Page 65

Story: Witch's Moon

“Don’t be so bloody arrogant. You can’t do this alone.”

“I have to finish it.”

Caleb struggled to move, but his body refused to obey him. Finally, he rested his head against the back of the chair and stared up at her, his mind working furiously. There had to be some way to get through to her. “I love you,” he said.

Her eyes widened in shock. “That’s not very sensible.”

“I’ll never forgive you if you get killed.”

She leaned down and put her lips to his, kissed him. “I’ll be careful.”

Straightening up, she whispered a word and the air in front of her shimmered. She turned to look at him one last time, then vanished.

The time passed incredibly slowly. He watched the clock, after half an hour—the longest half hour of his life—he was ready to explode.

He’d told her he loved her. He was a fool. Why had he done it? Why did he think for one moment that it would make a difference to her? She didn’t love him—he was an inconvenience that she planned to put behind her as soon as she was able. She was incapable of love.

But why was that? Was it just a response to having lived so long and seen so much? He didn’t think so. Which brought him back to this past admirer of hers.

Regan had said she’d loved once, and that she had killed her lover, but why, and if so, then how could he be back now and in league with his father?

He needed to get out there and find her. Then he had an idea. He closed his eyes and allowed his wolf to rise to the surface, willed the change, and suddenly, he was free. Wolf bounded up from the chair and out of the room. The front door stood open, and he raced out onto the steps as a black van pulled up outside. He stood poised, ready to run, every instinct screaming to hide. Instead, he stood motionless as Catrin climbed out of the van. She stood staring at him.

“Caleb?”

At the sound of her voice, he willed himself to change back, and a moment later, he was standing before her—naked.

Her eyes widened, but she didn’t budge.

“Do you know where Regan is?” he asked.

She nodded.

“Give me one minute.” He ran into the house, pulled on some clothes, and was back well within the minute.

“We’ll go in my truck,” he said.

Catrin shook her head. “I have the hounds in the back.” She nodded at the back of the van. “We may need them to track Regan.”

“Okay.” He climbed into the passenger seat and waited, fingers drumming on his thigh as Catrin climbed in and started the engine. “How did you know to come here?” he asked as the car pulled away.

“Regan phoned.”

“She did?” He frowned and turned to look at her. “She told you to come here?”

“No, she specifically told me not to get you involved.”

“So, why did you?”

She shrugged. “A hunch, I guess. Regan still believes that she can change things, and sometimes you can, but most of the time, the future as we see it is fixed.”

“You’ve seen the future.”

“Just flashes, but enough to know that you’re involved.”

“What did you see?”

She shook her head. “Nothing that will help you.”