Page 16 of Bound By the Moon

“I know,” Avery huffed. “That’s part of my bad mood.So, tell me, what’s up?”

“I have a plan. That damned dark one isn’t going totalk, but the only discomfort I’ve seen him really show was when Iopened the door and the sunlight streamed in. I think we haven’tproperly motivated him to talk yet.”

“You want to use the sun? It will kill him before hecan say a word.”

“I don’t think so. I’m thinking that in small doses,it’s just going to hurt like hell, and leave the threat of burningto death front and center in his mind. Maybe, in little doses, itwill convince him that we can keep the pain going indefinitelyuntil he decides to tell us everything.”

Avery smiled at me then. “You are definitely yourfather’s child. Let’s try it. If worse comes to worse, he’ll simplygo up in smoke, and we have one less dark one to concern ourselveswith. If your plan works, we might know more about what we’redealing with.”

“Alright, let’s get on with it then.”

I realized I suggested this specific type ofquestioning, but I thought about changing my mind when the firstwave of burning skin hit my nostrils. It was unlike anything I’dever smelled before. Putrid decay mixed with charcoal and a dash ofburned hair rounded the disgusting mix of olfactory horror thatassaulted my nose. Tessa shut the light out once more as Averyasked the question again. “Why are you going after specific lookinggirls? You can answer or we can let the light back in.”

“He’s looking for her.” The raspy voice spat out atAvery. We didn’t have to ask who. The creature aimed his look ofdisgust in my general direction. “It’s not like we had a picture ofher to go by or anything. We were given a description, and we’vetried all the ones that fit.”

“Tried them?” I questioned. The creature simplysneered at me. Tessa popped the door back open as Nicholi held outthe dark one’s arm. We watched as the sunbeams I often enjoyed onmy own skin ate away at this creature’s arm like acid. The stenchin the room increased ten-fold before Tessa closed the dooragain.

“My friend asked what you meant by tried them?”

“We held them,” the raspy quality of the creature’svoice increased as he spoke breathily, “over the spot and bledthem.” He peered at me through the thin veil of his dark hair then.“When nothing happened we would discard the body and start oursearch again.”

“Who are you working for?” I questioned.

“You’ll find out soon enough. He will find you.”Tessa didn’t wait for a signal this time, she just popped the dooropen, and Nicholi obliged her action by exposing more of the darkone’s skin to the sun.

His scream pierced through the room then. “Louis.”The name was a whisper amidst the screaming, but I heard it clearas day. Tessa closed the door again, and the creature relaxed backsome, his left arm burned down to the bone in spots. “FiulSange.”

“What the bloody hell does that mean?” Nicholiasked.

“I know what it means.” I turned to see Avery’spanicked look. “Go.” He was out the door before anyone had a chanceto ask what was going on. “This one can meet the sun now.”

“No, I was helpful. I cooperated. You can’t dothat.”

“I can. You will get no mercy from the wolves ofthis pack or the next. You’ve been killing our females withheartless abandon. For your crimes, you will meet the sun, and wewill watch as it greets you with sweet flaming kisses.” Before Iwalked out the door of the office I turned back and met Nicholi’seyes. “Strip him first. I want this to happen as quickly aspossible. I’m not granting him the mercy of a quick death, I’mdoing it for our pack members who may be looking on. At leastthey’ll know we’re conjuring up some justice.”

Nicholi nodded before I turned and went upstairs tocheck on Ashley and Willow. I held my daughter in my arms, wishingI could have delivered her into a far better world, and promisingto try to make it better before she was old enough to understandthe dangers we all lived with on a daily basis. Ashley just pattedme on the back and made calming rubbing gestures for a minutebefore she spoke.

“I admire you, you know.”

“Why is that?”

“You make it all look so easy and effortless. Afterall you’ve been through and you go from that nasty businessdownstairs to walking through that door and becoming a mom. It’scrazy that you can just flip a switch and do that.”

“You know, people might argue that it’s crazy that Ihave to do that, not that I am capable of doing so.”

Ashley shrugged her shoulders at me. “You work withwhat you’ve got. Even though you have been given a huge pile ofshit to work with, you come out smelling like roses every damntime.” She sniffed me, “well, maybe not this time.” Her nosewrinkled up when she got a whiff of burned dark one. “Did you guysget anything out of him?”

“We got enough.” I mentioned wearily. “Can you watchher for a few more minutes while I shower?”

“Like you have to ask.” Ashley rolled her eyes at meas I left the room. I walked straight into a stricken looking AveryDaniels.

“I thought you went to warn Serena?”

“Actually, I tried to call her. She’s back with mypack to do some remote viewing of the caves. I’m not sure what thatentails, but if they find her…”

“I know! There are too many dark ones running amuckaround here lately, and if they really are led by a Fiul Sange sheneeds to know. He could have spilled the secret to turning anotherdark one. Go, find her and warn her. Besides, her sister issupposed to be heading this way too. She needs a head’s up.”

“Okay, let Tessa know to stay here with Nicholi fornow.”

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