Bright Moon Read online

  The wolves suddenly stopped and blackness darker than night passed over them. She sat up only to be thrust down with such force that her head collided with something hard and her vision went dark. She fought for awareness when someone lifted her, but she could do nothing. The next thing she knew, she was lying on her back looking up at the dark shadow of trees set against the night sky. Cold, ribbed metal dug into her flesh. She was in the bed of Mark’s truck. Her breath caught in her chest when the last voice she wanted to hear drifted to her.

  “You are weak now, Tyson,” Mark was saying. “Strangely, I envy you. I would give anything to be weak again.”

  “Just let her go,” a voice she had never heard before said. His was low and broken, as if he struggled to breathe. “She has nothing to do with us. Think of the damage—”

  “Ha!” Mark’s voice rang. “You are telling me to consider the damage? Really? You do recall how I became this way? You of all people have no right to speak to me of not causing damage!”

  She shifted carefully and slowly sat up to peak over the side of the truck. The scene before her caused her stomach to drop. A crude, metal cage had been fashioned not far from the kennels. The earth around was disrupted, looking as if the walls had sprung from it. In the middle of the oddly glistening cage knelt the man she assumed to be Tyson. She could discern his light brown hair and light blue eyes that seemed electric in the light of the moon. His skin was pale and his face waxy.

  “I know you’re angry, but you aren’t angry with her.”

  Mark chuckled, sounding borderline insane. His back was to her as he stood dominantly over the other. “Of course not…but she was very instrumental, and I suspect she will be in the future as well.”

  “You can’t keep her!” Tyson snapped, making a feeble attempt to get to his feet. Mark laughed and shook his head. His body shifted slightly, revealing a gun in one hand.

  “Why ever not? I think we both know someone who will be thrilled to see her.”

  “You wouldn’t!”

  Mark bent down to sit on his haunches, resting his arms on his knees. The leaves rustled under the soles of his shoes when he leaned closer to speak softly. “You know I would. I’ve done it before and would do it again just to see the look on your face.”

  Clara had heard enough. She knew there was little chance of escape by running, not with wild animals trained to hunt her on the loose. Carefully, she shifted to sit on the edge of the tailgate, slowly lowering each foot to the earth. Her heart hammered anew when Tyson moved suddenly, lurching to the edge of the cage and reaching through the bars. Cold, mean laughter erupted from Mark’s throat when he leaned from his grasp with little effort. Tyson sucked in air between his teeth and shook his hand as if he’d been caused some kind of pain.

  “Do you think you deserve less?” Mark asked. “After what you did? This has been a long time coming and you know it.”

  “You’re a coward!” Tyson growled, causing Mark to laugh again. Using the distraction to her advantage, she forced her trembling legs to move. She picked her way over twigs and dry leaves, somehow able to move without sound until she stood within arm’s reach of Mark. He was too busy gloating to notice. She held her breath, unsure of what to do. Her heart ran with fresh fear when he moved to stand. Panic stricken, and her veins coursing with new waves of adrenaline, she slammed into him. His faced smashed into the bars with bone cracking force and blood rushed from his nose. He slumped to the earth, unconscious. She kicked the gun aside and it bounced into a pile of leaves.

  “You need to run!” Tyson said. She put a hand on the bars of the cage, looking for an opening. “You have to go, now!”

  “How do I get you out?” she asked in a trembling voice.

  “Run!” he said pleadingly, his eyes wide.

  “How do I get you out?” she asked again with more determination.

  His breathing was labored and he shut his eyes as if in pain. “The lock is on top and the key is in his shirt pocket.”

  Mark gurgled in his throat when Clara shoved his body to one side to retrieve the key. She grasped the metal of the ring and his eyes shot open. There was no time to evade him. He sat up and knocked her down. She landed against the bars of the cage, her fingers clasped firmly around the key. He had moved with such authority that she thought he would spring to his feet and demand she return the key. Instead, he groaned and struggled to stand, wiping the blood from under his nose. Shuffling his feet, he moved sluggishly, giving her the chance she needed to locate the lock. She could barely reach it and stood on her toes to jam the key in the mechanism. Mark bellowed in rage and his arms closed around her middle, dragging her down.

