Free Apocalyptic Moon (After the Bane) by Eva Gordon Page B

watching Fang. A few days after the call I fell into the fuckin’ trap.”
    “This werewolf hunter, Jaeger, said he wanted to stomp Fang. Is he your dog?”
    He laughed. “Yeah, the fiercest dog you could ever imagine.”
    She swallowed her last piece of toast. “Pit bull or one of those wolf/dog hybrids?”
    He face flushed red. Finally, something actually embarrassed him. “Fang is white teacup Chihuahua. He’s just a tad bigger than a can of beer but with the heart of a wolf.”
    She suppressed a laugh. “You mean you have the kind of dog Hollywood starlets carry in their tiny purses?”
    “He travels in a pet carrier on my Harley and wears a spike collar,” he retorted defensively.
    She held her hands up in mock defeat and shot him a smug smile. “Can’t be more macho than that.”
    “That’s right.” He drank his juice as if he was chugging beer at some college frat party.
    “Is this werewolf hunter part of the military?”
    “Nope, he’s an international hunter, like a mercenary. His kind dates back to ancient times. They’re called the Kindred.”
    “Well, he seems to have a well-equipped gunner helicopter.”
    “Trust me, he stole it. We’re all looking for abandoned aircraft. Anything to go in and rescue the living over the swarm of undead.”
    “So tell me about your pack.”
    “Sure, why not.”
    Enthralled at his description of his pack and the various wolf clans, she had to remind herself to close her mouth. But it wasn’t just werewolves. There were other shifters in the Mythos Consortium. Ravens, hawks and cat shifters, oh, my! She had a million questions but let him continue without interrupting.
    He had a fraternal twin sister born ten minutes before him. When they were ten, their parents and two little brothers were killed by Jaeger’s father. He grew quiet. Sadness? He furrowed his brow into a deep scowl and tightened his fists. No, this was the peace in the eye of a storm. Revenge. No wonder, he wanted to hunt Jaeger. After a few seconds, his face twisted from rage to a pained look, like a shadow of some terrible burden he carried. Survivor’s guilt? She refused to probe his troubled thoughts, respecting his privacy.
    “Are you all right?”
    He shrugged. “Yeah, I’m cool.” He sighed. “Your turn.”
    “Not as complicated as yours but I’ll tell you the highlights.” She detailed the cold case behind her mother’s death. How her despondent father, Nate, re-married two years later to her nanny, Rita. She further detailed that he adopted Rita’s son Josh, and they became as close as biological siblings. She explained her bragging rights about being her high school’s valedictorian and her early acceptance into medical school.
    “So how many boyfriends?”
    Dora was stunned and a little hurt, thinking he would pursue the Wow, you’re so smart angle . “I dated our high school quarterback but we broke up when he realized I wasn’t going to follow him while he went off to major in business.”
    “Now that’s interesting, the scholar and the athlete. I can live with that. And since then?”
    She shook her head. “Medical school, internship, the hours? What man wants to compete with that? I wonder if Greg is even still alive. I dreamed my parents crossed the great beyond. I just hope they…”
    “Dora, I’m sorry. I’m sure they want nothing more than for you to survive.”
    She battled back tears and spoke telepathically. “I know Josh and Melanie are alive.” She smiled. “I call my niece Mel for short. We were so close.” She wiped her face with the back of her hand. “A witch would know, right?”
    He stood, walked to the glass and laid his hand over its cool surface. She could almost feel him caressing her face as he gazed at her with his light blue eyes, brightened in kindness. “ Of course.” He smiled and changed the subject. “My brother-in-law, Ethan convinced Uncle Talon to eventually set up sanctuary in Yosemite Park. Evacuation of the national