First Moon (The Ternion Order Book 1) Read online

  In reality, Kyle had learned nothing, but he felt better about things anyway. It was comforting to be back in the rational world of normal medical science. He’d had enough of doomsayer witches and creepy veterinarians.

  Back at work, Kyle happily engrossed himself in his current project. His desk was in a partitioned section of a large, rectangular cubicle dedicated to his team. He pounded away on his keyboard, writing a database script while Vivaldi played through his headphones.

  An e-mail notification popped up in the lower right corner of his monitor, and he stopped to check the sender and subject of the message before it faded away. It was his boss. She wanted to see him as soon as possible.

  Her office was at the end of the hall, and he had waved to her when he’d arrived earlier, so she knew he was here. Kyle sighed, saved his work, and locked his computer session. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust his teammates; it was company policy. He personally never understood what could be so secret about programming a web site for a sports-equipment retailer, but he knew better than to quibble.

  She was on the phone when he walked into her office. She waved him to close the door and he did so. He sat in one of the visitor chairs and waited for her to finish her call.

  Vanya Raine was generally a good supervisor. You always knew where you stood with her, and she understood the unpredictable nature of software development. She was firm but forgiving. Her main failing was that she was too easily influenced by the shifting priorities of other departments, who were essentially the IT team’s internal customers. Her eagerness to please had inspired Kyle’s team to come up with their own saying about priorities, which they used when she was out of earshot: “When every task is Number One, not a single thing gets done.”

  The fire of the moment was the project Kyle was working on.

  She held up her index finger to let Kyle know she was almost finished with her call. “Sure, thanks, Jennifer. I’ve got one of the developers in my office right now, so I’ll have an update for you later today. Okay. ‘Bye.”

  She hung up the phone and wrote a quick note before looking up at Kyle. “Thanks for coming so fast. I wasn’t sure if you were in the middle of something.”

  Kyle shrugged. “No problem. I’m always in the middle of something, so now is as good a time as any.”

  She nodded. “That’s one of the things I like about you Kyle. You get stuff done. Speaking of which, how are things going with the data warehouse project?”

  Kyle thought for a moment about where he was with the project and how much more he had to do. “I should have the new tables and scripts done by the end of this week. I think we can schedule a test run with the data warehouse group early next week.”

  “Great. That makes us only a few days late. Do you think you’ll need more time off?”

  Kyle didn’t miss the not-so-subtle hint that the project was already running late because he had been out for all of the prior day and part of that morning.

  She held her hand up before he could say anything and continued. “It’s okay if you do. I don’t want you to come in if you aren’t feeling well. But I need to know if I need to assign someone else to fill in for you.”

  Having someone else take over Kyle’s tasks wasn’t a practical idea, and he was sure she knew that. Only one other person on the team had the necessary skills and that person was up to his eyebrows in a different high-priority project. It would take as long to bring someone else up to speed as it would to just finish the damned project.

  Kyle grimaced and tried not to let his annoyance into his voice. “That won’t be necessary. My doctor says I’m fine and that I just need more rest. He gave me something to help with that.”

  Vanya seemed to realize she’d pushed a little too hard. “Sorry, Kyle. I know you had an awful experience last week, but I’ve got VPs breathing down my neck on some of these projects.”

  Kyle took a deep breath and straightened his back, pushing aside a wave of exhaustion. Putting confidence into his voice that he didn’t truly feel, he said, “I understand, and I won’t let you down.”

  She smiled at him and sat back in her chair. “I know you won’t. Well, I guess I’d better let you get back to it. Keep me posted on how things are going, and warn me if it starts to look like the coding will slip into next week.”

  Kyle nodded and stood up. “Will do.”

  Kyle suspected that one of the hallmarks of a good supervisor was to be a pain in the ass. There was a saying that work expands to fit the time available, but a good boss also knew that work contracts to fit the time available—within limits. Vanya’s job was to make sure that all available time was filled with as much work as possible, and she was good at it.

