Page 39 of A Clash of Moonlight

“What do you do during the day?” She didn’t know why she asked the question. Curiosity? A subject change? Certainly, she didn’t ask to get to know him better. She didn’t need to know anything more than how good he was in bed.

“I read,” he answered.

She should let it be, tell him goodbye, and hang up. Instead, she stared at her locked door, key held ready to use. “All day?”

“Every day.” The sound of a car driving by came through the phone. “Sometimes I journal. Most often, I close my eyes and wait for time to pass.”

“You wait for the night.”

“I wait for what is next.”

She slipped the key into the lock but didn’t turn it. “What’s next?”

“The next spark. The next item of interest. You are young. All things are new to you. Your life is filled with objects and ideas that glitter new. I find few novelties these days.”

“Is that why I interest you? I’m a novelty?”

“No. You interest me because—”

He didn’t finish that sentence, and she didn’t hear any other noises on the line. She checked her phone to make sure it was still connected, then put it back to her ear and said, “You still there?”

“Did Lehr send wolves for the vampire?” His voice had an edge she hadn’t heard before.

“What?”

“The vampire is gone. Two wolves are nearby. Did Lehr send them?” he demanded.

His tone made her wolf snarl under her skin. “You’re accusing us of killing a vampire?”

“There was a youngling less than a block away. I did not lose track of her.”

“We attack only if we’re threatened.”

“We attack only when we are provoked.”

“You’re provoked if we do so much as look at you. Leave the wolves alone.”

He didn’t respond.

She gripped the phone hard. “If two wolves turn up dead tomorrow, you’ll be held accountable.”

“Only if Lehr learns who ended them.”

“He will know,” Nora said.

“Because you will tell him?”

She should have snapped out the word yes, but she hesitated. If she told her father that a vampire had killed a werewolf, she would have to tell him how she knew. He would know if she lied, if she withheld information. If she reported to her father, he would learn about her relationship with Jared.

No. Not a relationship. A too-frequent activity.

“Where are you?” she asked.

“Why?”

“So I can stop you from making a mistake.”

“The wolves violated our agreement.”