Blessing of Luna (Wolfgods Book 1) Page 4

  Jill took her jacket off. “Would it be alright if I hung this on the closet door? It’s warm in here.”

  A quick nod gave her permission. She took her boots off while Damien made a place for her on the bed.

  “I know it’s not really what you would prefer but I thought it would be better than the wood floor.”

  Without pulling back the comforter, Jill sat down on the bed, positioning herself against the headboard. “It’s alright, Damien. I’m not staying the night. Just until you fall asleep.”

  “Right.” Damien pulled back the comforter, laying on his side to face Jill. He was determined to talk to her about something he'd been curious about before she left. “Jill, what do you do for work? I know you’ve mentioned your clients and stake outs but what is it you actually do?”

  “Let’s just say I’m the one that’s called in when someone wants to know someone else’s dirty little secrets. I’m a private investigator.”

  “That sounds pretty cool. Bet you tend to make a lot of enemies.”

  Jill began involuntarily playing with Damien’s hair. “Not really. I’m usually in and out after delivering the files to the DA’s office. I do a lot of work for your dad’s precinct.”

  A slight grin fell across her face at the look of realization on Damien’s face.

  “Damn. Small world.” Damien replied, exhausted. Jill smiled as he closed his eyes. It wasn’t long until he was asleep.

  Jill slid off of the bed, moving slowly to avoid waking him. She put her boots on and grabbed her jacket. It is indeed a small world. At least for now. It’s about to get much bigger and darker than you could imagine.

  ****

  Damien woke up the next morning to find he was alone. A thought occurred to him making him instantly agitated. He smacked his forehead, realizing he had forgotten to ask Jill why they could only see each other at night.

  The alarm Damien set for himself went off, reading 6am. It was the day he and Rob were supposed to go to the pier and he was running behind.

  One of the gym bags he used for his workouts was already packed with his camera, notebook, extra film and a battery. He grabbed it, ran out of the door, and down the stairs.

  “Morning, D! I was fixing to come toss the mattress over to get your lazy ass outta the bed!” Damien thumped the back of Rob’s head in a playful manner, making him flinch.

  “Sun's not up yet, I hadn't broken the rules. Now come on, we're taking my truck so we can pack up the poles and coolers.”

  Damien loaded one of the coolers with sodas, bottles of water and a few beers. He didn't usually drink too much but he knew Rob could almost out drink a sailor in a drinking contest.

  Rob jumped into the passenger's side and they headed out to Old Bill's smokehouse. By the time they arrived, the old man had already opened up the main part of the store.

  “Well, hey guys! Haven't seen you in ages. How you been, Damien? I heard bout your mom. Sad to lose such an amazing woman. She will be missed.” William Hutchinson or “Old Bill” as he was known to the town, rung up the packages of jerky, bait and sodas Rob and Damien put in front of him as he spoke.

  “I've been okay, Bill. Took some time to get to a level of comfortable coping. I think I'm finally starting to get a sense of control. Going back to school to finish my bio-chem degree.”

  “That's great! You were always studyin' somethin'. Never saw you without a book in front of your face. Glad your old man instilled in ya that brains are better than brawn.” Old Bill let out a raspy, bellowing laugh at his own joke.

  Rob took the bag and grabbed Damien by the arm. “I'd love to let you two ladies chatter the day away but I've got fish to catch and hiking to do.”

  Damien waved to Bill and headed out to the site they chose to spend the day. It had been their favorite spot since they were younger kids. Their dads would sit around and drink while their moms had coffee and talked.

  Damien always loved to be outside. The freedom and openness of the woods relieved him of the stresses he was constantly under.

  He was so captivated with nature around him, he didn't notice the large wolf in the trees. He about jumped out of his skin when he saw it. His fight or flight instincts kicking in until he looked deep into its eyes.

  The fear inside of him melted away the longer their eyes met. The icy green orbs held a sense of familiarity.

