Marked by the Moon (Nightcreature 9)

“Alex?” Ella murmured. “Are you all right?”

“Uh—yeah.” Alex dumped the pieces into the trash. Her palm appeared no worse for the explosion, so she filled another glass and set it carefully in front of her customer before returning to Ella.

By then, she was calmer, though she wouldn’t say exactly calm. The scent of Julian that wafted her way every time the door opened and sent a gust of air across Ella made Alex both furious and nostalgic. She missed him.

And wasn’t that just the most pathetic thing ever?

“Why would I be halfway to Juneau?” she asked.

“If he’d done to me what he did to you, I would be.”

“He told you?” This, after he’d insisted Alex keep who she was a secret, that if anyone in Barlowsville discovered the truth, they’d want her dead. Was Ella an exception to the rule? Or did Barlow just want Ella to have first crack at her head?

Alex glanced around the restaurant to make sure no one was listening. However, considering they were all werewolves, a private conversation…just wasn’t happening.

“What the hell?” Alex whispered.

“He’s searching for you.”

Alex’s eyes narrowed. “And now I’m searching for him, too.”

She had to wait until the wave of customers receded. She couldn’t just up and leave Cyn and Rose snowed under, and it wasn’t as though Barlow was going anywhere. According to Ella, he’d already been to Awanitok and was headed to see Cade. He’d probably still be there when she got through.

As she stepped out of the café, Ella zoomed by on a snowmobile, disappearing into the steadily descending gloom in the direction of the Inuit village.

Alex went to the house to change clothes. The ones she wore now smelled like bacon grease and bleach. While there, she took a shower to get the scent out of her hair.

Alex had never minded working as a waitress, but she’d never cared for how she smelled afterward. Now that her nose was ultra-sensitive, she cared for it even less.

She set the cash she’d made that day on top of the nightstand. Tomorrow she’d buy some jeans and Tshirts for work. Ella was never going to get the scent of hash browns out of those wool slacks.

Alex strolled from her end of the village in the direction of Barlow’s place. People continued to greet her as if she was one of them. No one looked at her like she was a serial killer. Although, now that she thought about it, Ella hadn’t looked at her that way, either. Ella had looked at her as if she wanted to pat Alex on the hand and give her a hug.

Alex opened the rear door of the laboratory. She heard their voices right away.

“I can’t get more than a few miles from her and I become physically ill.”

Alex crept closer, frowning. That was Barlow.

“I’ve never heard of such a thing before.” Cade.

“Find out why. Make it stop. She can’t stay here forever.”

“Why not?” Cade sounded very confused.

“Yeah.” Alex stepped into the room. “Why not?”

It was a testament to how engrossed they’d been in whatever they were discussing that they hadn’t heard her come in. Both men started, then spun—Julian snarling, Cade wide-eyed.

“Where have you been?” Julian demanded.

“Halfway to Juneau.”

“Huh?” Cade glanced at Julian. “I thought you couldn’t be separated.”

Julian’s gaze held hers as he answered his brother. “She wasn’t halfway to Juneau.”

“What’s going on?” Alex asked.