Free Riley's Redemption (A Moon's Glow Novel) by Christina Smith

have. If he tries anything, I’ll kick his ass.”
    He chuckled softly, the
soft sound warming my heart. “Why was I worried?”
    I smiled, wishing he
was there with me. I ached to feel his touch. “Who knows?”
    We talked for a while
longer until the day’s events started to creep up on me. We said good-bye and
he promised to call if he was able to join us tomorrow.
     
    The sound of a door
slamming pulled me out of a deep sleep. My muffled brain registered that I
wasn’t in the cottage. And just as my mind started to shut down once again the
scent of an unknown werewolf drifted through the door. I jumped up, suddenly
wide-awake.
    Wearing only the tank
top and shorts I fell asleep in, I peeked out the window. A girl that looked
about my age with her brown hair in a messy braid, wearing faded jeans and a
black rock band t-shirt, stood in the parking lot. “I’ll be right back. Stay in
the car until I return.” Her voice was sweet and cheerful as she spoke to someone
in the blue station wagon she emerged from. As she started to head toward the
office I moved to the door and opened it, poking my head out. The werewolf with
the braid had her hand out, reaching for the knob.
    When I turned my head
and gazed into the car I could see a girl with long black hair, leaning back in
the seat, reading a book under the interior light.
    The wind shifted and
from the corner of my eye I could see the girl with the braid spin around. Her
gaze landed on me and then she was moving, running back to the car.
    I stepped out of my
room and banged on the door next to mine. “Adrian,” I yelled, just as the braid
girl made it to her vehicle.
    Before she slipped
inside she reached out and stabbed Adrian’s tire with a knife that appeared out
of nowhere. I rushed into my room, yanked on my jeans, grabbed my bags and
rushed back out. The station wagon was spinning out of the lot and Adrian was
opening his door. When he poked his head out, his hair sticking up in all
directions, he was only wearing white boxers. His eyes were half closed as he
opened his mouth to speak. I knew when he caught the scent because his eyes
widened and his nostrils flared.
    “They’re getting away,
hurry up!” I yelled, banging on the roof of his Jeep.
    He disappeared into the
room and then quickly returned with his pants and shirt on and his bag over his
shoulder. “What happened to the tire?” he shouted, irritation edging his words.
    “The werewolf stabbed
it with a knife.”
    He pounded the top of
the car; a thundering crack rang out in the night sky. “Well we can’t follow
them like that.” He stepped away from the car. “ Damn it !” His booming
voice pierced through the air.
    I remained still, my
bag over my shoulder and suitcase handle in my hand. I didn’t know what to say
to him. His sister had been so close and now she was gone. He must feel so
frustrated. Nothing I said would have made it better.
    He walked away from me
and stood in the center of the lot, his arms bent and hands linked behind his
neck, staring up at the sky, as if asking someone up there what to do next. I
felt like I should say something comforting, but I had no idea what that should
be. He was just ten feet away from his sister, the closest he’s been in ten
years and now they were gone and with a flat tire we had no way to follow them.
    Finally, after several
minutes of silence, I couldn’t take it any longer. I could feel his pain from
where I stood and I had to try to help. “Why don’t we call a tow truck and get
it towed to a garage. Or we could call a rental place and have them pick us up.
    Adrian spun around, his
face strained. “Or we could change the tire.”
    I gaped at him. “You
can do that?”
    He stalked toward me,
pulled out his keys and then opened the trunk to reveal a spare tire and a
Jack.
    “Why the hell didn’t
you do that when they rushed out of here instead of just standing there?”
    He spun around, his
eyes flashing yellow with anger.