03 Long Night Moon - Seasons of the Moon Read Online Free PDF

lungs.
    She wiped her hands on her jeans just in case. “Why would you make something that can kill me?”
    “It’s not for you,” Seth said. He looked uncomfortable.
    She bit her lip and ducked her head. Knowing he made silver bullets shouldn’t have surprised her—the whole reason they met was because he hunted the werewolf who bit her, after all—but it did. It was an unpleasant shock.
    He knelt in front of her. “You have to be careful in my apartment. Abel and I have a lot of things that can kill you.” Seth frowned. “Are you crying?”
    Rylie swiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. “I saw Bekah again. She was waiting for me when I got out of my appointment.”
    “What did she want?’
    “I don’t know. She was just… waiting. And that’s where it got weirder.” She picked at her thumbnail, trying to decide if she should tell him what she saw, even though it was impossible.
    “How weird?”
    She shook her head. “It sounds nuts.”
    “All of this is nuts.”
    Good point. “Bekah transformed. She turned a corner and… poof. Wolf. It took five seconds.” Rylie gave him a helpless smile. “It’s not possible. I must have lost it.”
    Seth’s expression went distant with thought. She waited for him to say something insightful—to explain how it was possible for someone to become a wolf without all the screaming and pain involved in her transformation, or how she had to be mistaken. But he only looked thoughtful.
    “So? What are we going to do about it?” she asked.
    He shook himself. “You need to go home. Gwyn’s waiting for you.”
    “But—”
    “I have to finish the bullets while everything is hot. You can’t be here.”
    He walked her to the truck. Rylie got in, but didn’t immediately close the door. “Will you tell me before you hunt them?”
    Seth grinned his lopsided grin. “Maybe.”
    He shut her door and went inside without waiting for her to leave. Rylie’s hands squeezed tight on the steering wheel.
    She was halfway home before she realized what was so wrong about Bekah and the star on her necklace.
    It was silver.
     
    Abel’s car was parked out front when she got home, but he was nowhere to be seen. Gwyneth sat on the living room floor surrounded by boxes labeled “Christmas Decorations” in permanent marker, although none of them were open yet.
    “You’re late,” her aunt said without preamble. Her eyes were rimmed with dark circles, and she had knotted her graying hair into a simple bun instead of the usual braids.
    “I had my appointment today.”
    “That ended over an hour ago.”
    “The weather was bad coming back, so I drove slow,” Rylie said. “Aren’t you always telling me to be careful?”
    “Guess I am. Grab something sharp and help me open these things.”
    She fetched two knives from the kitchen and handed one to Gwyn. The boxes exploded musty air when sliced open. Ryle breathed in the distant holiday odors of years past: pine and gingerbread and nutmeg.
    “That smells nice,” she said.
    “What does?”
    Rylie took a second sniff. It was probably too faint for Gwyn to pick up. She forgot most people didn’t smell like she did. “Never mind. These boxes are really dusty.”
    “I didn’t decorate last year. Or the year before. I’ve never been much for Christmas, but it doesn’t seem right to let it pass unobserved now you’re here.” Gwyn smiled wryly. “And I know Jessica’s going to expect a big Christmas when she arrives.”
    Rylie rolled her eyes. The less she thought about her mom’s impending visit, the better. “I’m going to Australia for the rest of the year. I’ve just decided.”
    “Only if I can go with you.” She liked Jessica even less than Rylie did.
    “It’s a deal.”
    They emptied the box of knotted Christmas lights first. Gwyn untangled them on the couch while Rylie hung garland. She tried not to notice how gaunt her aunt looked. She had lost a lot of weight recently and was completely lost in her