Caged Moon Read online

  "How could I forget," I said. My insides twisted into a rock and my face fell.

  Ty placed her hand on my arm. "I'm sorry, Charlotte. I didn't mean it like that. I just meant that in retrospect, considering this new enlightening information, it seems suspicious."

  My fingers tapped nervously on the back of my chair. "So what are you saying? What am I?" I felt ridiculous for even entertaining the stupid question.

  "I don't know," Ty said. "Maybe you're a werewolf too."

  I took one serious look at my friend and then forced a laugh. "I'm a werewolf, Ty?"

  She shrugged. "You never know."

  "Ty, I'm no werewolf expert, but I'm pretty sure you have to be able to turn into a wolf to be one. Just a thought." I shook my head. "You sound like the guys."

  "They think you're a werewolf?" She gasped. "You didn't tell me that."

  Why'd I say anything? I had to tell her now.

  Grabbing her by the arm, I led her over to the women's restroom.

  "Charlotte, what are you doing?"

  The door swung wide and I checked to make sure the room was empty.

  "I've been bitten," I said, locking the door behind me.

  "What? What are you talking about? That's not even funny."

  "No, I'm serious," I said. "It happened years ago when I was five. It's why Liam freaked and left. He saw the scar when he kissed me."

  "You were attacked by a werewolf when you were five?" Ty asked. Her voice rose.

  "Shh, quiet."

  Footsteps approached the bathroom door and I held my breath. A second pair joined them, along with the sound of muffled voices. They moved away and I exhaled.

  "Sorry," Ty whispered.

  "I don't know if it was a werewolf that bit me. Liam said it's a wolf bite. I can't remember the attack, only flashes. All I know is what my parents told me. They said a dog bit me."

  "Did they see it?"

  "No. They found me later, out back of my house. I can remember sneaking out that day. There was a lose rail that I pushed under and crawled through. The rest is hazy. My parents said it was the trauma."

  I pushed back the collar of my shirt, showing her the scar. Her jaw dropped.

  "That's not a dog bite, Charlotte."

  "You can tell the difference between a dog bite and wolf?" I asked.

  "My parents have raised dogs for years. That thing is huge. A mastiff wouldn't make a scar that big. A normal wolf didn't do that either."

  "Okay, you know what? This is ridiculous. Come on. I was bitten by a werewolf? We are forgetting a major factor here. I can't turn into a wolf. Kind of blows the theory, doesn't it?"

  "Hmm, true," she said, tapping her lip. "If only we could get a hold of the pictures of the victim's bodies."

  "What?" I asked. She couldn't be serious.

  "I was just thinking that if we had a picture of their wounds, we could match up yours to see if it was from a similar creature."

  She had to be given credit on that one. Still, I thoroughly denied that a werewolf bit me. "I know where we can get pictures."

  "Really? Where?"

  "Liam's."

  "Great."

  My gut twisted. "There's one catch. He wasn't exactly happy when I saw the album that has the photo in it. I don't think he's just going to hand this over, and he doesn't know that you know he's a 'you know what'."

  Ty nodded and started to pace the bathroom, her fingers playing with her charm. "You have Liam's home number right?"

  I didn't like the sound of this.

  "You call him, find out if he's home and if not, we shoot over."

  "That's breaking and entering, Ty."

  "So?" She said with a forced smile. "This is important. We'll be quick. No one will know."

  "Who are you?" I asked.

  She gave a tight grin and my insides squirmed. I didn't like the idea of going behind Liam's back. I liked him, and I knew he didn't want me to see the album. But how many secrets did he hold from me? I needed to know. Even he said my life could be in danger.

  I flicked my cell phone open and brought it to my ear. The number rang, but no one picked up.

  "Okay," I said with a sigh. "Let's do it."

  Chapter 12

  The house had a different air about it, stark and forsaken, in the low preamble of day. The wind, though soft, scratched and clawed at the old worn siding, making me wonder about the age of the place. My nerves were on end. The place had been intimidating enough when I had been with Liam. Breaking and entering, especially considering werewolves lived there, didn't sit well. Maybe this was a bad idea.

