Full Moon (11 page)

Thus began the
war as both vowed to never find peace until either race was
obliterated. The Grollic may not have understood what he met that
day, but he did learn the blood running inside his body could
poison hers and vice versa.

Holding the book between my fingers, I sat back, eyes wide.
My favorite nursery story as a child was Little Red Riding
Hood.
Boy had this story changed from the
original version.

I turned the
page. Both sides of the book had hand written, in point form, notes
about the girl and possible ways to kill or stop her. Other
questions asked if there was more than one girl and how they came
into existence. Simple sketches filled the pages. I couldn’t make
heads or tails of those any more than the handwritten stuff.

Bile rose in
the back of my throat when I flipped to the next page. The right
side displayed a crudely hand drawn Grollic. A disgustingly ugly
one. A series of diagrams showed a man turning into the Grollic.
Each picture had detailed anatomy and notes along the sides.
Interesting, the Grollic’s heart was actually on the right side of
its body, higher up than on most animals or humans. In human-form,
the heart rested on the left side but as he shifted into
Grollic-form, the heart would also shift.

It was the
last picture my eyes kept flitting back to - the mammoth size of
the beast, the ferocious face with yellow eyes and snarl of sharp
teeth. The drawing so life like, it kept bringing me back to that
night in the forest.

I shivered,
and tried to swallow. An eerie scraping noise against my window
nearly had me screaming. I closed my eyes, willing the noise to
stop.

It didn’t.

Inhaling a long, slow breath, I then opened my eyes and
focused on the window, too scared to get up and look
outside.
Don’t be such a freakin’
wimp.
Squinty, I realized the wind had
picked up and a broken branch hung onto another limb. It scraped
against the window as the wind blew the still connected limb. A big
gust knocked the loose branch down and the ting against the roof of
Jim’s car told me it’d landed.

My heart still in my throat, I shook my head in
disgust.
Wimp. Loser.
I chided myself.
Get back to
reading.
Except I now had to put my hand
over the monster’s picture to focus on the other side of the book.
I stared at the human drawing. A small marking caught my attention,
above the right aorta of the heart near the collar bone. It showed
a detailed drawing of the tattoo on the corner of the page. I
squinted. Somewhere in the back of my mind I recalled seeing it
before. Scratching my scalp, I couldn’t place where.

The remainder of the book switched back into the weird
foreign writing. I shut it and tossed it onto my nightstand.
Enough stupid monsters for one night.
The clock radio read 1:30 a.m. Before switching
the light off, I glanced at my messy pile on the floor. It would
give me something to do, a reason to get out of bed since tomorrow
was Saturday.

Weird dreams
visited me throughout the night. Grollics and angels killing each
other, cutting themselves and letting their blood drip into the
enemy’s cuts. Girls in red dresses and capes running through
forests, with white monsters in pursuit. Tattoos on everyone to
mark if they were Grollic, angel, or human. Angels morphing into
beasts scarier than a Grollic.

I woke early
with the feeling I never really slept. Covered in sweat, I threw a
pillow over my head and tried to fall back asleep. The sun had not
yet risen, and I didn’t want to get up with nothing to do but put
my shoes and clothes away. After forty minutes, a few tiny little
rays of light began peeking through my window.

Throwing on my red-hooded sweatshirt and a clean pair of
jeans, I turned to leave. I ran back to the nightstand to grab a
ponytail holder and saw the Grollic book. I grabbed it too. If I
was going to go see the sunrise, I might as well have something to
look through.
Less scary in the
daylight.

It was cool enough that no fog or mist had come in during the
night. I walked to the cemetery-park Michael and I had met, buying
a latte at a Starbucks along the way. At the park I sat on a bench,
drinking, as I watched the sun make its way over the
horizon.
Beautiful and
peaceful
. The world kept turning even when
it felt like mine had stopped.

After an hour my bladder told me it’d had enough. I jumped up
to throw my empty cup into a garbage on the path when a sudden
realization hit me like a punch in the gut. I stumbled back to the
bench and sat dumb-founded.
The
mark!

I’d seen it
before on somebody. That day in the courtyard.

Could the
beast be human?

Damon.

Damon’s a
Grollic.

When he’d threatened me during Halloween, he thought I was
the same thing as the Knightlys.
Impossible!
Michael, Grace or Caleb
would know.
Right?

I thought back to my encounter with Damon in the school
parking lot. I’d worn the necklace. Michael’s
Siorghra
had blood inside which
could kill him. He thought I could kill him. Another thought hit me
like a wave of nausea.
It was Damon in the
woods the night on the beach
.

He said there
were more of his kind.

Michael and his family must know.
But what if they didn’t?
What if
Damon’s pack was ready to attack Michael’s family?
What if they already had? And I’d done
nothing.

Running home
as fast as I could, I took the stairs two at a time and grabbed the
keys to Grace’s car. Jim hollered something at me as I raced out
the door. I ignored him. There wasn’t time to argue or explain.

I unlocked,
tossed the book on the seat and stuck the keys in the ignition. The
car started and revved as if it knew I had to hurry. I shoved the
gearshift into drive and flew down the roads, fingers crossed for
no police. They were the least of my worries. Hopefully Caleb
wouldn’t kill me and ask questions later.

