Page 105 of Beneath the Blue Moon

***Ethan***

I stare at her as she lies in the ice bath, sweat still

pouring off her face. Her skin is so hot, even for me, and I have a

supernaturally high threshold for pain. All of a sudden, her lids fly open, and

she lets out a blood-curdling scream. Holy shit! It frightens the hell out of me,

and I pull her close as she bolts upright, splashing the cold water everywhere.

She looks up at me, eyes wide in fear, lips trembling.

“He’s coming for me. Don’t let him get me.”

Her eyes close and she goes limp in my arms. She’s out

again. I lay her back against the tub, determination coursing through me. It’s

time to put an end to this once and for all.

“Clara!”

She runs into the bathroom, falling to her knees next to me.

“Is she okay?”

“She doesn’t leave your sight, understand? There’s something

I need to take care of.”

I call Sam and Brad, put them back on duty, and then change

out of my wet uniform before I jump in my truck. First, I need to deal with

Mother. When I arrive at the house, she’s sitting on the couch, Charlie and

Brick standing on either side of her. My father and brothers are standing in a

huddle, trying to figure out what’s happening.

“Ethan, what the hell is going on?” Dad asks.

“That’s what I’m here to find out, Dad.”

“They’ve been treating your mother like a criminal!”

“On my orders.”

The closer I get to her, the more my anger rises. She’s

sitting there like a queen on her throne, regarding me like a bothersome

peasant.

“Mother.”

“What is this about, Ethan?”

“You know what it is about. I’m giving you one chance to

come clean.”

“I have no idea what you mean.”

“Did you think I wouldn’t find out?”

“Son—”

“Stay out of it, Dad!” I growl.

He steps back at my angry tone, but my brothers step

forward. Anger boils in my blood as I look at her. My body shakes with it.

“You need to calm down. I. Am. Your. Mother.”

“Which is exactly why I’m livid!”

I grab her wrist and, for the first time tonight, she seems

scared. If this is the way she wants to do it then so be it.

Tell me what you did to Casey!

Her head jerks back with the force of the push and multiple

hands begin pulling me away from her. I pace the room angrily, ignoring the

pleas from my family for me to tell them what’s going on. It takes her a few

minutes to recover. When she does, her regal air returns. I pull up a chair,

turn it backward, and sit facing her.

“Let’s start with the barbecue.”

When she starts talking, Dad and my brothers sink into the

other couch.

“Well,” she begins, “after seeing the way you were with her,

I decided I had to do something. For God’s sake, you looked like you were about

to propose to her right then and there. I simply pulled her aside and made her

see that you are too good for her and that it was in her best interest to stay

away from you.”

“How did you do that?”

“I threatened her life,” she says matter-of-factly.

The chair clatters to the floor as I jump to my feet.

Michael and Josh are instantly at my side, restraining me. The lack of remorse

in her confession makes me wonder who this person is. She couldn’t be my

mother.

“Helena, how could you?” Dad asks.

“You stood by and did nothing, Victor. I had to protect our

son.” She turns to me, contempt written on her face. “I have to admit, I didn’t

expect her to, but she kept up her end. It was you. You just wouldn’t

leave it alone, constantly running back to the little tramp.”

This time, it takes all my brothers and my Dad to hold me

back. I don’t even see her anymore; all I see is rage. She’s so cocky that my

reaction doesn’t even bother her.

“When you began courting Shae, I thought it was all over.

Even told the human myself how well things were going. But then I touched her hand,

and I felt it, the presence. I knew she was pregnant.”

My vision clears, and I look to her helplessly.

“You knew… and you didn’t tell me?”

“Dear God, no! There was no way I was going to let that… abomination

be born.”

My dad quickly steps in front of her, trying to shield her

from me. I vaguely hear my brothers’ voices, but their words don’t register.

They push me against the wall, trying to keep me away from her.

“Abomination? Those were my children!”

“They were half-breeds! They would have been no

grandchildren of mine.”

My babies… my poor, innocent babies. The hurt of the loss

courses through me, and I slide down the wall, falling to a sitting position on

the floor.

“Helena, what did you do?”

She looks up at my dad indignantly and squares her

shoulders.

“That’s when I contacted Stone.”

Stone? Why would she contact Stone?

“He didn’t know it was me, of course. I have a little errand

boy I turned a few months ago to handle situations such as this.”

“You turned someone?” my father asks in disbelief, taking

over the questioning.

“Don’t look so surprised, Victor. He wasn’t the first.”

Dad grits his teeth and continues, “Why did you contact

Stone?”

“I had to get rid of her. I did my part. I kept Ethan away

from her that night by throwing the party. He, however, didn’t deliver. He was

supposed to kill her. My only regret is that Luke was a casualty. But at least

he got rid of the things she was carrying.”

This time, my brothers don’t even try to hold me back.

Before my father can react, my hand is on her throat.

“Do you know how many times I’ve vowed to kill the person

who did this?”

Dad grabs my arm, desperately begging me to let her go. I’m

not squeezing… yet. But she needs to know how serious I am.

“And today?” I ask.

“You have her living with you, Ethan! In her fragile state

of mind, all it took was a few well-placed words to send her over the edge.”

Her eyes widen as my fingers begin to curl. Right now, I’m

not seeing my mother; I’m seeing the person who schemed and lied and hurt me in

the worst possible way.

“I guess Stone didn’t tell you about his little plan. He

wanted her for himself. Because of you, she’s lying in bed right now with the

fever… by his hand.”

It takes all seven men to pry me away from her. I lash out,

throwing Michael against a wall, Andrew against another. I’ve been trying to

hold him back, but I can’t do it anymore. My chest heaves and my fangs begin to

descend. Charlie grabs my hand and pulls me to the backyard. I fall to my

knees, listening to the rip of my clothes as my body changes.

The physical pain of the change is nothing compared to the

pain in my heart. Betrayed by my mother. My claws dig into the earth, and I

arch my back, looking to the night sky. I let out a soul-shattering wail of a

howl and take off into the woods. I can’t be near her right now. I don’t know

where I’m going, but I have to get as far away from her as possible. I pass

through the woods at top speed, leaping over fallen trees. I just need to get

away. Most importantly, I need to think.