Blood Moon (Moon Books) Read Online Free PDF Page A

gotta tell me what’s going on. I want to help!”
    “I really can’t tell you, Zack. I want to but...”
    “But what? Don’t you trust me? I’ve never given you a reason not to. I mean we can’t be anything if you aren’t going to trust me with—”
    He put a gentle finger over my lips. “Of course I trust you.”
    “Then what?”
    “I don’t want to tell you because you’re gonna think I’m nuts, okay?” He gave me an imploring look. “I told you my family was weird but you have no idea what the extent of it is. You don’t understand what we do. And it’s not over just because my parents are dead.”
    “Is it illegal or something?”
    “No, well, I don’t think so. I mean we even work for the government sometimes, so even if it’s...unusual it’s been above board.” Noah took a deep breath.
    “What we do is part of the reason I pushed you away before. Well the whole reason truthfully. My parents didn’t actually mind at all about us being together, in theory at least. They loved you and they did want me to be happy. They thought they were trying to protect you. I was trying to protect you.”
    “Protect me?” All my crazy spy-royalty-assassin theories came flooding into my mind. I sighed and slowly sank with jello legs onto the old familiar the dock, tugging on his arm so he would sit next to me. I reached over and held his hand, comfort for both of us. I figured that the explanation, whatever it ended up being, wasn’t going to be short. I was more than ready to hear it.
    “You do realize after all of the cryptic hinting you’re going to have to tell me what you do and what the hell you were protecting me from.”
    He sighed. “I know. If we’re really going to do this you and me thing, I can’t keep it from you forever.” He paused shaking his head and laughing softly. “God I don’t know how to even start explaining this. It sounds crazy to me and I already know it’s true.”
    “Noah, I believe you. Whatever it is. I just need to know.”
    “You might want to hold off on that until you hear more. I guess I’ll get the big thing out of the way.” He looked at me with sad eyes and reached up to trace my jaw. His touch felt sad too, like he thought I would disappear.
    “You remember all the stories about vampires and werewolves that my mom used to tell to scare us when we were kids?” I nodded. I’d always loved listening to his mother’s stories. She’d have made a great author. “Well, they’re not exactly stories. Not in the fictional sense anyway.”
    My eyebrows knitted together. “What do you mean?”
    “I mean they’re all true, Zack. Those stories of tracking down evil monsters were stories about us, my family. The Harpers are hunters. We’ve been doing it for hundreds of years.”
    “Noah.” I gave him a ‘you can’t be serious’ look and started to get up.
    He pulled on my arm. “Please don’t go. I’ve been trying to figure out a way to tell you all of this for three years. You started asking questions now just...hear me out. It’s only fair.”
    “But, Noah, it’s impossible. You want me to believe that you’re like Van Helsing or something? C’mon! I’m from New York, not Transylvania!” He kept his hold on my arm, not letting me rise. He’d gotten really strong in the last few years!
    “I told you you’d think I was crazy but I swear to God, I’m telling the truth. I can prove it and I will.” He cupped my face in his hand and looked at me. His eyes were nervous and worried, but I could see the truth there. If nothing else, it seemed like he believed what he was telling me. “Listen, if you still don’t believe me at the end of this then you can walk away. I just need the chance to explain myself to you.” He looked like he was close to tears.
    Whether I believed him or not, I couldn’t turn my back. I still felt way too much for him.
    “Okay, let’s operate under the assumption that I believe you. I want to believe you it’s