  Kyle walked back toward his desk, passing his friend Greg along the way. Greg looked up as he went by and pantomimed cracking a whip. Kyle snorted and rolled his eyes.

  Kyle stopped when two men came his way pushing a cart with a wide steel cabinet. He started to back up, but one of the men said he was fine where he was. They would be turning at the next hallway before they got to him.

  One man pulled on the handle of the wheeled cart while the other pushed from behind. As they turned the corner, they miscalculated the swing of the cart and jammed it against the wall. The momentum of the cart along with the angled force of the man who was pushing caused the cabinet to tip toward Kyle.

  “Grab it!” yelled the man pulling the cart, but the other man was already fully extended and had no leverage.

  In two swift steps, Kyle came forward and caught the top edge of the cabinet inches before it slammed to the floor. He pushed it back into position on the cart and dusted his hands.

  The two workmen looked at him like he’d grown a second head.

  “Holy crap!” The lead man said. “Somebody’s been working out. It took both of us to get that mother onto the cart.”

  The other guy shook his head. “I told you we should have taken all that stuff out of it. It’s too top-heavy.”

  The lead man shrugged and held out his hand. “Anyway, thanks for the catch. Those cabinets ain’t cheap, and I’m glad I don’t have to explain how it got busted.”

  Kyle smiled and shook the man’s hand. “No problem. Glad I could help.”

  The two workmen successfully renegotiated the corner and wheeled the cabinet toward its destination. Kyle continued down the hall to his cubicle with a dark foreboding descending upon him. Yes, he was in good shape, but not that good.

  Kyle sat at his desk and put his headphones on. He unlocked his computer and stared blankly at the script he had been working on. What was happening to him? Being strong was cool, but what was the cost? Would he really turn into some kind of furry beast at the next full moon?

  A crumpled slip of paper still sat on his dresser at home. Maybe he should go to Rutlinger’s gathering. The doctor said that others with his “condition” would be there. Maybe he could get a straight answer from one of them.

  Chapter 6

  The Foundation

  Kyle’s palms began to sweat as he turned off the highway. He slowed down about a half mile up the dirt road and his knuckles went white on the steering wheel. There was the driveway to Clarissa’s house. Shuddering, he stepped on the accelerator and resumed his journey.

  The road wound up into the hills, curving past isolated homes and patches of meadow fenced for gardens or livestock. The housing varied from gorgeous new log or timber homes to run-down trailers with cardboard duct-taped over the windows. This strange mixture of home quality was typical of nearly every area Kyle had visited in North Idaho, where neighborhood covenants and deed restrictions were rare.

  The farther Kyle drove into the mountains, the harder his Explorer had to work. Long stretches of relatively flat road degenerated into nasty washboards, and patchy shade obscured suspension-challenging potholes. Kyle slowed down substantially after going around a corner and slamming into a rock that stuck above the road surface. The last thing he needed was a flat tire out
in the middle of nowhere. He owned a cell phone for emergency calling, but he seriously doubted he’d get a signal with forested hills rising on both sides of the road.

  Right about the time he was starting to think he might have missed a turn, Kyle came upon a driveway that curved up and disappeared over the ridge to his right. A rock retaining wall with a concrete sign built into it supported the driveway’s incline along the hillside. The sign said, “Rutlinger Foundation.” To the right of the driveway, a different sign said, “Private Drive, Invited Guests Only.”

  Kyle turned and drove up the smooth gravel driveway. At the top of the ridge, the road continued for about fifty yards before it widened into a large circle in front of a black wrought-iron gate supported by a tall block wall. Each gate panel had been decorated in the center with a stylized snarling wolf’s head. Concrete wolf sculptures sat on the top of each gate post, calmly staring ahead.

  So, the doctor had a thing for wolves. The witch-girl Amanda probably knew that and let her over-active imagination run wild with it.

  After Kyle slowed to a stop in front of the gate, movement caught his eye. He spotted a camera adjusting its position under a protective overhang. Unsure of what he should do, he started lowering his side window in case he needed to announce himself, but then the gate began to swing open for him.

