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Well I'm back with another installment. It's almost complete, believe it or not, but believe this (and I know you will!): Rowena ran away~
Ahaha. Isn't that so funny? Her story is almost done and she disappears just for some fun. I only have a few pages left to give you before I run out, then I'm going to have to find something else to do. Drop the journal, a part of me says, but I refuse.
Man, I really need some human contact soon or I'm going to lose my head. Well, I'll lose my head with or without contact, but having human life around eases the edge of anxiety. Along with getting out of the house, going somewhere as stupid as Wal-Mart or Giant Eagle--anywhere as long as its not near the house. I don't even know what's wrong with me, but I can take a pretty good guess that in the beginning of October, my denotation just got a little closer (those of who remember me calling myself a time bomb, kudos to you). Everything's just been weird and different since October and December made it all worse.
Anyway, time for your installment. I know it probably hasn't been that long since the last one, but I can't hold onto Rowena forever--proof, since she ran away. The only good part about this is that Rosetta is back and brought someone new along with her. I don't know him that well yet, but I'm excited to learn why he was mingling near an explosion of some sort.

Enjoy another part of Bloody Moon.

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Several hours later, after many distractions that revolved around my parents constantly calling for nothing, the sun was nearly set and I was finally finished. I leaned back in my chair, stretching my arms and legs happily. Yeah, I was happy for once. All the answers you could ever want from a werewolf were here with me, in my computer, for my own personal use when I got older. I was planning, with Luke’s help, to become a scientist and convince the government vampires and werewolves exist. They would think I’m a crackpot—until I brought them the evidence. Then the long, political debates would take place and that’s where Luke came in handy. But hey, someone had to alert the government before crime got any worse; paranormal creatures were already behind eighty percent of crime around the world.
Suddenly I heard the most annoying sounds in the world: a hard banging at the front door and the shrill ring of the phone. And they were happening at the same time. I sighed and ran downstairs to grab the phone, then I’d get the door.
“Hello?” I asked the phone in the most annoyed tone I could muster; and I was pretty annoyed.
“Didn’t I ask you to call me when you home?” Annemarie growled. “Were you out all this time or what?”
“I can take care of myself; you don’t need to know my every move,” I argued as I made my way towards the door.
“Bex saw some trouble looming on the horizon and we were just worried. As our future queen, we are allowed to try and protect you. You know how Luke worries about you.”
I yanked the door open, grimacing as Annemarie continued to chatter away. On my porch stood not Luke or any part of his coven, not a salesman or Jehovah’s Witness, but a werewolf. Ethan, to be exact. He smiled with a certain charm I never saw before; it even made me smile.
“Rowena, are you listening to me?” Annemarie shouted.
I held the phone away from my ear. Her voice was really shrill when she yelled or screamed it was likely she’d make you go deaf. To have it directly in your ear was not a good thing. My ear rang with a sound only dogs should hear.
I put the phone to my other ear, holding it slightly away should she scream again. “Listen, Annemarie, I have company right now so I have to let you go.”
“No, Wen, that’s what I’m calling about!”
“Well don’t call anymore,” I huffed and hit the “hang up on annoying pests” button. I felt like throwing the phone because I knew it would ring again, but I settled for simply holding onto it. Bad impression for Ethan if I threw it, I decided.
Ethan laughed, his form quivering slightly. “Trouble in paradise?”
“Not really. They just worry easily,” I replied with a shrug. “Would you like to come in? You look cold.”
He was really shaking, although he was trying to hide it. His arms and head twitched and jerked the more he tried.
Ethan’s smile was a little more strained now. “I’m okay. Just the weird stuff starting to kick in.”
The gears clicked into place and I glanced around to see the moon visible from my low porch. “Oh,” I said in realization. Brilliant reply, really.
A large tremor rocked his body; the urge to Change and run must have been unbearable. He laughed breathlessly. “Man, I though I’d be okay this month but still the moon rides me hard.”
“Hey, we all have control issues. Nothing to be ashamed of,” I offered.
He shook his head. “It’s a little different for us, but I’m wasting my time. I came here on a mission. The pack enjoyed your company the other night and hasn’t stopped talking about you since. Kent wanted to personally visit you and invite you—means more coming from the Alpha personally, you know—but he a got late call from work. So we wanted to know if you would like to come running with us tonight.” He ended his rushed words clipped; I barely caught any of it. If he didn’t get out of here soon, what would happen? I decided not to press my luck. I got my invitation, that’s all I needed.
“Sure, it sounds like a lot of fun.” I smiled.
He nodded, running a hand through his hair, his eyes glancing left and right. “Great. Cool. Okay then, I’ll come get you a little later. Dress warm.” With that he dashed off the porch. Before I closed the door I saw him tearing off his coat and sweater.