  "Are you ready?" I asked, my voice tight.

  Ty's boisterous courage seemed to have dwindled since we turned onto the long dirt road that led out here. Trees, I fathomed. They had an ominous way of casting out the sun as if poison. Of course, Ty grew up on the east coast, unlike me. Woods probably went hand in hand with breathing.

  She didn't answer, so I turned off the gas. "Are you okay?"

  "Yeah, fine," she said. She looked pale, as she stared at the faded blue Victorian.

  "This was your idea."

  "I know," she said, gently rubbing her temple. "I just didn't think it'd be so..."

  "Big? Old?" I asked.

  "Creepy."

  "We can go back."

  "No, no." She shook her head, dropping her hand. "This is important."

  I nodded and opened the door, stepping out with a crunch onto the pine needle covered ground. I felt exposed standing outside the car in front of the old place. It didn't feel right. "Why are we doing this again?"

  "Charlotte," Ty said with a grumble, grabbing my hand. "Come on."

  We started up the creaky front steps to the porch, when I paused, my hands wringing together. "How do we know they're all gone? I only called Liam's cell. Who's to say the others aren't here?"

  "Relax," Ty said, squeezing my arm. "We'll knock first. If no one answers, then we'll find a way to get inside."

  "Find a way to get inside?" I asked.

  Ty gave me a rueful glance. "Charlotte, we don't exactly have a key. I'm sure if no one's here, the door is locked."

  This whole escapade screamed bad idea. Ty went to knock on the door and I almost stopped her. But what choice did I have? She wrapped her fingers three times. A scurry of house finches took off out of a nearby tree, making me jump.

  "You are nervous," she said.

  "Is it that easy to tell?" I rolled my eyes. No one answered. "One more time," I said, "just to make sure."

  Ty shook her head, but obliged. Nothing. She tried the handle, but it wouldn't budge.

  "I say we head around back to see if we can find an open window or something," Ty said, as she started past me down the steps. If I hadn't known her better, I would have thought she had done this before. "Come on, Charlotte."

  The porch groaned as we hopped down from the last step, taking route around the left side of the house. Everything appeared shut up tight. I stepped up to one of the oversized paned windows on the side of the house, and peered in. The large open living room seemed emptier than it did before, dark, the lights off. It helped settle my fears on whether or not anyone was home. I wondered where they had gone. It was still early in the morning on a Saturday. Who else would be up and out at this ridiculous hour? Of course I wouldn't put anything past Liam. He was probably taking one of his overnight walks, or hunting. He was a wolf after all. The thought made me shudder; sharp teeth and blood, all I saw.

  "You cold?" Ty asked, moving up from behind me.

  "No, I'm fine. It's nothing," I said, ridding myself of the vision. I placed my hands up on the window and shoved. It didn't move. Frustrated, I hopped down from the small vent protruding from house that I had been standing on. The grass squished under my feet, dew still lightly covering the ground.

  Ty stood with her sneakers tucked into a large chain linked fence that separated the side of the house from a large drop off down the back. "This view is amazing," she said. "I
s this the preserve?"

  "Yeah, and be careful. You don't want to fall down there. That material looks a little flimsy."

  "Yes, Mom," she said with a giggle.

  I rolled my eyes, when I saw a shadow race along the edge of the house. Goosebumps flooded my arms. I turned, but didn't see anything.

  "What is it?" Ty asked.

  "Nothing," I said. "Let's try the other side of the house."

  We headed around the front, past the old winding porch, and the small graveled lot where the CRV sat. Chills still prickled my skin, and I had the strange feeling of being watched. I glanced around, but everything seemed still, vacant. I had to be imagining things.

  The other side of the house had been given more attention than this one. Brambles, thorns, and everything known to mankind blocked our path, making walking difficult.

  "Ow, my hair," Ty said ahead of me. A low hanging branch had snagged a wad of her blonde curls, twisting them up into a knot. Pushing my way through the shrubs, closer, my fingers went to work, freeing her from the spiny tendrils.