  Past the gate, the driveway curved around a small copse of pines. When he drove past the trees and reached the other side of the ridge, the scene before him made his jaw drop.

  The Rutlinger Foundation building was a European-style manor with a gray rough-hewn block exterior. An angled pair of two-story wings extended from each side of the three-story main building. The dark-green metal roof was pitched steeply to deal with winter snow.

  Kyle pulled into a parking space opposite the six-car garage, marveling at the money it would cost to build and maintain such a place. Just the block wall that encircled the grounds would have cost a fortune. The Rutlinger Foundation was apparently doing well.

  Kyle grabbed a wine bottle from behind the passenger seat and started walking toward the building. He wasn’t sure if the party was a random get-together or if it was someone’s birthday, so he brought the wine as a generic gift, just in case.

  He strode off the gravel of the parking lot onto a cobbled stone walkway that passed through a well-tended garden filled with flowers and low shrubs. His steps faltered uncertainly until he came to a stop.

  Ahead of him, an enormous wolf had stepped out from behind a shrub and onto the path, staring at him with intense amber eyes. It paused and sniffed the air a few times before continuing across the walkway into the garden on the other side.

  Kyle swallowed hard and gave the creature a moment to go on its way. He assumed that it belonged to the Foundation and must be tame. Surely it would be too dangerous to let a wild wolf stalk the grounds with visitors arriving. Taking a deep breath, Kyle slowly resumed his trek toward the building, shooting nervous glances in the direction the wolf had gone.

  Mounting the front steps, Kyle searched for a doorbell or knocker. The front doors were made of narrow wood planks set into a tall arch, each door filling half the archway. Before Kyle could reach for the doorbell button, a face flashed in one of the narrow windows alongside the doors and the latch clicked.

  The door swung open and Dr. Rutlinger extended his hand toward Kyle.

  “Kyle! I’m glad you could make it. Please, come inside.”

  Kyle followed the doctor through the door and found himself in an open foyer. He held up the bottle of wine, thinking maybe he should have chosen a more expensive brand. “I wasn’t sure what the occasion is, so I brought this.”

  The doctor took the bottle from him and rotated it to inspect the label. “Ah, the local huckleberry wine. Excellent.” He smiled and raised an eyebrow at Kyle. “Did someone tell you this is one of my favorites?”

  “No sir, although I’m glad to hear you like it. I gambled on it because it’s a popular wine, and I figured I’d drink it even if no one else did.”

  The doctor chuckled. “Very practical, but you will not drink alone today.” He turned and motioned Kyle to follow. “Come. Meet the others.”

  The foyer stepped down into a wide living space with an open-front stone fireplace that had to be four feet wide. A pair of long black leather couches faced each other across a glass table made in the same rustic log style Kyle had seen at Clarissa’s. Classical music played softly in the background from speakers set high in the four corners of the space. As Kyle followed the doctor into the living room, two people rose from the couches.

  Kyle almost didn’t recognize Deputy Arpin out of uniform. She wore a summer dress with a light blue print. The soft fabric followed curves that hinted at a nice figure, and the thigh-length skirt showed off her trim legs. Her long blonde hair cascaded around her shoulders, framing a face that looked much more relaxed than the last time he’d seen her.

  “I believe you have already met Skyler Arpin,” the doctor said.

  Kyle nodded. “Yes, nice to see you again, Deputy.”

  She smiled and nodded back. “I’m glad you could make it. And you can call me Skyler when I’m not on duty.”

  The doctor held out a hand toward the other occupant of the room. “And this is Fenris Kellen, our legal counsel.”

  A lawyer. Well, that explained the clean shave, neatly trimmed hair, dress slacks, and button-up shirt. The man’s only concession to relaxing for the weekend seemed to be the lack of a tie.

  “Hello, Kyle,” he said without warmth or welcome in his voice.

