Chapter Twenty-Eight
Luna
Tallie runs the last few yards and throws her arms around me.
“Oh, my Gaaad, girl! You have lost so much weight!”
Her bear hug almost takes my breath away. Laughing as I hug my friend back, the need to explain everything bubbles to the surface.
Landslide. Midnight Riders. Vampires.
I have to clap my hand over my mouth to stop the words from coming out. And yes, I can feel my hip bones and collar bones protruding as Tallie holds me close. But right now, losing weight is the least of my worries.
Pushing me away from her, she looks at me up and down.
“Are you sick?”
Lovesick. Sick to death. Sick and tired of waiting and worrying for the other shoe to drop.
Shaking my head, I brush the question away.
“Nice way to say hello, Tal. And no, I’m not sick, just… exhausted.”
We arranged to meet at one of those truck stops along the highway. Pushing me in the small of my back, Tallie guides me to the diner. It’s pretty empty, so we slide into the red-plastic-covered booth closest to the door.
The waitress comes to take our order and pour coffee. Tallie orders us both a huge breakfast. When the waitress leaves, Tallie takes a long package out of her tote and pushes it towards me.
“Happy birthday, because I guess I won’t be seeing you in November? I chipped in some of my own money to get this. I went to the university to get it tested. It’s genuine.”
I stare blankly at the package.
I won’t ever need this if I just go to my rental and follow Tallie back to Minneapolis.
Just thinking about leaving Landslide twists my insides into a knot.
“Thank you. I love you for doing this for me. Thank you.”
We look at one another fondly. Friends since college and always there to help each other. That’s a special love.
Laughing off our emotional reunion, Tallie points at me accusingly as she moves her finger up to my hair and back down again.
“What is this? Sure, you were never going to win Best Dressed, Lu, but you were never pale and drab.” Reaching for my hand, she holds it in both of hers.
“What’s going on, friend? Is the cabin haunted? ”
I feel my eyes get wide. Tallie is more accurate than she knows!
“Yes! I was never the sort of person to believe in the paranormal, Tal. But the cabin—and maybe the whole of Landslide—is full of ghosts.”
Dropping my hand, Tallie leans back and exhales. “Woo! I knew it! Is that why you need this?” She points at the long package. “Are you going to do an exorcism?”
Chatting with my friend invigorates me. I am no longer alone and helpless. I will get to the bottom of this ridiculous vampire feud and solve it.
I make a promise to myself right there.
No one will ever be able to manipulate me emotionally or physically again. I am a strong, independent, successful woman. I deserve a loving partner, a comfortable home, and a nice life.
And if no one on Landslide can give that to me, let me put this in a way Shadow Sylva can understand—I gotta bounce!
Funny how love and sex has a way of clouding the mind. Time for me to exorcise myself.
Our breakfasts arrive. Grabbing a waffle off Tallie’s plate, I take a large bite and smile as I chew it.
“An exorcism? That, my friend, is a very good idea.”
Vince Pruitt is waiting for me at Angle Inlet. The creek water looks opaque and black, as if the boat is about to be swallowed into an oil spill.
“You get your mainland shopping done, Miz Luna?”
I nod, accepting the helping hand he is holding out towards me as I jump down into the boat.
We cast off and begin chugging back to the island.
“Tell me again, Vince, how do you earn your money?”
He tells me as though he has nothing to hide.
“My granddaddy was the first Pruitt to settle on Landslide. His brother was Becca Elliot’s stepfather back in the day.
That’s how he got the invite. He was a currency forger until the government got all high-tech about everything.
I guess I followed in the family tradition. ”
“You forge documents?”
A nod. “Yep. I do the paperwork—binding, paper, and sealant—in Carson Reagan’s basement.
They get sent to the mainland for some high-tech geek in San Fran to insert ID chips in them, and another one to hack them into the system.
It helps a lot of folk, Luna. Wives who want to escape abusive husbands. Women running away from stalkers.”
He looks down, sad. “Brave ladies who just want a chance to start over again without someone there to drag them down.”
Vince shifts in his seat. “That’s why we’re kinda happy with no connectivity on the island. No governments spying on us.”
“How much do you make?” I’m amazed that Vince is content to live such a low-key life.
He smiles. “I’m comfortably well-off, Miz Luna. But that’s not what Landslide is about.”
His eyes get misty as he explains. “I stay here for the peace… the serenity. No ugly pylons for electricity or industrial areas spewing pollution into the air. No sales pitches. No… spin doctoring or divisive jargon.” Pointing at the island as the dark shape materializes out of the mist, Vince smiles. “Can’t beat that.”