  It’s fur was black as night. Not wiry at all like a normal wolf. It had a blue sheen like a raven’s feathers when hit with the splotches of sunlight peeking through the leaves.

  What surprised him the most was it didn’t really seem to want to hurt him, only staring as though it were observing him.

  “Well, doesn't seem like you want to eat me so, mind if I take a picture?” He had no idea why he was talking to the wolf as though it could understand him but it was so beautiful he wanted to try to catch a picture of it.

  Slowly it walked down the steep ledge, stopping short in front of him. Soft whimpers escaped its throat as it sat down as if it were posing.

  What is the deal with this thing? It's huge. I've never seen a wolf this big. Damien thought to himself, lining up his camera to take a photo when Rob called to him. He’d only turned away for a few seconds but when he turned back around the wolf vanished.

  “Damn. It was so gorgeous too.” The sudden appearance of Rob's arm around his neck brought about a slight jump. He had to stop himself from swinging. “Shit Rob! What the hell? I could have knocked your teeth out.”

  “Sorry dude. What're you doin’ anyway?”

  “Well I had a good photo opportunity of something I probably won't ever get to see again until you came along, you moron.” Damien shoved him off, mad as hell at missing possibly the greatest photo of his career.

  Rob chuckled. “Was it bigfoot?”

  Damien rolled his eyes. Always with the cryptos. “No, it was a wolf. One of the largest I've ever seen with the most beautiful fur. It would have been perfect for my portfolio.” He punched Rob's arm making him wince in pain.

  “Sorry, man. Sounds like a tall tale to me but hey let's go fishing. Maybe the heat from the hike got to your head. Geesh, first it's women, now it's large wolves. Maybe you should drop the photography thing and go for being an author with all these daydreams you've been having.”

  Damien sighed in frustration. He knew what he saw wasn't a hallucination or a delusional fever dream. There was something striking about the wolf. It was almost like he knew it. Like he'd seen it before.

  The catch they hauled in hadn't been bad for warmer weather. A few catfish, some sand bass and even a black bass the right size for cooking were put into the ice filled cooler to keep them fresh..

  “Man, that was fun. We need to do this again. How about we give them to Bill? He does some killer smoked fish.”

  “Yeah.” Damien was still upset about losing the photo of a lifetime and being told he was once again crazy enough to dream something up like large wolves. A sharp howl through the waning light of day reminded him that thankfully, this time he wasn't dreaming.

  Chapter Three

  On Monday, a week before school started, Damien met Jill for the first time during the day since they started seeing each other. Jill had the day off and Damien told Rob and Chelsea he would be busy, feeling bad that he once again had to lie to them about Jill.

  They’d had to reschedule their lunch meeting the Monday following Damien’s fishing trip when Jill sent him a text telling him something came up that required her attention at work. He was upset at first but soon forgot about his frustration when Jill sat in front of him in the bookstore café. Her dark hair tied up in a loose, messy bun at the top of her head. Her beauty still astounded him despite having seen her almost every night.

  “Hey, sorry I’m late. Next round of coffee is on me as punishment.” Jill replied, laughing as she scooted the chair back to sit down.

  “It’s okay. I’m just glad I’m finally getting to see you during the day. Which reminds me,” Dami
en started, closing the book he was reading, setting it on the table. He leaned forward, his elbows resting on the tabletop. “Jill, I’ve been meaning to ask, why could you only meet me at night before? I know you work during the day and all but every job has their off days, right?”

  Jill closed her eyes, taking in a deep breath to calm her anxiety. She knew he would ask this question eventually. When it finally came, she suddenly found herself at a loss for words.

  “Yes. That’s true. In all honesty, Damien, I don’t know how to answer that question. As I’ve said before, it always seemed like you were either busy with school or going out with your friends. After dark seemed to be the only time I could actually see you and spend time with you without getting interrupted. I know that’s probably not the answer you’re looking for but in the positive light, at least we’re getting to meet in the day, now.”

