Blood Moon (Book Three - The Ravenscliff Series) Read Online Free PDF

threw his blanket off and stood up. He wasn’t going to be able to sleep anyway. He hurried over to his window. The howl came again. It rose up from the village at the bottom of the hill. The sound of a dog—or a wolf—or a bear—
    “Devon,” came a voice behind him.
    He turned. It was Alexander. The chubby little boy stood there in his blue flannel pajamas, his big button eyes wide with fear.
    “Do you hear that sound?” he asked. “What is it, Devon?”
    “I don’t know, buddy,” Devon said, unfastening his window and opening the panes. Cold air rushed in at them as they heard the howl again, far off and ferocious.
    “Is it a demon?” Alexander asked, coming up beside Devon.
    “I don’t think so. I don’t feel any heat, and I always feel heat when demons are present.” He tousled the boy’s hair. “Maybe it’s just a dog.”
    “I never heard any dog sound like that,” Alexander told him.
    It occurred to Devon that if Mrs. Crandall was his mother, Alexander was his cousin, the boy being the son of Mrs. Crandall’s brother, Edward. Devon had met Edward Muir. He was an irresponsible playboy always off traveling the world, leaving his son here at Ravenscliff under his sister’s care. Although Alexander worshipped his absent father, Devon felt sorry that the boy had to grow up with such a distant, uncaring parent.
    At least I grew up with a great dad, even if he wasn’t my blood father , Devon thought, remembering Ted March. Dad was always there for me. He was the best parent anybody could ever have.
    But if Mrs. Crandall was his real mother, Devon asked himself as he stared out the window, then who was his real father ?
    The howl came once more, louder and longer and more anguished this time.
    “Do you think it’s hurt?” Alexander asked.
    The sun began to rise over the horizon, casting a pink glow over the rooftops of the village.
    “Could be,” Devon said. “It sounds pretty distressed.”
    “But you’re sure it’s not a demon?”
    Devon nodded. Alexander had seen a few of the nasty creatures; he knew enough about them to be afraid. And even though he had no memory of being taken down into the Hell Hole by Jackson Muir, the boy’s subconscious seemed wary of another attack by the Madman.
    “I’m sure it’s just a dog,” Devon said, trying to reassure him. “Maybe a bear caught in a trap.”
    “Poor thing,” Alexander said.
    “The sun’s coming up,” Devon said, moving away from the window. “I might as well start getting ready for school.”
    “Yeah, me too,” Alexander said. “Hey, it’s stopped now. The howling.”
    “Maybe somebody rescued it,” Devon said.
    The boy nodded, heading back to his room. “See you at breakfast, Devon.”
    “Kay, buddy.”
    Of course, Devon knew he wouldn’t just see Alexander at the breakfast table. He’d see Cecily, and he was not looking forward to that.

    But the free-spirited, redheaded teenager was nowhere to be found when Devon made his way downstairs. The first one he spotted was Bjorn, who was setting out the scrambled eggs and French toast on platters. Devon helped himself to some as the gnome peeked up at him with a reproving eye.
    “You see what you went and did,” Bjorn whispered. “Now she’s loose. Running through the insides of the house. How am I going to explain that to Mrs. Crandall?”
    “Tell her I did it,” Devon said defiantly.
    “If I tell her that, she’ll have your head!”
    “Tell her not only did I do it,” Devon said, sitting down at the table with his breakfast, “but now I know everything. The truth!”
    Bjorn squinted his little eyes as he looked at Devon. “What do you mean, the truth?”
    “Mrs. Crandall will know what I mean. Tell her.”
    “Oh, she’s going to be furious with me.” Bjorn clenched his fists together. Devon could see the gnome’s long fingernails, used for carving tunnels through earth and stone, pressing into the skin of his palms. “I might even lose my job over