  “No!” she screamed and wriggled violently, breaking his grip and kicking against the bars to send them both careening backward. “Let me go!” she demanded and thrashed, directing her rage at him as he struggled to contain her. They both froze when a clang vibrated through the trees. The top of the cage hung open and Tyson was nowhere in sight. Mark dropped her and got to his feet, scanning the surrounding trees before hoisting her to her feet and lacing his fingers in her hair.

  “Where did he go?”

  “I didn’t see,” she protested weakly.

  He yanked on her hair. “Where is he?!” He demanded angrily and she yelled in pain, making a feeble attempt to push him off.

  “Let her go!” a voice growled from behind.

  Mark froze and pulled her around, using her as a shield when he faced Tyson. “Get back in,” he warned.

  “She should not be here, Mark. Let her go.”

  “I’ve waited too long to have this ruined this way!” Mark bellowed.

  “It’s over now, Mark.”

  Tyson edged closer and Mark flinched as if each movement was a direct punch to his gut. Finally, he sighed and relaxed. “She was hard to pinpoint you know. Who knows? I might never have found her if you hadn’t started running with her brother.”

  Her heart leapt into her throat for the second time and blood drained from her face. The mention of her twin caught her off guard. “My brother?” she gasped and twisted to see Mark. “What do you know about my brother?” Her fear vanished in that instant, replaced by worry, but he sighed and did the last thing she expected when he shoved her at Tyson. She slammed into him and he caught her, keeping her from falling by bracing her elbow. She jerked her arm with what she assumed would be enough force to pull free and was mildly taken aback when his grip held.

  “Do you sense the irony?” Mark asked lightheartedly. “Perhaps I was foolhardy in trying to take you without help.” She tried again to break Tyson’s grip, throwing her weight against him. He pulled her behind him, holding her as far from Mark as he could without actually releasing her.

  “Don’t go near him,” his voice was low and she almost didn’t hear it. He sounded frail and she wouldn’t have believed his was the commanding voice she’d heard only a few moments earlier.

  “You know I am in no rush to finish things. I think we can agree to go our separate ways tonight,” Mark commented after a speculating pause.

  “My brother!” Clara cut in. “What were you saying about my brother?” She again tried to free her arm. Again, her efforts were in vain. Tyson, despite his weak appearance, was unaffected. She glared as Mark backed casually away. He felt her gaze and spoke just before the shadows of the trees hid him.

  “Sorry, baby, I wish it wasn’t you.”

  “Don’t talk to her!” Tyson’s voice inflamed to a deafening roar. Mark laughed once more and was gone. Tyson hadn’t released her arm and she stole a glance at him. He was staring after Mark with unreadable doom on his features.

  “Take your hand off of me!” she demanded. She tried once more to break his grip, but the result was the same. She had the sense that he was hardly aware of her, or her movements. Slowly and purposefully he reached into his pants pocket and extracted a smart phone about the size of his hand. He was shaking so hard that it was a wonder he could grip. The glow from th
e miniature screen didn’t improve his pale features and it registered in her mind that he was about to make a call. Impulsively, she knocked it from his hands. The phone thudded in the leaves underfoot and Clara brought her heel down on it, cracking the screen. Tyson’s shocked expression met her gaze and he surprised her by laughing.

  “Don’t laugh!” she hissed. “My brother, do you know anything about him?”

  “You did that to find out about your brother?”

  She realized how backwards that seemed, but was beyond caring. She opened her mouth to ask again. Tyson inhaled deeply and stumbled a few steps back. He released her arm and nearly collapsed before she caught him. She all but crumpled and it took every ounce of her strength to keep him from falling. He didn’t appear anywhere near as heavy as he proved and it surprised her. Despite how weighty he was, she somehow managed to guide him in the direction of Mark’s truck. She nearly dropped him when she struggled with the door, but was just able to coax it open. Tyson needed very little encouragement to fall into the seat. His breath was strenuous and she took a moment to catch her own before asking, “Are you okay?”