I was reviewing my questions and answers from Kent for the hundredth time when I heard the front door lock pop. Someone broke into my home. I wasn’t skilled in self-defense nor have I ever found myself face-to-face with a robber, but I had a weapon and knew how to use it . . . against nonhuman beings. Quickly and quietly as I could, I opened my desk drawer and pulled out the knife I kept hidden in the back under all the papers and miscellaneous items.
It wasn’t so much a knife than it was a short sword. The handle was thick and big enough for two hands; the blade was long—mid-forearm to fingertip on anyone—and curved. It was made of pure silver and yet it could still stop a vampire in his tracks. Luke gave it to me as a present to protect myself in case he wasn’t around.
I cracked the door open when I heard the footsteps climbing the stairs. All the lights were out, only my desk lamp on, which was so dim it didn’t even shine into the hallway. I could only see a black shadow in the near dark, and that shadow looked like a man. He seemed to know his way around the house.
Carefully I closed the door then stood on the wall so the door’d hide me when it opened. My heart pounded in fear and I tried not to breathe too hard so he wouldn’t hear me. I braced myself, hoping he wouldn’t kick the door open, and prepared to lunge. The door opened slowly and the man stepped in my room, closing the door as he looked around.
Since he didn’t seem to be in a hurry, I stepped forward, pressing the tip of the knife into the middle of his back. He was too tall for me to get my arms around his neck, and I doubt I had the strength to wrestle him to the floor anyway. He raised his hands in surrender.
“Don’t move. I don’t want to hurt.” Commanding someone with a weak voice was a hard thing to do. I’d never dealt with a robber before. What should I do? Knock him out, tie him up, and call reinforcements like they do in movies? Apparently I didn’t have to worry about it, though, because the man disappeared. I couldn’t even hear him.
A strong arm wrapped around my neck while another twisted my arm around my back, causing me to drop the knife. Oh God, a vampire was in the house, and I gave him the opening he needed to kill me. I should have struck first.
“Nor do I wish to hurt you, Rowena, but I feel I must if I wish to keep you from going tonight.”
My knees buckled with relief and he used both arms to catch me. Maybe I should have used my nose; I could tell Luke’s cologne from any other scent. At least his voice stopped me from having a panic attack or trying to kill him.
Luke took me to my bed and laid me down, straightening quickly. His angel face smiled down at me in the dim light. He chuckled.
“You did good,” he said. It wasn’t rare that I received praise from Luke but it still made my already racing heart pick up. “Had it been a human that was here, you would have him on his knees awaiting the cops. The only thing that gave you away was your heartbeat racing like the beat on hummingbird wings; oh, and that barely audible crack in your voice.”
“I never dealt with a robber before,” I mumbled, laying my hand over my eyes. “You have to give me credit for trying.”
“And I do.” I heard him retrieve the knife and put it away, safe in its hiding spot where my parents would never find it. The bedsprings groaned when he sat on the edge and his warm hand touched my stomach. Considering how warm he was, he must have taken his coven out for hunting all day; I’d wondered where he was.
“Besides,” I continued as if he never said anything, “you could have saved me a heart attack and knocked, or even come through the window; that’s less surprising!”
He was quiet for a minute, his hand rubbing circles over my stomach, and then: “I heard you accepted a certain mutts invitation to run tonight.” His voice was so quiet I could just hear his English accent. I loved that accent, how it seemed to float all around the room and caress me. Yeah, I was sucker for accents.
“Yes I did, and I’m going alone,” I replied, proud how my voice stayed steady.
“Are you sure there’s nothing I can say or . . . do, to persuade you?” His hand traveled down to my thigh now.
I took a deep breath then slowly let it out through my nose. This is what he wants, I told myself. He just came here to distract me. And he was doing a pretty decent job.
“I’m sure. Luke, I really want to go tonight. I’ll get to see the way the pack works, how several bodies are all in tune. Maybe I’ll even get another session to ask questions about the order of the pack. I never really got to those questions, actually.”
He removed his hand and lay down next to me, taking my hand from over my eyes and holding it tightly. The look in his eyes said he was really unhappy with this, he’d get over it eventually, although this was probably the only time I didn’t do exactly what he asked. He was used to getting his way without question or rebel. I was a big roadblock that caused him trouble; my presence even caused some of his coven to start doing their own thing. But they did it reasonably. No one wanted to be punished.
“You’re positive I can’t stop you from going?” he asked desperately.
I smiled and stroked his cheek. “I’ll be fine, love. Stop worrying.”
“I can’t help it. When Bex claims to have a vision, I must listen. She’s never been wrong and I value her sight more than a king depends on his advisors.”
“Bex couldn’t have possibly seen something that bad. I’ll come back alive and well. Trust the pack. I do.”
I barely heard it but felt the vibration of his growl. Of course he wouldn’t like that. Still, I could sucker him into it. He was my mate; he had to listen to me like I—sometimes—listened to him.
I raised a questioning eyebrow then went into a full pout. “You mean you won’t trust them?”
“No, I won’t,” he replied firmly. “Their disgusting mutts.”
“Not even for me?” I pouted.
That made him change his tune. He seemed almost bewildered, so I quickly kept going. I moved closer, pressing out bodies together, bringing our lips close enough that I could feel his breath. When in doubt, use God’s gift to women, I always said.
“One night,” I whispered against his lips. “Trust the pack for one night, trust that I’ll be safe without an escort, trust that I’ll come back in one piece.”
He tried to put his arms around me but I held him back, moving my body away yet keeping my face close to his. When I did this to him, Luke was absolutely powerless. Sometimes I questioned how he made it past four hundred years when he was so easily seduced.
Luke claimed my lips with his for a fierce, brief second. “One night I will give up old prejudice and put faith in this pack. I’ve even sealed this promise with a kiss.”
I smiled and had trouble holding back my laughter. Excitement bubbled inside me. “How about one more for the road?”
He chuckled and rolled us over so he was hovering over me. His loving smile made my heart pick up double time.
“Anything for my queen,” he murmured before kissing me again.