipping Fenris off to the real reason he needed more time.

  “Fine, but I’m not going to simply disappear right now. I need to wrap up a few things first. Give me a couple days.”

  The lawyer’s smile turned to a frown and a glare. “Don’t mess with me, Kyle. We can take care of anything you need. You don’t even have to drive. I can take you up there with me.”

  Kyle didn’t doubt that Fenris’s dark-blue sedan would become his hearse if he got in right then. That image gave him an idea for a way to deflect Fenris from the truth.

  Kyle straightened himself up and unlocked the door of his Explorer. “That’s not going to happen. I don’t trust whatever comfort you may be offering. I have one week left of my life, and I’m keeping it.”

  The lawyer started his car’s engine. “You’re making a terrible mistake,” he stated flatly as he put the car in gear and drove off.

  Kyle got into his rig and took a deep breath to slow his pounding heart. His hands shook in reaction to the confrontation, and he beat his fists against the steering wheel to make the shaking stop.

  When he drove out of the parking lot toward work, his frustration turned his stomach into knots. Where in the hell was Amanda?

  Chapter 10

  Pagan O
rigins

  Kyle was getting settled in at his desk when his phone rang. It wasn’t eight o’clock yet, so he considered letting the call go to voicemail. But what if Amanda was calling? He picked up the handset and answered.

  It was Sherry. “Who the hell is Amanda? I thought you said you didn’t hook up with anyone while I was gone.”

  Kyle’s mind reeled. “What are you talking about? I didn’t hook up with Amanda. What’s going on? Is she there with you? Let me talk to her, please.”

  “She’s gone now. Who is she, Kyle?”

  “She’s just a friend who is helping me with … a project. What did she say?”

  “She said she needs to talk to you. She said she had news. What news? Like maybe she isn’t pregnant with your child?”

  Kyle couldn’t help laughing, which only made Sherry angrier.

  “Don’t you dare laugh at me. I want to know who she is.”

  “Sorry. I laughed because the idea of Amanda carrying my child is ridiculous, since we’ve never had sex. You are way off-base on this one, Sherry. Please stop assuming the worst.”

  The line went quiet, but Kyle could still hear Sherry breathing. “Okay. I have to go to work now, but I want to talk about this later.”

  Kyle hung up the phone and stared at it. Great. Another complication.

  The phone rang again and Kyle shook his head. Sherry wasn’t going to let go of this easily. He picked it up and answered with a resigned, “Hello.”

  “You sound glum.”

  “Amanda! I am so glad to hear from you. I’ve been trying to get in touch with you for days.”

  “I know. Sorry about that. Some of my research took me out of town.”

  “Sherry said you have news.”

  The line was quiet for a moment. “She already called you? No wonder I couldn’t get through a minute ago. Sorry if I caused any trouble. I didn’t know you had a live-in girlfriend.”

  “She’s not my girlfriend. Well, she used to be. I’m not sure what she is now. It’s a long, complicated story that I’d rather save for a time when I don’t have a week left to live.”

  Amanda chuckled. “I understand. Well, the good news is that I’ve been able to run down more information about the successful lupusdaemon exorcism. It was performed by a Navajo medicine man. I couldn’t get anyone from the tribe in Arizona to talk to me about it, but while I was down there, I found a record of an eyewitness account from a trader who was visiting the tribe at the time. After correlating that account with the other information I’ve gathered, I have a working theory.”

  The line went quiet just when she was getting to the good part. Kyle motioned her to continue even though she couldn’t see him. “Which is what? Don’t leave me hanging here.”

  The reluctance in her voice was clear. “Well, it’s still only a theory, but the one thing that stands out about this exorcism is that it wasn’t performed by a priest. According to ancient legend, lupusdaemons entered the world through pagan magic. It might take a similar form of ancient magic to remove them from the world as well.”

  Kyle’s spirits sank. “So what can we do if the tribe won’t talk to you and a priest can’t help me?”

  Amanda responded with a terse and mildly offended tone. “Pay attention, Kyle. I’m a witch. Pagan magic is kind of my specialty.”

  After an embarrassed silence, Kyle got his vocal cords working again. “Sorry. You can probably tell that I know absolutely nothing about magic.”

  “That’s okay. I’m sure most of this seems ridiculous to you, but if you want my help, you’re going to have to trust me.”

  “I do trust you. You’re the only one who hasn’t been lying to me.”

  “Okay, good. I think we can try an exorcism on Saturday. I need a few more days to gather some things I’ll need for the ceremony and work up an incantation. I have to warn you that I’ve never created a spell this powerful from scratch before. There are risks to both of us if it goes wonky.”

  “Wonky?”

  “That’s a technical term we witches use for spells that don’t work out as anticipated.”

  For a moment, Kyle thought she was being serious. Then he got the joke. “Oh, ha-ha. Be careful saying stuff like that. I know so little about what you do that I can’t tell when you’re kidding.”

  “Sorry about that. So, other than the complicated situation with that girl in your hotel room, how have things been going?”