And if I brew fluids for the MC, all that peace and serenity will continue.
My mind is fixed. Finally, I am able to see the sacrifice my aunt Tempest made. But better still, I understand why she made it.
For the farmers and homesteaders, and for the families who will take their place.
This delicate, symbiotic system must continue.
Leaning over the side of the boat, I drop my phone into the water.
Time to say goodbye to everything that came before and embrace my new life. This is my choice, and I choose to stay and help.
The boat bumps against the row of tires lining the makeshift harbor.
I guess I’m home.
A dark shape becomes solid as it moves forward out of the mist. Wulf. Unlike the Riders, he doesn’t pass as human so easily. There’s a distinctive uncanny valley look about Wulf. And that’s not even counting his shocking black and red hair and eyes.
Grabbing my backpack while Vince putters around in the cabin, I snarl at my cousin under my breath.
“I told you to wait for me in the boat for three days. It’s only been two and a half days, Wulf. So… get back there!”
And he’s gone.
Turning to wave, I keep my voice light. “Thank you, Vince. I hope to open the tavern at the inn soon. I want Landsliders to have a place to meet and drink in winter.”
“Thanks for offering me the use of the double room during the off-season, Luna. I think I’ll make my way over there now.” He clambers down to the promenade deck and then heads in the direction of the general store.
I wish I didn’t have to do this, but it is the only way. While walking to the Prodigal, I think about what to say.
Fuck it. I’ll wing it. Be diplomatic and kind. Wulf is an outcast from both human and vampire societies. It can’t have been easy for him.
Stomping on deck, I wait for him to join me there. Slithering out of the cabin, Wulf does not look pleased.
“I’m the one who gives orders around here, Luna, so don’t use that tone of voice with me again.”
“We’re cousins, and that makes us equals. Don’t get it twisted, Wulf.”
He looks confused as it slowly dawns on him.
“Please don’t tell me you’ve decided to stay here, cuz. Those MC bastards are just using you. Landslide is a dump.” He lowers his tone to be inviting and husky. “Come with me. We can travel the world together. See the sights. Live large. I will walk with you in sunshine—even though I hate it.”
“I already toured Europe in my twenties, thanks. Don’t let me stop you from doing that, though.”
Looking up at the overcast sky, I see no blurry outline of the sun and no blue skies. The thick fog swirling around us feels like lacy rain on my skin.
The smell of decaying foliage rises up my nose, tickling and tantalizing me to imprint the memory of its fragrance in my mind. Somewhere in the forest of tall, black pines that tower behind me, I hear birds singing. It’s a symphony of sound, territorial but melodic at the same time.
The slap and creak of boats on the water. The whistling wind as it blows the last of the fall leaves in ragged, brown flurries. The taste of shampoo as strands of my hair whip into my mouth.
I love being human. And I wouldn’t want to miss a single step of my human experience.
Just like Tempest.
Wulf attempts to change my mind. “But I need you more than Shadow ever could. He’s a creature of the night. Only I understand you, Luna.”
Stepping away from him, I pull the folded scrap of paper out of my bra and open it.
“I used my phone to translate this, Wulf.” I hold the paper in his face so he has to read the pencil marks.
LUNA
????
LOVE
“See, Wulf? Shadow doesn’t need me for his own selfish reasons. He loves me. And I love him, too. And if I have to give my last drop of blood to save other women from dying, then I will die for him, too. I’m making this choice of my own free will.”
My cousin’s coaxing expression and reasonable mood changes on a dime.
My dad’s self-defense lessons kick in.
Put as much distance as you can between you and your attacker without taking your eyes off them.
I take several steps back.
Use any sharp object as a weapon. Hairclip, keys, or pen.
I withdraw the knife I asked Tallie to buy for me on the mainland. I had it hidden in the waistband of my jeans under my jacket.
Remember to hold the weapon in a way that allows you to thrust upwards in a short, sharp stabbing motion, not downwards. Downward thrusts are the easiest to block.
Hefting the knife, I thrust it back and forth in Wulf’s direction. The blade is made from metal extracted from a meteor and forged in an artisanal blacksmith’s fire. It’s hard enough to pierce undead skin.
“Wulf! Don’t come any—”
He moves so fast, it’s a blur. He has me in his clutches. His mouth is on my neck.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see a nightmarish shape launching itself out of the black water. The monster from my worst dreams. Wet, slimy, and gaunt.
Shadow as a vampire is terrifying.