  "Thanks," she said, and then pointed in front of her. "I think I found a way in." She kicked a large overgrown bush to the side, revealing an old bulkhead.

  "Is it open?"

  She reached down for the rusty handle, and pulled. The bulkhead groaned, resisted, but then came free. Swinging it wide, she let it drop to the ground with a crunch.

  A small cement stairwell smelling of mold led down to a faded red steel door. Brushing past Ty, I took the lead, and started down the dank steps. A thin trace of cobwebs tickled my arm as I reached for the doorknob, but I ignored them. When I twisted the knob, I was surprised.

  "It's unlocked," I said.

  With a gentle push, the door swung wide. A draft of moist mildew hit my nose, making me almost sneeze. Save for the small space near the stairwell where light came in, the basement was completely dark. I moved my hand along the inside of the wall in hopes of finding a light switch, but nothing.

  "I suppose you don't have a flashlight?" I asked over my shoulder. The irony of the question didn't escape me.

  "Sorry," Ty said. She crooned her neck around me, to see. "What do you think?"

  "Do we have a choice?"

  "Not if we want a look at those photographs."

  I groaned, and stepped into the large void of darkness. Ty held my shirt, I think afraid of losing me. She didn't say anything, so I kept moving. My arms splayed out in front of me in hopes that I would find the stairwell and not topple into something sharp and dangerous. Who knew what kinds of things Liam and his friends kept down here. Visions of mauled victims flooded my mind again, and I desperately shook it off.

  "Are you okay?" Ty asked.

  "Yeah, just nerves," I said, when I saw something move; a flicker of a shadow in the darkness. My heart pounded in my ears. "Did you see that?"

  "See what?"

  "I don't know. Maybe we shouldn't be here." My hands shook. "What if they're not really gone? We really don't know that much about them."

  "They're gone," Ty said. She changed her hold on my shirt to my arm. "Wow, you're cold, Charlotte. Look, relax. Even if Liam or one of the guys did come home, I'm sure they wouldn't do anything. Liam obviously has feelings for you, right?"

  I nodded, though Ty couldn't see it. I just wished my mind would stop playing tricks on me. "You're right," I said, trying to shove off the eerie feeling. With a deep breath, I started forward again.

  "Over here," Ty said. "I think I found the stairs. I feel a railing."

  She pulled me around to where she stood, and when my fingers touched the smooth rounded wood, I sighed. "Thank god," I said with relief.

  We carefully ascended the creaky staircase. The daylight seeped through the cracks of the door, giving it an aura like affect in contrast to the dungy cellar. It opened and we stepped into the long, empty, hallway.

  "This way," I said, heading down towards the study. The faster we could get out of there, the better.

  Warm light greeted us through the now closed and locked up window as I made my way over to the desk. The large leather bound photo album sat, tucked into a small shelf attached to the frame. I glanced around, and then pulled it down. "Here it is," I said. "This is the book."

  "What book?" a male voice said.

  My head shot up. Prickles of goose bumps rose on the back of my neck as I met an intense blue gaze bearing down at me. He stood, leaning on the door jam, in a way that oddly reminded me of Liam. He appeared about the same age and build too, but instead of Liam's ashy blond hair, he had auburn.

  It took a moment for my mind to connect with my body, and I shoved the book behind my back "What are you doing here?" I asked, wincing at how stupid that sounded.

  The corner of his mouth lifted into a grin. "I should be asking you that," he said. "You're breaking and entering. Perhaps I should call the cops." He reached into his back pocket, pulling out his cell phone.

  "No, no," I said, taking a step towards him. He seemed pleased by my newfound hysteria, and put the phone away.

  "Why are you here?" he asked, again. His focus flicked to Ty, and then back at me. Hands in his pockets, he pushed himself up off the door jam, moving towards me. The muscles of his shoulders flexed taut under his thin t-shirt and he rolled them, tilting his head to the side.

  "She's friends with Liam," Ty said.

  Inside I winced with horror. Liam didn't want people to know I knew about him. He said it was dangerous. My chest felt constricted. His face looked like stone.

  "What's with the book?" he asked.