  His body was rigid with whatever unseen pain he labored under and he put a hand on either side of his head, squeezing his eyes shut. The shaking stopped gradually and he was able to sit back. “I’m fine,” he said quietly.

  “You do not look fine. You look as if you need to go to the hospital.”

  “No! Not the hospital!” His answer came before she could finish the suggestion.

  “Okay, okay!” she breathed defensively.

  “Your desire for information regarding your brother has disabled you. You should have run, you should have hid or tried to get help. You should have taken my phone instead of smashing it…anyone with any sense would have.”

  She couldn’t meet his eye, embarrassed by the allegations. As she watched his face, she couldn’t help but notice his strong, firm chin and straight nose. His brow was drawn as if he scowled too frequently, but she thought he’d be handsome if he wasn’t so obviously unwell.

  “Do you know my brother?” she asked, her voice trembling with emotion. “Where is he?”

  “I can’t tell you.” He got unsteadily to his feet.

  “Where are you going?” she demanded as he tottered toward the front of the truck, keeping a hand on it to support himself.

  “Don’t you mean where are we going?” he shot back.

  “I’m not going anywhere!” she yelled when he made it to the driver’s door. His head disappeared under the dash.

  “You want to stay out here with the wolves?”

  Her fingernails dug into her palm as she stared at the vehicle. It suddenly roared to life and Tyson reappeared. “Get in,” he said. She obeyed without another word. Tyson backed the truck from the clearing, it spun and lurched. “How?” Tyson barked when the truck was moving again, cutting down the path that dodged around trees.

  “How what?”

  “How did he get you out here?”

  “He said there was an emergency,” she answered in a small voice.

  “And it worked? You went with him just like that?”

  “Are you going to tell me about my brother or not?” she asked defiantly.

  “Not.”

  Her response was cut off when he sped up. The truck kicked up rocks and dirt as they barreled down the road. She screamed and threw her hand out to keep from banging her head on the door. “Are you cra—” The truck rounded a bend without slowing. Tyson pushed the truck faster and faster, heading away from home.

  “Am I crazy? You have a lot of nerve asking me that! Of the two of us I don’t think I am the crazy one!”

  “My brother…” she said stubbornly.

  Tyson shook his head in shock, but didn’t answer. “I smell blood.”

  “What?” she asked.

  “Were you bitten?”

  She lifted her pants legs, leaning forward to examine where the wolves had attacked. Tyson growled outlandish words under his breath. “Your shoulder,” he eventually said.

  “Really?” she asked, twisting in her seat to try and see. She gasped when her skin stretched and stung. Her shirt was torn and she touched the wound beneath the hole. Her fingers came back sticky. Tyson pressed the gas harder and clouds of dust flew where they’d been. Seeing the blood sent her into a state of mild shock and she was numb to the fact that the truck sped down the open road. He turned so often she wouldn’t have been able to find her way back on her own anyway.

  The thick growth on either side of the asphalt eventually gave way to a grassy clearing. In the moonlight, the eaves of large house rose over the slight hill. The truck stopped in the drive and they sat in silence a moment. He’d parked next to three other vehicles. She waited for him to make some kind of demand, but when she stole a glance at him, he was hunched over in the seat with his forehead pressed to the steering wheel. He clutched his head again and, telling by the expression on his face, it was possible it might explode.

  “Tyson?” she breathed. “Are you sure you don’t need to go to a hospital?”

  The question seemed to pull him out of the spell. “Quite sure,” he growled crossly and sat back. She watched him expectantly, but he stared ahead at nothing. When he didn’t move she tried again.

  “Do you need help?”

  “No!” he barked, but still didn’t move.

  She bit her tongue to sooth the agitation that stemmed from his behavior. “Is there someone here you trust to help you?” She gestured toward the huge house.

