Red Rose Moon (Seasons of the Moon) Read Online Free PDF Page A

zombie.” Rylie was surprised at how shocked her aunt looked—almost like she might fall over. She reached out to grab her arm. “Are you okay?”
    Gwyn shook herself. “I’m fine. Used to be, I didn’t even believe in ghosts, much less werewolves. Now zombies?” She glanced at the counter. The florist was in the refrigerated back room again, but he was still too close for comfort. “But this isn’t the time or the place to talk about it.”
    Bekah gave a sullen nod and sat back.
    “I like roses,” she added helpfully.
    Rylie nodded. “Roses are fine.”
    At least one thing was settled.
    As soon as they got into town, Scott Whyte sent Levi to find him supplies for a ritual. In truth, Scott wasn’t planning on performing any rituals, but he had business to attend to. Private business. And he didn’t want his adopted son knowing about it.
    Scott got a room at the local motel and locked himself inside.
    He set the box he was carrying on top of his desk before drawing the curtains to block out the orange glow of sunset in winter. People were walking outside, enjoying the unseasonably warm evening, and he didn’t want anyone to catch a glimpse of what he was doing.
    The lockbox was enchanted. Only his hands could undo the latches and lift the lid.
    Scott reached inside to remove his prize—the tiny skull in a glass ball, which he had brought with him from California.
    Someone knocked on his office door.
    “Just a minute,” Scott said, sliding the box underneath the desk.
    He unlocked the door, and Gwyneth Gresham walked inside.
    “Gwyn,” Scott said, occupying himself by setting his suitcase on the bed and unzipping it. “What a pleasant surprise. I thought we were meeting later.”
    She tipped her hat. “Sorry to drop in. I’ve been in town all day to help Rylie plan her wedding, and after everything she told me this afternoon, I thought a visit might be prudent.”
    “Oh?” Scott asked. “What did she tell you?”
    Gwyn paced around his desk to the window, peering out the curtain. “A few things. Mostly, we’ve been talking about the wedding a lot.”
    He sat down again and swiveled his chair to face her. A frown touched the corners of his mouth. “What does that have to do with the wedding?”
    “Nothing. Everything.” Gwyn waved her hand through the air. “The kids are pretty tough, and they’ve bounced back from the attacks ready for another fight. The wedding thing, though—that’s exciting. Really exciting. I think it’s going to be the party of the decade.”
    “Are you saying that you need wedding help?”
    Gwyn smiled faintly and let the curtains fall shut again. “That’s all right. I don’t think we need your help on much of anything anymore.”
    Scott got the feeling that they were having two separate conversations, about two totally different things. There was menace in Gwyn’s tone, despite her casual stance.
    “If you don’t have any specific need, Gwyneth, I’m going to have to ask you to leave. I have a few things I need to do before I can meet you at the ranch tonight.”
    He busied himself with unpacking, and hoped that she would get the hint.
    Something clicked behind him.
    Scott turned slowly, although he already knew what that sound had to be. Gwyn had pulled a gun out of her denim jacket, and aimed it straight at his forehead.
    “What are you doing?” he asked, eyes widening.
    Gwyn squeezed the trigger.

S EVEN
    Brother’s Keeper
    Abel woke up feeling like he had been run over by a car or three. Of course, that was probably because he had.
    He opened his eyes to find that he was strapped to the ground by ropes at his wrists and ankles. They were tethered to stakes buried deep in the ground.
    Looked like his day wasn’t about to get any better.
    Craning his neck around, Abel took a quick survey of his situation. He was outside, on top of a hill looking down on gently rolling pastures under a clear night sky. A mobile home stood at the bottom of the valley, just