First Moon (The Ternion Order Book 1) Read online

  The two girls disappeared into one of the aisles at the front half of the store. Kyle glanced at Lucille, but she was still talking quietly on the phone and writing something down, seemingly unaware of her new patrons. He considered keeping an eye on the girls, but this wasn’t his store, and it wasn’t his responsibility to prevent shoplifting.

  Kyle occupied himself by browsing some of the books sitting on the shelf in front of him. A colorful cover caught his eye and he picked up a book on crystals and gems. He thumbed through it, enjoying the photographs of the various minerals. The book claimed that specific gemstones had various magical properties associated with them. Hematite was supposed to promote healing? He scoffed quietly to himself. Who makes up this crap?

  He peered around the corner again when he heard one of the girls say something about leaving. They were headed toward the door when the dark-haired girl came to a sudden stop and looked up.

  A sign above the door said, “Please don’t steal from me.” He couldn’t tell if it was a trick of the lighting or if the sign was illuminated somehow, but he thought he saw a glow pass over it from left to right.

  The girl turned around, a doubtful frown on her face. Her skinny friend turned quickly to keep up, seeming surprised by the change of direction. As the girls came toward Kyle, the heavy one slipped two fingers into her cleavage and lifted out a tiny sculpture of a fairy. She glared at Kyle, daring him to make a comment, but he just stared.

  “What’s your damage?” she asked in a snotty tone as she strutted past.

  Kyle watched the girls approach the checkout counter. Lucille used her shoulder to keep the phone to her ear while she rang up the sale. When the girls turned to leave, Kyle stepped back and pretended to be absorbed in the mineral book.

  He peered around the corner again after they passed and watched them leave. The sign didn’t flash that time. Interesting. Kyle tried to imagine a theft-deterrent system that was so small it could fit on that tiny sculpture, but the solutions all seemed too high-tech for such a small shop.

  As an experiment, Kyle carried the book he was holding toward the exit. He watched the sign carefully and took one deliberate step at a time. Nothing happened. Standing almost directly under the sign, he craned his neck around, looking for wires or sensors, but saw nothing obvious. Thinking maybe Lucille had triggered the sign manually, he looked for surveillance cameras. Again, nothing.

  Giving up with a shrug, Kyle went back to see how Lucille was coming with her phone calls. On the way, he put the book back on the shelf where he’d found it.

  Lucille was off the phone and was writing in a small black leather notebook. She closed the notebook as Kyle walked up.

  Kyle hooked a thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the door. “I think that girl was going to steal the figurine. She seemed to change her mind at the door.”

  Lucille gave no indication that she had been aware of the situation. “I’m glad her conscience led her to a better choice.” She put the black book under the counter and picked up the receipts that were still sitting next to the register.

  “I think your ‘don’t steal’ sign convinced her to do the right thing.” Kyle added.

  She responded with an exaggerated nod. “That is why I put it there.”

  Kyle was curious about the sign, but didn’t want to come right out and ask her if it was magical in some way. If it wasn’t, he’d feel like an idiot.

  “Is there anything special about that sign?”

  Lucille looked up at him. “Yes there is. I made it myself.”

  She was holding a straight face, but her eyes were smiling. She probably knew what he was really asking, but she wasn’t going to make it easy on him. “What’s the matter? Does the sign bother you?”

  “No. It’s fine. I thought I saw it flash earlier when the girl almost left without paying.”

  Lucille put the receipts down, and the teasing look left her eyes. If anything, she appeared to be surprised. “You did? That’s…”

  “What?”

  She paused and pursed her lips before continuing. “Unexpected.”

  Apparently, not everyone saw the sign flash. Was that because the effect was so subtle? He’d doubted his own eyes right after he’d seen it happen. Maybe it was supposed to be a subliminal thing, and he happened to be watching it from the right angle at the right time.

  Whatever the case, Lucille wasn’t forthcoming. Kyle was satisfied with his own explanation, so he let it go. Lucille could keep her secrets.

