Page 50 of Luna Cursed

"Apparently, there was a death up at the caves a week ago, and some government department has closed it off to the public. He said that they had hired serious-looking guards on the roads in and out," Tor replied.

Ciara hummed. "Sounds like a coincidence to me. We go off-road and hike in? We can't just turn up in case it's Varg's guys. We'll lose any surprise we have."

Tor nodded. "Agreed. If it's really government, we'll find out soon enough."

26

It was a forty-minute drive out to the caves, and Ciara took the time to dry her hair in front of the car's heaters.

"I'm so tired of being wet," she complained.

"Really?" Tor asked, his mouth twitching.

Ciara smacked him. "Not what I meant, smartass. Get your brain out of your pants."

"It's not inmypants, bunny," Tor teased.

"Focus on the road."

Tor saluted her, and Ciara brushed and braided back her hair.

"Can I ask you something?" he said after a while.

Ciara's guard went up instinctively. "Sure."

"Was it true what you said about the first wolf that you killed? Was he really going to try and rape you?" Tor asked.

Ciara's stomach turned. Tor had trusted her enough to tell her about his fucked-up childhood. She could do the same.

"Yeah, it was. I used to listen in on my parent's conversations all the time. I knew the wolf they were hunting liked to kidnap kids and…and play with them before he killed them," Ciara swallowed hard, her mouth too dry. "When I woke up to my mother screaming that night, I knew it was him. It's why the first thing I did was hide my brother. I knew he wouldn't kill me outright like he did my parents."

"You let yourself be bait?" Tor guessed.

Ciara nodded slowly. "Yeah. He didn't succeed in doing much. Just got me to the floor and felt me up. He was distracted enough that he didn't see me take the knife from my father." Ciara could still feel the hot sticky blood soaking the back of her nightgown. "I jammed it right in his eye, and when he let go of me, wailing in shock and pain, I kicked it in as hard as possible. I watched him die, and then I rang Auntie Kenna. She came and got Lachie and me, and we never went back to that house again."

"Fucking hell, Ciara. No wonder you hated us so much," Tor whispered.

"All I could think about was being on that floor covered in my father's blood. I never wanted another kid to go through that because no one would stop monsters from doing what they liked," she replied honestly. "The hating made all the killing easier. It gave me focus. I don't think I'll ever be able to stop hunting. I don't know how."

"If you need to do it, then do it. Just don't do it alone," Tor replied.

That surprised her. Ciara thought he'd try and talk her out of it, give her some advice about getting a life like her cousins always did.

Ciara reached over and took his hand without saying anything. Tor didn't need her to. He only lifted her hand and kissed her calloused palm. If Ciara hadn't already been in love with him, that would have done it.

They turned off the main road, following a dirt trail through a stretch of forest that had come on a satellite map. It looked like it skirted the back of the lake and entrance to the caves.

"If you turn on the full moon, will you hate yourself?" Tor asked.

"It all depends if I'm still myself while I'm shifted. If I'm not and things go bad, I have a plan."

Tor frowned. "What do you mean go bad? What plan?"

"If I turn and become a monster and can't control myself and I hurt other people, Lachie has promised to put me down," she replied.

Tor yanked the car over the side of the muddy road and slammed on the brakes.

"What the hell!" Ciara yelped, putting both hands on the dashboard to brace herself.

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