Page 49 of The Heart of Moonlight Falls

An SUV drove into the north side of the circle, slamming on its brakes as the driver noticed the strange spectacle in the middle of the road. A truck stopped behind it. James willed them to turn and drive away.

Sebastian and Eli made simultaneous sounds of apprehension. This wouldn’t be good, but James couldn’t make himself look away. He was rooted to the spot. Maybe he should help, but he couldn’t rid himself of the feeling that going outside would only hurt him and everyone he was with.

The largest stag broke away from the herd and charged the SUV, ramming its antlers into the front of the vehicle. Sebastian jolted beside James. The stag pulled its antlers from the dented metal and threw its head back, mouth open to expose pointy onyx teeth, as it let out a high-pitched shriek.

A chill ran down James’s spine. The people in those vehicles needed to get the hell out of there. Instead, two men jumped out of the truck behind the SUV.

“Oh my god, Sam!” Eli shouted as his old childhood friend reached into the back of the truck.

The other man was Sam’s father, Carson Lee. The logging crew must have come back to town early, which on its own didn’t bode well for what might be happening out in the forest.

Carson leveled a hunting rifle at the stag and shot twice, once in the chest and once in the head. The possessed animal jolted and dropped like a stone, the shade bursting from its body to be destroyed by the sunlight.

The other deer took notice. Three more stags charged the cars. The SUV surged forward, hitting one and knocking it down. Sam had his own rifle and took aim at another. His first shot sent it to the ground, his second killing it and destroying the shade as Carson took care of the last stag.

The stag that the SUV had just hit to the ground got to its feet and went straight for Sam, showing no signs that the vehicle impact had hurt it even though it was bleeding. Sam seemed transfixed, a look of fear on his face as the bloody stag bared its unnatural razor-sharp teeth.

Carson took the beast down just in time. It fell at Sam’s feet, the shade possessing it shrieking as it was destroyed.

“Fuck,” Sebastian breathed, a hand over his mouth.

The rest of the deer bolted for the woods, the shades possessing them probably unwilling to risk being shot and banished back to Beyond.

With all the commotion, James had lost track of the tendrils around the stone. When he looked back, the writhing mass was gone. Shades caressed the stone with their hands, no longer held back by Parker’s wards.

“What do we do?” Eli whispered, gaze fixed on the stone.

“Get the hell out of here.” Sebastian turned to go out the back, but James grabbed him as the shades around the stone vanished into thin air.

“Wait.” James still couldn’t look away, like watching and knowing what was happening helped somehow. Where had the shades gone?

Carson and Sam got back in their truck, and the two vehicles tore out of the town center, leaving the deer where they lay in the street. At least the Lees weren’t trapped and could get out of town along with Luna and Princeton. James hoped the rest of the crew was free too.

“Should I re-ward the stone?” Parker asked, sounding unsure.

“Unless we have a way of guarding the ward, I don’t know if it’s worth the effort,” James admitted. “With the shades set on breaking it, they’re bound to do it again.”

“It’s probably best to save your strength for wards that will keep you safe,” Sebastian added.

Parker turned away from the window. “In that case, let’s go.”

19

SEBASTIAN

Sebastian tried to ignore the headache building behind his eyes as he followed James and the others out to the back of the diner.

Parker locked up the rear door and slung an arm around Eli, keeping him close. “You’ll meet us back at my place when you’re done at Storm House?” Parker directed the question at James, sounding reluctant to separate.

“We’ll go straight there,” James promised. “And if you can, call Hazel and let them know—” A human-sounding shout interrupted him. Strangely, it wasn’t one of fear.

Another shout, almost like a whoop, came from the direction of the woods. An answering cheer followed.

Parker paused on the way to his car. “What the devil?”

Sebastian turned his attention from the park to James. “Didn’t the deer all run that way? I can’t imagine someone being happy about that if they were in the trees.”

James couldn’t seem to find words. Stress lined his face and he wore a scowl so determined Sebastian feared for anything that stood in his way.

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