  Putting the receipts away behind the counter, she changed the subject. “I’m sure you’ll be interested in knowing that the director has provisionally accepted your request for sanctuary. An escort should be here in fifteen to thirty minutes.”

  Kyle imagined himself driving out of town bracketed by huge black SUVs with flashing red lights. “Is all this really necessary?”

  “Probably not, but the director insisted that the escort include someone from our tactical discipline.”

  “The Order has disciplines?”

  “Ternion means three, Kyle. The Order’s three disciplines are tactical, technological, and transcendental. The director insisted on tactical assistance because we take a request for sanctuary very seriously.”

  “So I see.”

  Lucille gestured toward the tarot counter. “Shall we do another reading while we wait?”

  “No thanks.”

  The store’s door chimes rang again and Kyle turned to see who was coming into the shop this time. His heart nearly stopped when he saw the cold face of Fenris Kellen. The lawyer’s eyes darted around and his body shivered, as if the shop were chilly.

  Kyle eased around the counter to stand next to Lucille, keeping his gaze on Fenris the whole time.

  The lawyer moved toward the counter in a slight crouch, as if he were trying to move silently, even though he could clearly see that Kyle and Lucille knew he was there. When he came alongside the last aisle, about six feet from the counter, he stopped and straightened. He rolled his shoulders and tugged his jacket into position.

  “Hello, Kyle. I’m glad I found you. Good day, Ms. Hayworth.”

  Kyle was paralyzed with fear. He couldn’t have spoken at that moment to save his life, but fortunately Lucille had no such problem.

  For the first time since he’d met her, her confidence seemed to slip. She greeted the lawyer with a cautious tone. “I’m surprised to see you here, Mr. Kellen.”

  Fenris’s jaw clenched and he glanced around the room again. He answered in a bitter voice. “My purpose is strong, and your wards are weak.”

  Lucille muttered, “I’ll have to do something about that.” She narrowed her eyes at the lawyer. “What can I do for you?”

  Fenris’s feral gaze pinned Kyle in place; Kyle could barely breathe under the weight of it. “I’d appreciate a moment of privacy while I speak with Kyle.”

  Lucille slowly shook her head. “I can’t do that. Kyle has requested sanctuary, and the Order has granted it.”

  The lawyer’s nostrils flared and a growl emerged from deep in his throat. “Pointless,” he grumbled. He addressed Kyle directly. “What do you hope to gain from this foolishness? If the witch has told you there’s a way out, she’s lying to you.”

  Kyle tried to speak, but his vocal cords wouldn’t respond. He cleared his throat and rallied his courage. “I think you are the one who has been lying to me.”

  The lawyer let out a sinister chuckle. “What can I say? I’m a demon.”

  The blatant admission caught Kyle off guard. An urge to get far away from Fenris nearly made him turn and run through the rainbow curtain behind him. Did the store have a back exit? If it did, where would he go? Lucille said her shop was a refuge. He was undoubtedly safer there than he would be running through the streets, but it didn’t seem like much of a refuge if demons could walk in the front door.

  At that moment, the rainbow curtain billowed toward the back room in response to a door opening at the rear of the shop.
Kyle jumped in alarm at the surreal coincidence of timing. Lucille crossed her arms and a smug expression settled on her face. A moment later, two people stepped through the curtain—a big man and a well-dressed woman. Both went still when they saw Fenris.

  The lawyer’s eyes went wide, and he smiled. “My, my. You should be honored, Kyle. They brought out the big guns for you.”

  The man certainly looked like he could qualify as a “big gun.” He was tall and had an athletic build. His sun-bleached hair and tanned skin indicated that he spent a lot of time outdoors. Kyle was barely able to make out the words Pesce Marina printed on his faded orange t-shirt, but it confirmed Kyle’s guess that he might be a boatman. His tan cotton jams and worn deck shoes reinforced the motif.

  The woman also gave the impression of strength, but not in a physical way. Her salt-and-pepper hair had been twisted into a fancy braid that came forward over her shoulder and touched her folded arms. Curly wisps escaped the braid at her temples and at the end where it had been tied off. Her outfit was the color of purple iris and included an embroidered vest covering a loose-fitting, long-sleeved blouse. She wore a matching skirt made of heavy linen. Her tense posture and dark, focused eyes indicated readiness to strike. Kyle half expected her to raise her arms and nod her head like the genie from that old television show, turning Fenris into a frog or a newt.

