Free Moon Crossed (Werewolf Hunter Series): Season 1 (Episodes 1-6) (Crescent Hunter) by Bella Roccaforte Page A

off.

 

Chapter Four
In the Line of Duty
     

     
    Cole
has come to see me nearly every night; it's been so nice having him
around. Our friendship has grown into something really beautiful.
There is something that fascinates us both about each other. Of
course, it's just a friendship. It can never be anything more. First
and foremost because of what we are.
    When we are together,
we do our best to avoid the topic of our nature. I don't discuss
hunter business and he doesn't discuss wolf business. We stick to
things like the meaning of life, literature, and just about
everything not related to our nature. It's nice.
    My research is falling
behind a bit, but I'll catch up. Although, I got a nasty text from
Aunt Rain yesterday that if I miss my patrol tonight I'm dead meat.
I've only missed three patrols and I had them all covered by other
hunters. I don't see what the big deal is.
    Cole is right when he
says I'm too serious and need to learn to relax. It's been nice not
working myself to death and I'm taking advantage of my last summer as
a student. I'm not sure if I'm going to go for my masters; we'll see.
Right now, the only thing I'm looking forward to is enjoying my
summer.
    Coming back from the
clearing, I make a detour into the family graveyard and put the wild
flowers Cole picked for me on my parents’ graves. It's been a
ritual of mine for years now to kneel down and ask if they still love
and accept me even though I know neither of them can possibly approve
of my choice to live with wolves.
    It feels less like a
guilt trip now, and honestly with how Cole makes me feel so light and
happy it takes a lot to bring my mood down. The sound of Cole's loud
as hell truck starting does make my heart fall a little as I hear the
truck make its way down the dirt drive, away from me. I mean he has
to go home sometime, right?
    When I get back to the
house, there's no one home. Strange for this time of day since they
weren't on a run. Silence has never suited me and I definitely don't
like not feeling any of the boys here. There's an emptiness that
grows inside me when they are gone for too long. Aunt Rain says it's
because I can't feel my magic. The strange thing is that I always
have some magic, whether they are around or not. It's just stronger
when they're near.
    I grab a banana and eat
it on the way up the stairs to shower and lay down before getting
back to work.
    I wake up around one
p.m.; I can feel Locke coming home. Curiosity gets the better of me,
so I run downstairs to catch him before he gets to his room.
    I meet him on the lower
flight of stairs and I'm knocked in the face with the smell of a
woman. “Whoa.” I look at him with mischief in my eyes.
    “What?” He
eyes me curiously.
    “Hungry?” I
ask him, dragging him by the shirt to the kitchen.
    “Not really. I am
tired, though, and would love to go die in my bed.” He groans.
    “You should eat
first.” My tone is calculating; I don't bother trying to hide
the fact that I want to know where he was and what he was doing.
    “Claire, I really
am tired.”
    “Humor me. Five
minutes, I'll cook something for you.” We reach the kitchen; I
sit him at the table and go the fridge.
    “Good God, no.
I'll tell you anything, just please don't cook,” he pleads.
    I sit in my chair,
resting my elbows on the table and my head on my hands. “What's
her name?”
    “What do you
mean?” He has the gall to look me straight in the eye with
defiance.
    Pulling my lips to the
side, I arch my brow. It's the face I make to back the boys into the
corner when they are keeping something from me.
    He looks up in
frustration. “We were just hanging out.”
    “Yeah, with
someone that wears way too much perfume and likely had you high on
her pheromones.” My knowing smile is grating on his tired
nerves.
    “I'm not sure
what you're talking about.” He gets up from the table to get a
drink from the fridge.
    “I'm talking
about you messing with a human girl.” I lend a judgmental