  Kyle stopped himself from extending his hand, sensing that Fenris had no intention of doing the same. The man simply stood there, staring at Kyle as if he were waiting for Kyle to go away.

  The doctor frowned at the lawyer. Turning back to Kyle, he said, “Please have a seat. I’ll pour us some wine.” He took the bottle toward a buffet that was set against one wall.

  Uncertain of the protocol, Kyle sat in the middle of the couch. Skyler chose the same couch, but sat at one end, half-turned toward Kyle with her back against the corner cushions. She crossed her legs and discreetly arranged the skirt of her dress. The lawyer sat on the edge of the opposite couch, leaning forward with his arms braced on his legs.

  Kyle looked around and realized it was only the four of them—not many people for a party. “Am I early?”

  Fenris snorted. “You mean, where is everybody?” He shook his head in mock sadness and said to Skyler, “I guess we aren’t enough.”

  Skyler narrowed her eyes at him and responded in a level tone, “Be nice to our guest, Fenris.”

  Fenris looked at the floor and let out a frustrated sigh. “Sorry, Kyle. I’m in a bad mood today.”

  The doctor returned with four glasses of wine and handed one to each of them. “Perhaps this will cheer you up,” he said as he gave Fenris his wine. Everyone took a sip.

  Fenris pursed his lips and nodded in appreciation. “I’m not much for sweet girlie wines, but this isn’t bad.”

  The doctor rolled his eyes and shrugged apologetically to Kyle. “In answer to your question, other guests may stop by, but for now it’s just the four of us. I thought you might feel more comfortable discussing the Foundation in a smaller group.”

  Kyle sipped his wine. “Thank you, I appreciate that. I’m sure you’re right.”

  The doctor waved his glass around the room. “So, what do you think so far?”

  “You have a beautiful facility,” Kyle answered. “The gardens out front are impressive. Although I was surprised to see a wolf cross the path in front of me.”

  The doctor wasn’t surprised and waved away Kyle’s concern. “That’s Reggie. He likes to wander the grounds when the weather is good. He has a taste for pocket gophers and ground squirrels.” Skyler giggled into her glass and struggled to swallow the sip of wine she’d just taken.

  “So he is tame,” Kyle muttered with relief.

  Kyle wondered if he’d said something wro
ng when everyone stopped and stared at him for a moment.

  Finally, the doctor tilted his head back and forth in a yes-and-no motion. “Most of the time,” he said.

  This elicited another giggle from Skyler. It seemed out of character for a sheriff’s deputy to giggle over a glass of wine and look so good in a summer dress, but Kyle was starting to like her.

  The doctor cleared his throat and set his glass down on the table. “Since you came today, I assume you have thought about our conversation at the clinic.”

  Kyle nodded and set his glass down as well. “I have. I visited my doctor, and as you predicted, he wasn’t able to find anything wrong. I was hoping you would tell me more about this condition I seem to have.”

  The doctor nodded and relaxed into the couch, draping an arm over the back. “Absolutely. I would have explained sooner, but you were not ready to hear.”

  Kyle sighed. “You’re right. I wasn’t. Sorry if I was rude.”

  The doctor shrugged. “You are entitled to your feelings, but you should know that you are not alone. All of us have been through what you are experiencing now. That is why we are here.”

  Kyle had wondered about that. If the Foundation were dedicated to patients or victims or whatever you called people with this condition, would all of the people at the gathering be among the afflicted? Apparently, yes.

  “I guess my biggest question is what will happen to me? What are the symptoms?”

  Dr. Rutlinger answered, “You probably know of the symptoms already. You will grow in strength and speed, and you will heal from cuts and abrasions more quickly than normal.”

  So far, this was sounding pretty good. Kyle figured everyone would want to get infected.

  The doctor continued. “You may also have disturbing dreams and difficulty sleeping. The dreams will get worse during the first month, but go away after that.”

  Kyle nodded, thankful for the drugs his doctor had given him to help him sleep. It sounded like he was going to need them.