  She looked down her nose at Fenris and then turned to Lucille. “Who let the dogs out?”

  Fenris barked out a laugh. “That was a cheap shot, Noreen.” The lawyer shook his head and gave Kyle a bemused smile that said this was all a futile waste of time. “Okay, Kyle. Have it your way. I can see there’s no reasoning with you.” The lawyer turned and walked toward the exit. “I’ll see you next Friday,” he said over his shoulder with a wave. With one last dark glance toward the new arrivals, he exited and closed the door a little harder than necessary.

  “That one has never had any manners,” the woman said with a sharp shake of her head.

  The man grumbled in a deep voice, “He is a lawyer and a demon,” as if that were explanation enough.

  Lucille put a hand on Kyle’s shoulder. “This is Kyle Nelson, our sanctuary applicant. Amanda is expecting him at Hayworth Farm. Kyle, this is Noreen Thornquist and Jonathan Pesce. They will escort you to the farm. Follow whatever instructions they give you.”

  “What about my rig and my things?” Kyle asked.

  Noreen held out her hand, palm up. “Give me your keys. Your vehicle will be delivered to the farm by the end of the day.”

  Kyle was about to object, but Lucille’s hand tightened on his shoulder, reinforcing her command to follow their instructions. “Okay, here.” Kyle unclipped his keys from where they hung on his belt loop and handed them to Noreen.

  Noreen gazed at him dubiously as she accepted the keys. “So this is the subject of Amanda’s bold little project. Is he going to be trouble?”

  Lucille gave Kyle’s shoulder a supportive squeeze and then let go. “He’ll be fine. He just doesn’t know much about us or what we do.”

  Noreen arched one thin eyebrow. “He knew enough to ask for sanctuary.”

  “I suggested it, once he explained his situation. The director accepted the request.”

  Noreen looked at Lucille for a moment. She pressed her lips together and nodded once. The director’s acceptance was evidently good enough for her.

  Lucille wasn’t quite finished. She narrowed her eyes at Noreen and said, “As for her little project, Amanda may be young and ambitious, but she’s also a talented hunter.”

  Noreen shrugged. “Of course. She was my apprentice.” With that, she turned and walked through the rainbow curtain into the back room.

  Jonathan looked at Kyle and tilted his head toward the curtain, indicating that Kyle should follow Noreen.

  Kyle took a deep breath and let it out. He glanced at Lucille before he went through the curtain, and she gave him an encouraging smile.

  Kyle stepped out the back door of the shop, blinking in the bright sunshine. When he saw what awaited him in the parking area behind the building, he almost laughed. Noreen was standing by the open back door of a large, dark-green SUV. The vehicle didn’t have flashing red lights, but otherwise it was a lot like what he had imagined earlier.

  Kyle clambered into the backseat of the Toyota Sequoia, noting that it still had that new-car smell. He observed his silent companions while they got into the front and wondered if he was making a terrible mistake.

  But then movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. A familiar dark sedan was parked along the street with a view of the parking lot. Kyle couldn’t see clearly through the tinted windows, but he was certain Fenris sat inside the car, watching the proceedings.

  Maybe it was a mistake to ask for sanctuary, but he’d rather take his chances with the Ternion Order than with the Rutlinger Foundation.

  Chapter 12

  Hayworth Farm

  On the way to the farm, Jonathan struck up a conversation with Kyle, making him feel a lot more comfortable about his decision to go along with them. As he suspected, Jonathan was into boats. He owned and operated the eponymous Pesce Marina referenced on his t-shirt.

  Jonathan seemed like such a normal guy that Kyle was tempted to ask him how he got involved with the Order, but he couldn’t figure out a polite way to do it. In truth, Noreen intimidated him, and he didn’t want to say anything that might offend her.

  For her part, Noreen was silent for most of the trip. She asked Kyle what kind of vehicle he drove and where he’d parked it so they could retrieve it later, but that was the end of her contribution to the conversation.

  About ten minutes outside of town, they turned off the highway onto Farm-to-Market Road. Most of the homes along the route were farmhouses with enormous barns and an abundance of acreage. The fields were in various states of use. Some had been hayed for the season and looked like endless tidy lawns. Others were fallow, and most of these were filled with colorful wildflowers and weeds. In late summer, small white daisies with yellow centers dominated, forming a blanket of white across the abandoned fields. Sprays of yellow goldenrod filled the margins.

  After several more minutes of travel, Jonathan slowed and turned off the main road. The gravel driveway was blocked by a livestock gate, so he stopped the SUV and got out to open it.

  Kyle checked out the place that would probably be his home for the next several days. He wasn’t impressed. The wooden fencing along the road desperately needed paint. The farmhouse was surrounded by trees, but from the road, the structure looked dark and forbidding. The barn had a decidedly disreputable look as well. It had a substantial lean, and the door to the hayloft hung at an angle by its one remaining hinge.

  Jonathan got in, moved the rig forward, and then got out again. Kyle watched him close the gate, thinking it would have made a lot more sense for Noreen to have opened the gate for them, but she didn’t seem inclined to leave the air-conditioned comfort of her front seat. Kyle would have been happy to do it himself if he’d had the presence of mind to make the offer instead of gawking at the farm.

  When Jonathan started driving forward, pressure briefly pushed at Kyle’s sinuses. He reflexively yawned his jaws open and his ears popped. It was as if he had suddenly dropped in elevation. As they rolled down the driveway, Kyle did a double take at his surroundings and reconsidered his first impressions. The bright white fence line they drove alongside was actually in good repair. Kyle tilted his head side to side when he noticed that the barn looked sturdy and straight from this angle. The loft door did hang open, but both hinges were intact after all. The farmhouse wasn’t as gloomy as he’d first thought, either. The driveway curved toward the house, and the trees opened up to reveal a cheerful, two-story home painted pale yellow with dark-blue trim.

  Kyle was beginning to feel as if he were in a scene from the Wizard of Oz—the one where Dorothy leaves the black-and-white dullness of her house and steps out into the wonderful Techni
color experience of Oz. At any moment, Munchkins, or perhaps fairies, would dance out from behind the trees onto the front lawn. I’ve a feeling I’m not in Kansas anymore.

  As the SUV approached the house, Amanda opened the door of the screened porch and came down the front steps to meet them. Kyle was surprised at how happy he was to see her. If he had a tail, it would be wagging. He hoped he’d never find out what that felt like.

  Kyle got out as soon as the vehicle came to a stop.

  Amanda had reached the driveway by then and looked Kyle up and down. “Are you okay? Lucille said you might be in danger.”

  Kyle appreciated her concern, but felt bad about worrying her. “I’m fine. But the Pack won’t leave me alone. They’re doing everything short of kidnapping me to get me to stay at the Foundation.”

  Her eyes widened with alarm. “We can’t let that happen.”

  “I know. That’s why I’m here.”

  It was sweet that she seemed to care about him, but he still wasn’t sure why. The only spark they had between them was when she touched him, and he didn’t think static charge counted in relationship matters. Maybe he would learn more about her motivations now that they would be under the same roof.

  Jonathan came around the front of the rig, which he’d left running. He and Noreen were apparently not sticking around.

  Noreen rolled down the window. “Hello, Amanda.”

  Amanda bowed her head and shoulders. “Greetings, Master Thornquist. I hope things are well with you.”

  The woman smiled for the first time Kyle had seen since he’d met her. It was a tight smile that showed little warmth, but it softened her stern visage. “Noreen is fine, Amanda. I’m no longer your master.”

  Amanda answered with her own tight smile. “As you wish, Noreen.”

  Kyle didn’t understand the byplay between the two women, but got the distinct impression they weren’t on the best of terms. He figured it would be a bad idea to get in the middle of a fight between them and hoped that he wasn’t already.