  Kyle sighed, knowing he had to fess up about the conversation with Fenris that morning. “I hate to tell you this, but the Pack knows about our little chat.”

  “How much do they know?” she said in a tight voice.

  Someone coming into the office walked by Kyle’s cubicle right then, so Kyle lowered his voice.

  “They don’t know about the cure, but they figured out that you told me about the demon.”

  With relief in her voice, she said, “I expected that. Just not so soon. Anything else?”

  Yes, there was something else, but Kyle was reluctant to bring it up due to his growing interest in her. He really didn’t want to talk to her about Sherry or what had happened with Sherry last night, but Amanda’s safety was at stake too, so he had to tell her.

  “I think the demon is gaining more control,” Kyle said.

  “In what way?”

  “Sherry told me that last night I … we did something I don’t remember doing.”

  “Did something?” Amanda laughed. “I can imagine. It was Clarissa’s demon, after all. Lupusdaemon Horndogus.”

  Kyle’s face went hot. “Yeah, you get the picture. Anyway, I’m worried it might take over while I’m asleep again and contact the Pack. I’m also worried it might feel threatened by our plans and try to switch to Sherry.”

  “It can’t. Transference can only happen during a full moon. Remember? I told you about Vollmondritus.”

  “Right. Right. Sorry, but none of this stuff makes much sense to me.”

  “Keep it together a little bit longer, Kyle.”

  “Okay. I’ll try.”

  “Listen, I’m going to leave something with Lucille that might help keep the demon at bay. I’ve never heard of one manifesting before Erst Mond, or I’d have given it to you sooner. It won’t taste good, and it might upset your stomach a little, but take it before you go to sleep.”

  “Thank you. When should I pick it up?”

  “I’ll make sure it’s there by lunchtime today.”

  “Thanks again, Amanda. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you for all this.”

  “Don’t worry about that now. Let’s focus on getting rid of that demon. I need to go. I’ll talk to you later.”

  They said good-bye and Kyle hung up the phone. He stared at the handset for a moment, wondering what she meant by not worrying about paying her back now. He couldn’t quibble with whatever she might ask of him because she was saving his life, but he hated trading for an unknown debt. Who knew what kind of favor or favors a witch might demand?

  Amanda was doing a lot of work for him and even spending her own money on things like airline tickets to the Southwest. She seemed to be a nice person, but charity had its limits. What was she hoping to get out of all this?

  On his lunch break, Kyle drove over to Butterflies and Rainbows, hoping Amanda had remembered to drop off the medicine she’d promised. He opened the front door with a lot less trepidation than the last time he’d been there. So much had changed in just a few days.

  Lucille was in the front of the store this time, and the tinkling bells on the door alerted her to his presence. She stepped into the center aisle holding a couple of books in her hands.

  “Hello again, Kyle. I have the tincture Amanda prepared for you.”

  Kyle appreciated that the incense inside the store was much milder this time. His eyes weren’t even watering. “Hi, Lucille. Thanks for holding it for me.”

  The older woman retreated to the back of the store. Kyle followed her slowly, taking a moment to get a closer look at th
e items she sold. He could see a pattern with regard to their placement. The most decorative, inexpensive, and frivolous items were near the entrance. Those shelves held things like polished stones, glass bead necklaces, incense, and decorative incense burners. The deeper he went toward the back of the store, the more mystical the items became. The aisle with books seemed to demarcate some kind of transition. The back shelves held figurines, herb packets, candles, bells of many shapes and sizes, and other things that were obviously the more esoteric and expensive wares in the shop.

  By the time Kyle reached the cash-register counter, Lucille had placed a tiny brown bottle of tincture, whatever that was, into a small paper bag. Lucille held up a folded note. “Be sure to follow Amanda’s instructions.” She slipped the note into the bag and passed it to Kyle.

  Amanda didn’t tell him how much the tincture would cost. If the stuff worked, it would be worth whatever price she asked. “Should I leave money for her?” he asked.

  “That won’t be necessary. Not everything has a value that can be measured in dollars and cents, young man.”

  Kyle blushed. As with the tarot reading he hadn’t wanted, he had offended Lucille again by offering her money. How could these people pay their bills if they didn’t charge him anything? He sobered when he thought about his earlier conversation with Amanda. Not now. He would have to pay later, and probably not with dollars and cents.

  Wanting to help out in some way, Kyle pointed to a dream catcher that dangled from the ceiling above Lucille. “How much for that?” The fluffy white feathers that hung from the bottom of the hoop were attractive. Sparkling red and blue beads had been worked into the strings that crisscrossed the hoop, leaving a hole at the center. The artwork slowly shifted in response to a passing draft.

  Lucille narrowed her eyes at him. “Do you even know what that is?”

  Kyle shrugged. “Sure. It’s a dream catcher. I’ve been having bad dreams lately. Maybe it will help.”

  The woman folded her arms. Damn. I can’t win with her.

  “What do you see when you look at the dream catcher?” she asked.