  Damien couldn’t help but feel as though Jill had inadvertently dodged his question but out of respect, he didn’t pressure her to answer. “That’s true. Guess I should count my blessings with this one but it still seems odd to me.”

  “In time, I will tell you more. For now, I just ask you to give me your trust.”

  The smell of espresso met the sweet aroma of pastries in the café as Jill talked to Damien about some of the few things she could remember without him knowing how old she was. The endless chatter of voices unnerved her senses, bringing about a feeling of unease since she hadn’t really made it a point to get around big crowds.

  When the conversation shifted to Damien, Jill had to cover her mouth to avoid bursting out laughing after he told her about all of the times he’d tried skateboarding and nearly broken something every time.

  “I’m not kidding, I broke my hand just trying to stand on the damn thing. I thought Rob was going to crack a rib, he was laughing so hard. Chelsea pulled her mother hen routine, scolding Rob and racing over to me. I tried to tell the girl I was fine but she didn’t listen. She’s always been like that,” Damien chuckled as he spoke of his memory. “What about you, Jill? Do you have any friends around here? Maybe some you hang out with?”

  “I guess technically you would call them friends. We don’t really ‘hang out’ per se but there are rare times when we get together and socialize. Otherwise, I tend to like my peace and quiet. In case you haven’t taken notice, I’m not really social.” Jill responded, the harsh reality of almost always being alone since Lucius died came back to the forefront of her memories.

  Upon realizing the sudden downtrodden shift in Jill’s mood, Damien took her hands in his. “At the very least, you do have one friend. I’m open to talking if you want to.”

  Jill felt her face heat at his touch. A friend. At least I have one friend. A gentle smile fell across her face.

  Damien took their empty cups and threw them in the trashcan. He noticed that Jill appeared to be a bit stressed in the growing crowd.

  “You want to go somewhere quieter? I’d like to share a special spot I like to go when I want to escape the world. Want to see it?” Damien asked as he held out his hand, eagerly awaiting Jill’s answer.

  Curious and elated that Damien was sharing another secret with her, Jill took his hand, letting him lead her out of the bookstore.

  Damien led Jill to an old wooden bridge lying over a small river sourced in the mountains. Jill often used the woods around this place as her hunting grounds and was very familiar with it.

  “I like to come here to think. It’s quiet, isolated and calming. The sound of the river settles me down during those times I’m really stressed out.” Damien rested his elbows on the old beams as he spoke. The manner in which he spoke was as though he was describing a dreamscape.

  Jill leaned her back against the beams, using her hands as supports. “I know this place. I come here too. It’s a relief against the usual bustle of the town. It’s amazing to me.”

  “What is?”

  “How much we have in common. When I first saw you moving in, I must admit I had no idea what to expect. I came by your house night after night to see if I could learn more about you. It surprised me when you caught me. Scared me almost. I thought you would be angry and tell me never to get near you again. I never could have dreamed you would have actually given me a chance to talk so openly with you, Damien.” Jill’s heart fluttered like a bird behind her ribs as though she were starting to care for someone for the first time in centuries.

  Damien stood up, turning around to lean against the wood. The frogs began to sing as the sun sank beneath the horizon. The air was cool, signaling the arrival of autumn to Montana.

  They stood quietly for a while, just enjoying each other’s company.

  Curious Damien asked. “Jill, I’ve never heard you talk about where you live. Do you have an apartment in town?”

  Jill’s jaw clenched, her hands gripping the wood so strongly, she nearly forgot to keep her lycan strength in control to avoid splintering it.

  “I’m sorry, should I not have asked?”

  “No, no. It’s just,” Jill didn’t want to lie to him. She never really lived anywhere. Sometimes she would stay at the gym in her room, other times she spent the night in the woods as a wolf. “I stay with a friend most of the time. I have a room at his gym since I fight there a lot.”

  “You fight? What gym?”