Or maybe, he
would and I’d find out I’m one of them.

The car slowed to a crawl when it came to their driveway. My
foot could not press the gas pedal.
Maybe
this is a mistake
. How could a simple
human figure out something useful to a family, especially one like
Caleb? If they were okay, they probably were planning some
counter-attack.

“
Stop being such a wimp,” I hissed at my reflection in the
review mirror. “Just go up to the house and bang on the door. Hand
the book to whoever opens and tell them Damon’s a Grollic. Then
leave.” I’d have to walk home but at least I could return the keys
and necklace and try to forget them and move on with my
life.

I parked
beside the mustang and marched towards the house, forcing through
the urge to run away. Hand in the air, ready to bang on the door; I
realized I’d left the book on the passenger seat. About to turn
around to grab it, the door swung open.

Michael.

My body froze,
but my heart hammered at record breaking speed. Dressed in a white
shirt, his tanned skin looked perfect. I couldn’t stop myself from
staring. My thoughts over the past few weeks had left so many
details out. The rush of feelings caught off guard.

If he was
surprised to see me, he didn’t let on. “Hello, Rouge.”

Stuffing my
hands into my jean pockets, I cleared my throat and tried to sound
normal. “I know you told me not to come, but there’s something
really important I need to tell you.”

“
Has something happened?” He stepped onto the porch and
glanced behind me, most likely scanning for hidden
monsters.

“
No…Yes...Maybe.” I blinked a bunch of times, ticked my eyes
burned.

“
It’s dangerous you’re here.”

His words or
posture gave away nothing. I couldn’t read his thoughts. “I know.”
I swallowed, my eyes darting inside as I tried to calm the anxiety
inside me.

His expression
broke. He wavered and looked as lost as me.

I stepped toward him and stumbled, unable to keep my knees
from buckling. His arms surrounded me and he held me tight. My head
instinctively went to his chest and I left it there, inhaling his
wonderful masculine aftershave, the taut muscles under his shirt,
his warmth, all of it.
Would it be wrong
to want to stay here forever?
I then
remembered the real reason I’d come. Putting my hands on his
shoulders, I pushed him back a few inches so I could think.
“We
really
need
to talk. Can I come in?”

“
Maybe it would be better out here.” He paused and his eyes
shifted back and forth at mine.

I shook my
head and exhaled a long breath. “I think I’d better come in and you
should get Caleb, Sarah and Grace.”

He raised an
eyebrow, but said nothing.

I paused,
thinking I might need a bullet proof vest and remembered a better
devise for protection. “Just need to grab something from the
car.”

I ran to get
the antique book, letting the fresh air cool my flushed face. It
was my only chance to convince Caleb I was worthy of being with
Michael. I took a deep breath, squared my shoulders, and headed
into house.

THE END

Of Part I

Seventh Mark
Part II

Is available
now for purchase

More by W.J.
May

THE CHRONICLES
OF KERRIGAN

Rae of Hope is
FREE!

Book
Trailer:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gILAwXxx8MU

BOOK
BLURB:

How hard do
you have to shake the family tree to find the truth about the
past?

Fifteen
year-old Rae Kerrigan never really knew her family's history. Her
mother and father died when she was young and it is only when she
accepts a scholarship to the prestigious Guilder Boarding School in
England that a mysterious family secret is revealed.

Will the sins
of the father be the sins of the daughter?

As Rae
struggles with new friends, a new school and a star-struck
forbidden love, she must also face the ultimate challenge: receive
a tattoo on her sixteenth birthday with specific powers that may
bind her to an unspeakable darkness. It's up to Rae to undo the
dark evil in her family's past and have a ray of hope for her
future.

RADIUM HALOS –
THE SENSELESS SERIES

Book 1 is
FREE

Book
Blurb:

Everyone needs to be a hero at one point in their life.
The small town of Elliot Lake will never be the same again.
Caught in a sudden thunderstorm, Zoe, a high school senior from
Elliot Lake, and five of her friends take shelter in an abandoned
uranium mine. Over the next few days, Zoe’s hearing sharpens
drastically, beyond what any normal human being can detect. She
tells her friends, only to learn that four others have an increased
sense as well. Only Kieran, the new boy from Scotland, isn’t
affected.
Fashioning themselves into superheroes, the group tries to stop the
strange occurrences happening in their little town. Muggings,
break-ins, disappearances, and murder begin to hit too close to
home. It leads the team to think someone knows about their secret –
someone who wants them all dead.
An incredulous group of heroes. A traitor in the midst. Some dreams
are written in blood.

Shadow of Doubt

Part 1 is FREE!

Book Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZK09Fe7kgA

Book
Blurb:

What happens
when you fall for the one you are forbidden to love?
Erebus is a bit of a lost soul. He's a guy so he should be out to
have fun but unlike the rest of his kind, he is solemn and
withdrawn. That is, until he meets Aurora, a law student at Cornell
University. His entire world is shaken. Feelings he's never had and
urges he’s never understood take over. These strange longings drive
him to question everything about himself.
When a jealous ex stalks back into his life, he must decide if he
is willing to risk everything to be with Aurora. His desire for her
could destroy her, or worse, erase his own existence forever.

COMING
SOON: