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

“Because I was pissed off and I never thought
of it until now,” he yelled.
    I would have been
angry, if I didn’t understand his frustration. He had never yelled at me
before, even when I was being stubborn and refused to except that I had just
become a werewolf. So I knew he must be upset.
    He reached inside the
trunk and unscrewed the tire from its lock and pulled it out.
    I watched his quick
movements as he fixed the problem. Ten minutes later, we were on our way
following the blue station wagon. Of course they were nowhere in sight, but
since we saw the direction they took and the car they were driving, we had
hope. Adrian was closer to finding his sister than he had been in six months
and I could feel the nervous energy coming off of him.
     
    “How did she look?”
Adrian asked. It was the first time he had spoken since he fixed the tire. I
had remained silent too, not knowing what to say.
    I swallowed hard,
understanding who he was referring to. “I didn’t see her very well. She was
leaning back in the car reading a book. All I saw was the back of her head. She
had long black hair.”
    He nodded sharply, his
eyes glazed with emotion.
    “She seemed okay.” I
gulped. The air in the car was thick with tension—and stinky socks. “The
werewolf that has her is a teenage girl who looks our age. And she doesn’t seem
evil. By the sound of her voice, she sounded like she cared about Marisa.”
    The only reason I knew
he heard me was because he gripped the steering wheel harder, his knuckles
going stark white.
    I leaned my head out
the window, sniffing the air. I had the werewolf’s scent in my senses and now
I’d recognize it anywhere. But, unfortunately, I hadn’t caught it yet. She must
have her window closed and until she got out of the car we wouldn’t find it.
    After another long
stretch of strained silence, I couldn’t take it anymore. “Are you alright?”
    Adrian breathed in
sharply, his eyes flicking to mine: his stare intense. “I’m going to kill her.”
His voice was so tormented; it tore at my heart and left me speechless.
    I didn’t know what to
say.
     

Chapter
Seven
    A Message
     
    The back of my eyelids
were bright pink and I could feel the hot sun baking over my face. I must have
fallen asleep, but as I came into consciousness I could feel the car moving
under me and the drone of the radio playing low. Slowly, I opened my eyes and
stared at a jean-clad leg, black sneakers and the floor of the Jeep that was
encrusted with gravel and dirt. The sound of wind whirling through the window
and the scent of old food crashed into my senses. “Where are we?” I asked, my
voice raspy with sleep.
    “Just outside of
Roseburg.”
    I sat up and glanced
around, trying to shake the cotton from my mind. “No sign of them?”
    “No.” His response was
abrupt. He was obviously still in an irritated mood.
    “I’m sorry Adrian. I
should have tried to stop them. I know how to fight. I could have gone after
the werewolf—”
    “Don’t.” He interrupted
me before I could apologize anymore. “It’s not your fault. She’s the one
keeping me from my sister.” He turned toward me and I winced when I saw his
yellow eyes. “And she’s going to pay for it.” It was then that I noticed his
arms shaking. He was fighting the wolf.
    “We’ll find them.” I
placed my hand on his arm and rubbed softly, hoping to calm him. He must have
been stewing the whole time I had been asleep, worrying about his sister. I
wanted to make him feel better, but I didn’t know how—other than finding his
sister and that was what I intended to do. We would search for as long as it
took.
    He only nodded, turning
back to face the road ahead.
    I gazed outside, taking
in the scenery. We were in a rural area with only fields, trees and a few
houses visible. A glance at the clock on the dashboard told me it was after ten
in the morning. I had been out for a while. “Have you stopped at any towns to
check for their