kissed-by-moonlight by Rakhibul hasan (ebook reader for pc .TXT) 📕

wanted to spit the taste of Evans’s name out of his mouth.

 

Penelope sniffed and grabbed a tissue from the table, wiping away the tears that appeared like magic in the laugh lines at the corner of her eyes.

 

“Those poor people.”

 

Joseph patted her hand in a show of comfort.

 

“Werewolves are a danger. A menace. They caught the massacre on tape for Christ’s sake. What more proof do we need before the politicians in Washington get off their asses long enough to take action?”

 

“The debate the last few weeks has been that Werewolves are just like the rest of us,” Robert, the anchor, countered. “Are you saying that we need to eradicate them all because of the actions of just one man?”

 

“Of course not,” Marcus said, “Gabriel is an Alpha. The pack, the men and women who follow him, do so out of fear and necessity. They can’t survive in this world without a strong hand to keep them under control. But if the Alpha is corrupt, then that affects the entire hierarchy. It’s like cutting the head off a snake. We don’t need to punish the many because of one person. We just need to erase the threats and appoint men and women we can trust to act as replacements. It’s the only way to coexist.”

 

“Who do you consider threats?”

 

“It’s the Alphas that make up the current regime. The only reason there’s been so much violence and public panic this past month is because the Alphas who lead the packs just aren’t doing their jobs. Or worse, they’re encouraging and even rewarding the bad behavior of their packmates. Gabriel Evans may have been the first Alpha to get caught, but I promise you he isn’t the only one out there getting his hands bloody.”

 

“Wouldn’t undoing their current system cause even more chaos? And how do we, as humans, choose the right people to lead a bunch of bloodthirsty Weres?”

 

Marcus opened his mouth as if about to drop a name, and then shook his head in self doubt. “That isn’t for me to say. It would be a job for the government. Once the bill goes through to have any confirmed or suspected Weres contained and tagged, the powers that be will be able to take the time they’ll need to choose appropriate leaders to keep them in line.”

 

I didn’t hear anything else after that. I lowered myself to the ground, my fingers a punishment as I fisted my hair in my hands. Burying my face between my knees I began to rock.

 

This was because we’d broken our end of the deal. This was how Liam retaliated.

 

We should have run.

 

I should have let us run.

 

Though, none of this would have ever happened if I’d stayed away from Gabriel in the first place. One thought kept spiraling through my head, over and over and over again.

 

“My fault,” it wailed, “this is all my fault.”

 

* * * *

 

“You all right?”

 

I shook my head and Dawson snorted.

 

“I told you, you should have added more brandy. Who the hell drinks coffee straight anymore?”

 

“Um, I don’t know,” Sonya snipped. “Non-alcoholics?”

 

“You’re this close to getting fired.”

 

“Don’t threaten me with a good time.”

 

I stared down into the dark recesses of my mug, enjoying the steam that caressed my face. After my breakdown earlier, the Weres in the room had surrounded me. For a while they wouldn’t allow anyone, even Sonya to touch me at all. It was only when Georgette and Mark brought Asrai back in from breakfast that the Weres made way.

 

The little Sidhe calmed me with cool hands and soft words spoken in a language I didn’t understand, but knew in my blood and bones. She got me up from the floor and into Dawson’s office.

 

Now I found myself drinking spiked coffee while a Sidhe, my sort-of boss, and a woman who was alarmingly close to being my one and only friend, filled me in on the latest news in Briarcliff.

 

When I was up for it, Dawson had Sonya show me the tape that had been mentioned on the broadcast. It showed a wolf, as big as a small pony, tearing through a group of Huntsmen like they were nothing. Then it shows the wolf changing, and the man who stood in his place was a panting and blood splattered Gabriel.

 

“He killed all of them,” Sonya said, mouth tight with disapproval. “Every last one. I can’t get in touch with any of my superiors or any of the recon team from last night.”

 

“It wasn’t him.”

 

It looked real enough, but the one and only reason I knew that Gabriel wasn’t the Were who’d killed all of those hunters was because of the size of the wolf. Gabriel in wolf form was impressive, but I’d noticed that first night that he was significantly smaller than the rest of his pack. Whether it had something to do with the finer distinction of being a Hell Hound was irrelevant. The fact was that someone had doctored the footage and released it. That meant that either the Feds had a Were who could shift in their employ and they’d had the Huntsmen killed for a reason, or that a member of Gabriel’s pack had gotten caught on video slaughtering the men who’d helped kidnap Gabriel.

 

Either way, it looked bad.

 

“How did they get this?” I asked finally.

 

“Ever since the big reveal, we’ve had wannabe Werewolf hunters pouring into town,” Dawson said.

 

Sonya smirked. “Only the term ‘Hunter’ has taken on a new meaning.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“If tourists aren’t trying to shoot a Were and mount their heads on their walls, they’re taking their pictures and asking for autographs.” Dawson rolled her eyes. “Not to mention the fact that Briarcliff now has a couple hundred more registered sex offenders.”

 

I gaped. “The Weres are assaulting humans?”

 

Sonya laughed. “Nope. It’s the other way around. We’ve got furries walking down main street, hookers with dog collars and leashes, and your random housewife looking for some wolfman lovin’.” She waved away my disbelief. “It gets better. There’s a dating site. Love Me by Moonlight.”

