Free Shadow of the Moon by Rachel Hawthorne Page A

away. They’d left me at Wolford because they were going to celebrate their anniversary. Their tenth, I think. I don’t know. I just know I was mad they’d decided to leave me. Then I felt them die. The elders said it was because of the blood connection that distance didn’t matter. I woke up screaming. The fear was so intense but brief. Mercifully brief for me and for them.”
    He squeezed my fingers. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to dredge up old memories.”
    “What happened with your family?”
    He shook his head. “At the time I wasn’t exactly sure. They were dead when I got there. We…our clan…it’s not like yours. You’re all a tight pack. We’re more scattered. I thought if I came to Wolford I might find some answers.”
    “Did you?”
    “The night Justin died. Like him, my family didn’t shift back.”
    “Oh my God. You think it was a harvester?”
    “I don’t know for sure. Maybe. Like I said, they were dead when I got there. And they didn’t shift back to human form.”
    “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Is that why you’re so intent on taking me back to Wolford?”
    “One of the reasons. Maybe I feel like I have amends to make. I couldn’t do anything to help my family. Maybe I can help you.” He brought my hand up, kissed my fingertips. Warmth sluiced through me.
    “What are you doing?” My voice sounded like air leaking from a balloon.
    He glanced over his shoulder at me and gave me a crooked grin. “Changing the subject.”
    Irritated that he wasn’t willing to share more, I worked my hand free of his and settled back in my chair. “So what are you going to do for the rest of the day?”
    “Depends what you do.”
    “I plan to just sit here and enjoy the peace. Until about midafternoon, when I’ll head to the shop to prepare for the late-afternoon/early-evening crowd.”
    “Sounds exciting. I’ll probably join you for that.”
    Because he didn’t trust me not to skip out on him. I was still planning to find a way.
    “And what sort of description does Lisa give Friday night?” he asked. “Because I can think of a couple of words that start with F .”
    His eyes were twinkling. I thought if it weren’t for the whole harvester situation and my approaching full moon, I might actually enjoy hanging around with Daniel.
    “Fantastic Friday,” I told him. “We’re going to the slopes tonight.”
    “To do what?”
    I shrugged. “Maybe ski. Sit on top of a mountain. Whatever. Lisa has connections.”
    “I’ll definitely be joining you for that.”
    “Who said you were invited?”
    He didn’t respond with words. He simply gave me a feral smile, and I realized he’d never let me escape him. But if I wanted to survive, I would have to find a way to.
    When the hot chocolate was gone and the cold air had chilled our bones, we went inside. One of the channels was having a big bug marathon, so Daniel settled in front of the TV and watched as ants, then grasshoppers, then ants again terrorized the countryside. I curled up in a chair with a novel. Although mostly I found myself studying him instead of reading about uppity New York socialites at the end of the nineteenth century.
    I couldn’t deny that Daniel was sexy, strong, and seemingly unafraid of anything—including the havoc that a harvester might cause. I didn’t want to be morbid, but my own life expectancy was likely to fall way below the national average. If I went through my first full moon alone, I could die. If I managed to survive, the harvester could be waiting for me—and I’d die. I increased my chances of surviving if I had a mate, but then he risked death if we weren’t able to avoid the harvester.
    Basically I was feeling screwed, confused, and wishing there was a simple answer.
    I had a crazy idea: Why not spend what little time I might have left enjoying life to the fullest, preferably with a guy? And here I had one sitting on the couch, not more than five feet from me.
    I was still bothered by the fact