Page 16 of Cruel Moon
There—a flash of dark hair and a shimmer. My heart pounds so hard I’m sure even the humans around me must hear it.Found you.
She’s at a crystal stall, leaning in close to the vendor. Too close. His eyes roam appreciatively over her face as she speaks, and jealousy flares in my chest, hot and irrational. I want to storm over there, to growl at him to back off.What the hell is wrong with me?I’ve never felt this possessive, this out of control.
“Bast! There you are!”
Dammit. Rachel. I inwardly groan. I do not have time for this.
I turn, trying to keep one eye on the crystal stall while facing Rachel. The scent of coffee and herbs clings to her, familiar and usually comforting. Today, it’s just another distraction. “Hey,” I force out, aiming for casual and probably missing by a mile. “Busy day?”
Rachel arches an eyebrow, her lips quirking into a smile that says she sees right through me. “Not too busy to notice you scouting this place like a dog that lost its favorite toy. Someone caught your eye?”
Heat creeps farther up my neck, spreading to my ears. I open my mouth, not even sure what lie I’m about to tell, when movement catches my eye. She’s on the move, slipping away into the crowd.
“Gotta go,” I mutter, already stepping away. “I’ll explain later, I promise.”
“Bast—” Rachel calls, but I’m gone. I’ll apologize later, buy her a drink, endure the teasing. Right now, nothing matters but keeping that shimmer of magick in sight.
I follow at a distance, every sense on high alert. The sounds of the Faire—laughter, music, the clink of swords from the fighting demonstrations—fade into background noise. All I can focus on is her. Stall to stall, her graceful movements drawing my eye like a beacon.
I use my wolf senses to focus in on her voice. Her questions follow a pattern that part of me knows should be concerning.Local history. Old families. But mostly, I just want to know who she is. What’s her story? What brought her here, to my town, on this day of all days?
I’m so focused I almost miss it when she turns, her gaze sweeping the crowd. I duck behind a tent. The rough canvas brushes my arm, and I catch a whiff of musty fabric and woodsmoke.Close. Too close.I hold my breath, counting the seconds until I dare to peek out again. I don’t want her to think I’m some creepy stalker. I mean… Iamstalking her, but not in a creepy way… I don’t think.
When I do finally step around the corner of the tent, she’s moved on, now at a booth selling old maps and books. I edge closer, the scents of aged paper and leather binding mingling with something else. Something uniquely her. I focus in through all the voices and catch a few words.
“…anything about witches in the area?”
The old man behind the table chuckles, the sound warm and gravelly. “Oh, we’ve got all sorts of stories about witches, miss. This whole area’s steeped in folklore.”
I lean in, completely taken in by her scent now that I’m close enough to isolate it. Lavender, sweet and soothing. But underneath, something wild. Storm clouds and ozone, the scent of magick itself. I could lose myself in it forever.
She turns suddenly, as if sensing my presence.
Our eyes lock. Even through her dark sunglasses, I see that faint green glow. The world stops spinning. I’m falling. Drowning. Burning. Every cliché I’ve ever heard about love at first sight crashes over me at once, and none of them do this feeling justice.
A hint of a smile curves her lips, there and gone so fast I might have imagined it. Then she’s moving, disappearing into the crowd with a grace that makes my wolf whine with longing.
Fuck. Not again.
I push through bodies, trying to keep sight of that silky brown hair. There are too many people, the press of bodies and the mingling scents threatening to overwhelm me. But her scent… I’ve got that now. Thunderstorms and lavender. I lock onto it, filtering through the mess of other smells. Greasy food. Animals from the petting zoo. Sweaty, excited people.
Step by step. Booth by booth. Her scent gets stronger, pulling me through the Faire like a lodestone. The sun beats down, unusually warm for this time of year, and sweat trickles down my back beneath the heavy pirate costume. I barely notice, too focused on my quarry.
Finally, I find myself outside the Frosty Pine. It’s decked out in Faire gear, strings of colorful flags and fake ivy wrapped around the porch posts, but it’s still unmistakably Pat’s place. The familiar scent of beer and decades of spilled drinks mingles with the aroma of Pat’s famous chili.
She’s there. Paused at the door like she can’t decide whether to enter or bolt. This is my chance. Maybe my only chance. I can’t mess this up.
I take a deep breath, trying to calm my racing heart. Straighten my hat. Twirl the ridiculous fake mustache that’s starting to itch in the heat.Showtime, O’Connor. Don’t fuck this up.
“Ahoy there, fair maiden,” I call out, swaggering over with my best Jack Sparrow impression. I clear my throat, pressing on. “Ye seem a mite lost in our humble port. First time at our grand gathering of pirates and scallywags, aye?” I lean into the character, letting Jack’s cocky assurance mask my own nervousness. It’s armor. Protection against the terror of scaring her away.
She turns, those incredible eyes wide behind dark lenses. Up close, the shimmer of magick around her is even more pronounced, like she’s wrapped in her own personal aurora.
“I’m quite all right, thank you,” she says. Her voice is cool, controlled, but I see the way her hands clench at her sides. Her breath quickens, chest rising and falling a bit faster than normal. She feels it too—the bond. It’s pulling and connecting us even now, an invisible thread tying us together.
“I find meself in a rather fortuitous position to offer you, fair lady, a proposition.” I sway closer, channeling Jack Sparrow for all I’m worth. Her scent floods my senses, even stronger now. Lavender and storms and something uniquely her. My wolf howls, clawing at my insides, desperate to claim her here and now. I grit my teeth.Maintain control.“What say you to joining me for a spot of grog? I assure you, the company will be…intriguing.” I wink, pouring on the charm, praying to any god who might be listening that this works.
She takes a step back, wariness flashing across her beautiful face. “I appreciate the offer, but I really should be going.”