 

“Ew,” I deadpanned. “Is that the best they could come up with?”

 

“It was either that or ‘Fangs For You.’”

 

“I guess sounding sappy is better than sounding like vampire porn,” I conceded. The banter was doing more to settle me than the coffee had, and I found myself leaning forward as we talked. Asrai had fallen asleep in Dawson’s desk chair and I figured the kid deserved some rest after the sort of night we’d had.

 

“What’s this about a bill being passed?”

 

Sonya winced. “I forgot that you’ve been out of commission for a while. We learned about it two weeks ago. They’re saying that Weres are a danger to the human race and that they need to be quarantined and tagged for everyone’s safety.”

 

“That’s bullshit.”

 

“Well, the Weres out there agree with you.” I turned to look at the wolves still roaming the office.

 

“Is that why they’re here?”

 

“They started showing up about an hour ago, when the broadcast first aired.” Sonya reached out and took my hand. “They came to defend Gabriel.”

 

Speechless, I could only look between her and Dawson in astonishment.

 

“They want to everyone to know the truth. Apparently everything that made Gabriel look like a member of the Sopranos was just him being Alpha. He wasn’t making people disappear, he was training newbies. Oh, and remember when we all thought he was running a drug cartel? It was Wolfsbane. He distributes it all over the country to help other Weres control themselves so they won’t flip out and start eating people.”

 

Dawson continued the explanation smoothly. “After they realized what was going on, they came straight over. They want to explain to the world what sort of man Gabriel is. How their Alphas aren’t monsters. If they can tell people their side of the story, prove that they aren’t animals, it may be enough to keep the bill from going through.”

 

“But why here?” It was all I could think to say. It was a good question though. The Oracle was by no means the biggest, or most influential paper. If the Weres wanted to speak for themselves why come to us?

 

Sonya and Dawson looked at one another, but it was Asrai who spoke.

 

“They came because of you,” she spoke on a yawn. “You’re Fiery Phaedra. The woman who thwarted the Hunters and saved his life. Now that they’ve scented you and know that you’re his mate, you’re the only one they’ll trust enough to talk to.”

 

“You know this how?” Sonya asked.

 

Asrai settled more comfortably in her impromptu bed, skinny legs curling beneath her and plump face already growing slack again with exhaustion.

 

“I can just tell,” she grumbled, eyes closing. “It’s how I knew Phaedra would help me. It’s why I showed her my secret.”

 

Thoughtful, Sonya stared at the child for a second longer before looking back to me.

 

I shrugged, pretending ignorance. I trusted Sonya, but I didn’t want anyone else but Gabriel and I to know just how important the child was. It was just safer that way.

 

Meanwhile, Dawson was looking at me and rubbing her hands together in glee.

 

“Exclusive interviews,” she said. “Conners, I’m sorry I ever doubted you.”

 

“Is the camera on? Are we rolling? OK. We’re rolling…Do I look all right?”

 

—Yvette Reed

 

 

 

Chapter Eighteen

 

 

 

 

 

Go big or go home.

 

It was a phrase I lived by.

 

When I realized that Weres would be coming from all over the state just to tell me what it was really like to be a Were, I sat Dawson down and started working on a plan for an hour long television piece.

 

“There’s no way I can tell everything there is to tell in one article. Plus it’ll be more effective if the people can see the men and women about to be condemned to modern day concentration camps. The Oracle is just too small to reach the kind of audience this story deserves.”

 

“I assume you have an idea for the budget?”

 

“Gabriel has deep pockets. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind dipping in to them for a good cause.” Assuming he was still alive to care.

 

I swallowed past the lump in my throat and pushed the thought away.

 

Not long after that, Dawson and I parted ways. She needed to start calling in favors from friends with network access, and I had a couple of things to take care of on my end.

 

I hefted Asrai out of Dawson’s chair, surprised by how light the girl was, and left Dawson and Sonya to flesh out the details. It was still chaotic in the main room. New Weres kept showing up in droves, while the ones who’d first arrived refused to leave. I glanced around until a familiar face caught my eye.

 

It was Lottie. The waitress from BB’s.

 

I hurried over to her and I would have sworn that she was still chewing the same piece of gum she’d been smacking on last night. The pink bubble mounting her lips stretched past its endurance and popped in greeting.

 

“Hey,” she said, growing soft at the sight of Asrai asleep on my shoulder. “How’s the little Fae?”

 

At the look on my face, she tapped the side of her nose with her index finger. “The nose don’t lie. I knew what she was the second you three sat in my section.”

 

My arms tightened around the girl, but I didn’t back away.

 

“I didn’t know you were a werewolf,” I said lamely.

 

My version of small talk.

 

She shrugged. “I got turned earlier this year. I used to work at the Examiner. I didn’t even know what was happening until Gabriel showed up and explained it all.” She smiled, and the expression was tender. “He said investigative journalism was probably too high stress for a newly turned Were.”

 

Another piece in the puzzle. She’d been the reason he’d been at the Examiner that day. Funny how life worked. I would have questioned her further about what happened that day, but there was no point.

 

“I need your help,” I said instead.

 

“Oh really?” Another bubble burst, and I felt my nerves start to fray around the edges.

 

“Gabriel’s been taken.