  “Solstice. The owner, Gabriel, is a friend of mine. Since I have good standing there, he lets me keep a room upstairs,” Jill pushed her shoulders forward, flirting. “You’re welcome to come visit sometime if you like. I like to watch movies and read after working out.”

  “Sure. I’d love to come by. My old man and I have driven by it a couple of times but I’ve never been. I tend to do my running in the morning before school.” Damien replied, meeting her attempt at flirting with one of his own.

  “Sounds good to me. I do most of my running at night.” Jill giggled at her inside joke. “It’s getting late though. We should probably be getting back. I happen to know college is in full session for you soon. If I can ask, what exams were you studying for over the summer?”

  “Prelims and placement tests. A few of the courses allow us to see if we can test out of them. I grabbed as many as I could to lower the course load. Took some summer courses too. What can I say, I don’t like a ton of downtime.”

  “I can understand that. I don’t like too much down time either.” Jill replied, hopping down from her spot she had taken on the wood rails during their talk.

  They walked back down to where Damien parked his truck. He pulled open the passenger’s side door to let Jill get inside, closing it for her before making his way to the other side.

  “Where to?”

  “The gym. I sent Gabriel a text to let him know I was coming.”

  Damien didn’t understand why but he felt a hint of jealousy at the mention of Gabriel’s name. “The friend you mentioned?”

  “Yes. Don’t worry, he’s just a friend.” Jill chuckled, finding the subtle hint of jealousy in Damien’s voice cute.

  Damien dropped his head to the steering wheel. “God, I didn’t mean it like that.”

  “It’s fine. Thanks for the lift.” Another chuckle.

  Without a word, once again feeling embarrassed, Damien started the truck. He backed up on the main road to head to the gym.

  ****

  The last week of summer seemed to speed by as Damien spent the rest of his time catching up. Although he and Jill started texting each other more often, Damien chose to spend the time with his father and prepare for the upcoming school year.

  Damien spent the night in his room doing his last-minute checks to make sure he had everything he would need for his classes including his laptop. He couldn't help but feel elated at the fact he was able to go back to school to finish his degree, grateful that his grades for the prelims and placement tests had been high enough to get him out of taking a few of the courses.

  Once he was sure he was finished he turned on some soft music that had rain mixed in
to it and fell back on the bed, watching the fan blades while they spun casting shadows on the ceiling.

  His mind went to Jill. He hadn’t seen her since their talk at the bridge but he couldn’t help but think about her. She was so beautiful, strong and independent. There was something about her

  drawing him towards her though he wasn’t sure what it was.

  The piercing sound of a wolf howling in the distance made Damien get up from his bed, walk over to the window and open the shutters. The moon was full with a burnt orange tint giving the night an almost supernatural air.

  The fall moon. Damien thought, remembering reading somewhere it had another name. The hunter’s moon.

  ****

  The next morning, Damien didn’t remember falling asleep. He’d been watching the moon and listening to the wolf howling until late into the night. The sound was comforting to him.

  He rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger to get the sleep out of them, his focus falling on his phone. That’s right! It’s the first day of classes.

  “Morning.” Damien said, practically running into the kitchen, excited about getting to start college.

  “Wow, you're chipper. Have a nice dream or something?” Charlie chuckled, taking a drink of his coffee.

  “Got some good sleep this time around. No idea what the change was, maybe it was the music. Did you see the first fall moon last night?” Damien asked, curious.

  “Sure did. Beauty, wasn’t it? Night critters were happy to see her round and fat up there.” Charlie chortled.

  Damien stared curiously at the words his dad used to describe the moon. “You hear the wolves?”

  “What? No, but there were plenty of bats and frogs singing.”

  “Oh. That’s odd. Gotta be heading out for an early class, dad. If you beat me home it's because I started my internship up at the hospital.” Damien replied, still confused.

  Unfortunately, he didn’t have time to dig any deeper into why his dad hadn’t heard the wolves since he was already running late.