  "It...it's nothing," I said. My fingers clutched the leather so hard I could feel the painful pinch of my nails biting into its flesh.

  He took another step towards me. "Then what's behind your back?"

  I contemplated denying the fact that I held it there, but it seemed pointless. "Just something for a homework assignment that Liam was helping me with." I prayed I didn't look as sickly as I felt.

  "I wasn't aware Liam went to school," he said. A coy smile lifted to his mouth.

  "Oh, he doesn't. It was for me. I go to school. He just said I could borrow it." I needed to shut up. Seriously. A pin could have dropped and I would have screamed. Where was Ty?

  "Can I see it?" he asked.

  "No." I swallowed hard.

  "Why not?"

  My heart pounded in my ears. "Because it's not yours."

  He stalked towards me then, but stopped short. His intense blue eyes widened and his jaw went slack. His nostrils expanded, and he inhaled, tilting his head. The familiarity of the ritual did not escape me - werewolf. I needed my body to respond. Run, my mind screamed, but I couldn't move.

  "It's you," he said with a disbelieving nod. He reached out to touch my hair, but I shrank back.

  "I don't know what you mean," I said. "I don't know you."

  "How did Liam find you?" he asked, ignoring me.

  "Liam didn't find me. I was in the woods and he ran...into me."

  "Mhm," he said with all knowing grin. "Interesting."

  "It's not what you think," I said.

  "Sure it isn't."

  Who did this guy think he was? Did he know his words twisted and stirred subconscious fears I had about Liam and my past? He didn't know me; impossible. But then why did it seem he wanted to make me doubt myself? What did he know?

  His blue gaze penetrated my skin as he started to walk around me. I tried to remain stone, and not shake. My nails bit into the book.

  "I need to go," I said.

  "Of course." He looked mocked hurt, as though the idea of him keeping me there, absurd. He stopped circling, his hands still in his pockets, and cocked his head to the other side. "I'm not holding you and your friend here. I merely wanted to make sure that you weren't here unbeknownst to Liam."

  "Well, we're not, so bye." Ty said. The voice sounded so foreign, it took me a moment to recognize it.

  The stranger turned, regarding her for the first time. A small smile
etched across his face, but he focused back on me. "Why are you here with her?" he asked.

  "She's my friend?" I didn't know what he wanted me to say.

  "You're friends with Liam and her?"

  "Yes," I said, the point of this lost on me. "Why?"

  "Does Liam know?"

  "Does Liam know what?"

  He rolled his eyes with a groan. "That you're friends with her?"

  "What's wrong with Ty?"

  He took a step towards me. His body loomed over mine so that I had to press back against the desk. It felt like I couldn't breathe and I turned my head away. "You know what I'm talking about," he whispered, his breath on my ear. "It's dangerous to mingle outside..." He paused, to my relief, standing back a bit. "You still haven't changed," he said with a slow nod. He seemed rather amused. "This is interesting. How Liam found you is beyond me. You aren't his you know."

  The corners of my mouth fell. "I don't know what you're talking about."

  He leaned forward and the hairs on the back of my neck rose. "I think you do," he whispered, flicking his gaze over to Ty.

  "We're leaving," I said. I had enough. I didn't like this guy and I wanted to go home. Pushing myself past him, I grabbed Ty's hand. "No wonder Liam never mentioned you living here," I said as I headed for the door. I heard him chuckle.

  "Who ever said I lived here?"

  Chapter 13

  I spun around, but he had gone. The absence of his presence made the goose bumps on the back of my neck fade, but I felt cold. How did he get out? The window by the desk sat open and I could hear the faint babbling of birds outside. Walking over, I peered across the front lawn. I didn't see a sign of him anywhere.

  "Where'd he go?" Ty asked.

  "I don't know." I said. "I don't see him anywhere." I didn't like this. "Let's get of here."

  I didn't need to ask twice. We sped out of the study, down the front hallway, and swung the main door wide. Several sparrows flapped and chirped as they startled off into the air, but that didn't give us pause. My hands landed on the CRV with a flush of relief. My fingers couldn't work fast enough as I fiddled with the door handle.