Page 72 of Rejected Moons (Rejected Moons 3)

And I know it’s true. Whatever else is out there in the world that wants to kill me—and it’s clear now that there are plenty of things that want to kill me—Milo will always have my back. Milo will always be a place of safety for me.

Chapter Forty-seven: MILO

EmlynandIsleepin shifts.

At least, we try to.

The truth is that we’re both so keyed up about everything that it’s hard to sleep at all. When it’s supposed to be my turn to sleep, I spend more time going over and over the things those mysterious Moon Casters said to us. Re-examining their strange clothes and the sigils on their faces in my mind. Trying to figure out who they could be, since they’re like nothing I’ve ever seen before.

When I’m up and Emlyn is supposed to be sleeping, I do my best to keep quiet so that she can get the rest she needs, but it doesn’t really seem to work. Every time I look over at her, her pale eyes are open, glinting in the light of the waning moon.

And I think,those Moon Casters were so powerful during a waning moon. What would they be like if they caught us when the moon was full?

And I think,maybe that’s why they let us go. Maybe they’re biding their time, and they don’t even care about catching us until the full moon. Maybe that’s when they’ll do whatever they have planned.

And in the meantime…I think of Nate’s flyer. If that thing is out there, I’m guessing that Emlyn’s pack drew multiple copies. I’m guessing that a lot of people have that picture now. And all of them will be hunting her.

By the time the sun lifts over the horizon, I’m feeling pretty resolved on what needs to be done.

I’m expecting to have trouble convincing Emlyn of it. After all, theyareher pack. They were her family all her life. But to my surprise, she’s the one who brings it up first.

“I think I have to fight my pack,” she says over a breakfast of fish from the creek.

“You do?”

She mistakes my surprise. “You don’t have to come with me,” she says. “I know it isn’t your fight.”

“Don’t be silly,” I say. “Of course I’m with you, Emmy. I just didn’t expect to hear you say that.”

“We’re up against too many things,” she says. “I’ve been thinking about it all night. The only way to make our lives livable is to remove a threat.”

I nod. “I think you’re right,” I say.

“We obviously can’t hope to go up against those Moon Casters we just met,” she says. “They were too powerful. Even if we fought them as wolves, I don’t know what we would do against them because they would just freeze us where we stood again. I mean, I guess we could wait a few more days for the moon to wane a little more—”

“No,” I say. “I don’t think that would work. Even if we attacked under the new moon, I don’t think that would be any guarantee that they’d be weakened enough for us to have a chance against them. Which is especially fucked up. My magic is basically useless under the new moon.”

“You can’t do magic at the new moon?”

“I can, but it’s hardly worth talking about,” I say. “It’s the same at an eclipse. I can make little sparks—probably enough to start a fire. I can heal paper cuts. Things like that.”

She nods. “Good to know,” she says. “I’m sure it will be the same for me.”

“Probably,” I agree.

“So we can’t fight the Moon Casters,” she says. “And most of the wolf packs aren’t hunting us, even if they would prefer us out of the picture. The only one that’s actively looking for us is mine.”

“If we can take them out,” I say, “We remove the offer of a bounty against you, and people won’t be motivated to hunt you down.” I’m talking about rogues, mainly—people like Nate, who owe no allegiance to any pack and can make hunting for a bounty target their full-time business. Who knows how many of them are out there looking for Emlyn? But if word spreads that the pack that wanted her taken out has been taken out themselves…

Well, not only will people stop wanting to look for her, they might become actively afraid of her. I would worry about the girl who eliminated an entire wolf pack, if I heard that story. I would stay out of her way.

“I know how they fight,” Emlyn says. “I spent my whole life training with them. I can teach you some moves, so you’ll know what to expect in battle with them.”

I nod. “And I can give you some combat spells,” I say. “That’s a big advantage we’ll have over them, the fact that we’re able to do magic.”

“Under the waning moon,” she points out.

“Even so,” I say, “it’s a hell of a lot more magic than any of them are going to be able to do.” I sigh. “But they will have us outnumbered. Even with magic on our side, our chances aren’t going to be great.”

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