  “No,” he answered more gently. “We should go inside.” He took a deep breath as if he were about to plunge into a bath of ice. He must have been better than he seemed, because he sprang lightly out and opened her door before she comprehended what was going on. Her feet crunched in the gravel as she followed him across the driveway. Tyson, on the other hand, stepped without weight and didn’t make a sound. She pretended not to notice and looked up at the glowing full moon instead. The air around was cool and carried a light, sweet scent. Leaves, from trees that stood with their roots anchored in the lawn, rustled in a gentle breeze.

  “Please hurry,” Tyson spoke. She hadn’t realized he’d gotten ahead.

  “Of course,” she mumbled, feeling stupid. Tyson stood at the top of a sheltered porch. As he showed her in, it seemed ironic that the place was eerily still when the front room alone could easily have held a small crowd. He snapped lights on as he led her by extravagant furniture and rugs. He wasted little time in a tour and immediately stomped his way to a flight of stairs that led to a corridor. Doors lined the long hall as if they were in a hotel. Tyson stopped at one and opened it. The room had a white floor and blue counters. There was a brown padded exam table exactly the same as ones found in a doctor’s office. Steel trays lined the counter filled with various kinds of sterilized tools. Tyson went to a cupboard to retrieve rubbing alcohol, gauze and a few other things.

  “You have a hospital in your house?” she asked with raised eyebrows.

  “Yes. Now come and sit.” He jabbed a finger at the table. She climbed up and yanked her shirt off with one hand, suddenly very glad she’d worn a tank top beneath her tee. Twisting again, she pulled her shoulder forward and saw the gash ran roughly the same length as her shoulder blade. The rush of adrenaline had worn off, leaving pain to settle in and she flinched when her fingers made contact with exposed flesh. Tyson came behind her to slam a tray down and froze in place. His arms and shoulders were rock solid tense and he was shaking again. His eyes were shut and his face screwed up. He took a shuddering breath while reaching for the alcohol with trembling hands.

  “Are you a doctor?” she asked and snatched it from him.

  “Not exactly,” he said through clenched teeth. She did her best to aim with the bottle hovering over her shoulder and dumped a large amount on the gash. The pain was so intense her teeth clenched and she couldn’t stop the cry of pain. “I’m sorry,” he said and mopped at the spot with a wad of
cotton gauze.

  “I don’t know what happened to you,” she said, flinching each time he touched her. “But you should probably be seen, and I mean by a real doctor.”

  “I will be fine once we’re done here.”

  “Can I ask you something?”

  “No,” he answered firmly. “No questions.”

  “I just don’t understand why he did that,” she persisted and kept her eyes trained to the shiny white floor that reflected the bright lights overhead.

  “He is sick, alright?” Tyson pointed out impatiently. “He is the one who needs to see a doctor.”

  “How did you know…how did you find us?”

  “You were there,” he said gruffly as if that made things perfectly clear.

  “I don’t understand,” she said with a shake of her head. “I’ve never met you.”

  Something behind her clattered and he was shaking again, this time breaking out in a sweat. She felt him leaning toward her and she half turned, bumping his head with hers. “Please,” he whispered, his breath on her cheek. “No more questions tonight, alright?”

  The hair on the back of her neck stood and she nodded. “Alright.”

  He dabbed at the wound a little more then pushed a padded bandage to her shoulder. “That will have to do until morning,” he said as he pressed the tape to her skin.

  “Thank you,” she said quietly. He led her back to the hall and to another door, pushing it open.

  “Your room,” he said through gritted teeth.

  “My room?”

  “Yes, your room.”

  “But…what about you?” she protested, reluctant to leave him on his own. “You aren’t in any condition to—”

  He laughed as if she’d made a joke and leaned toward her again. Taking a hold of her jaw he drew her close. When their lips were almost touching, he stopped. “I will be fine, try to rest and don’t come out until morning, alright?”

  She blinked and found it hard to breathe. “Alright,” she squeaked. He suddenly wasn’t the only one trembling. He released her and she backed into the room. He shut the door before she turned on the light. She stood there, taking deep breaths to regain some functioning ability. Once her senses returned, she flipped the switch on. The room was beautifully detailed and took her a moment to absorb.