Red Moon, White Moon

Chapter 16: The Veil Falls

It was the day of the winter bonfire, and we were as busy as ever preparing for that night. The four newest additions to the group were at school, as planned, to ensure that they were up to date on the plans for this evening and to make sure nothing had changed. Hayden had been nervous all morning because he hadn't been able to get hold of Tammy to give her a heads up. Although she was a werewolf, she had been so helpful to the team that we felt we owed her all the help we could give her.

Without Toby and Doc, we also felt the pressure to pick up the load and ensure we had enough gear for all nine of us. Bear, who was always in a good mood, whistled away as he snacked on some jerky. Andie Rae was trying to calm Hayden down as always, and Lilly was packing Doc's supply bag. She'd picked up that critical role and used the same bag Doc did. We tried to talk her out of it—it had bloodstains all over it—but she was having none of it.

The day was flying by, and before I knew it, Lilly slipped out the door and was on her way to go pick up the others. So many thoughts went through my mind at that moment: should I have gotten them involved, would any of them back out, and—most importantly—would they freeze when it was "go time." While I couldn't blame them if they did, we really couldn't afford it. The following hour was total anguish for me. I kept my eye on the driveway and jumped at every sound I heard to see if it was them pulling up.

Bear walked over to me and slapped me on the back. "Calm down, son. Worry is as useless as dried spit—if they come, they come."

Rubbing my back from where his massive hand made contact, I replied, "I know you're right, but so much is riding on tonight."

Taking another bite of jerky, he mumbled, "True, but you don't have control over that—now have some jerky."

"Thanks." I picked a piece of jerky off the plate that was inches from my face.

Andie Rae, who had joined us, picked up a couple of pieces and took a seat next to me. "Even if they back out, we have a solid plan."

"Yeah, I know, but I feel like we always play a cat and mouse game with them."

"What do you mean?" Andie Rae asked.

I stood up and started to pace. "I mean, we kill them, and they retreat. They kill some of us, and we retreat." I looked at the two of them, punched my left hand with my balled-up right one, and added, "I just want to finish them off."

"Calm down, pansy," Hayden said, walking into the barn. "You'll get your chance soon enough."

Andie Rae turned to Hayden, took the plate of jerky out of Bear's hand, and offered him some. "He's worried the group will back out, leaving us shorthanded."

Taking a piece of jerky, Hayden looked over at me and grinned. "Seems like you've come a long way from the first night in Ybor."

I chuckled, took a seat, and simply said, "Yeah, I have."

Soon after, I heard a horn in the distance and took off running towards the driveway. It was Lilly and the rest of the gang. I was so relieved to see that all four of them kept their promise. I greeted each one of them with a hug and put my arm around Lilly's shoulder as we made our way back to the team in the barn. Once there, we all sat around the map, and Hayden reviewed it one more time with us.

Looking at his watch, Hayden announced, "We have about two hours before we move out. Make sure you're ready to go."

Bear clapped his hands together and rubbed them vigorously. "I'm as nervous as a tick on dip day."

Hayden put his arm around Bear's shoulders and looked around the room. "Remember, if we stick to the plan, we'll be okay."

We nodded in agreement and began to prepare for the night's activities. Andie Rae briefed the four newest members of our clan on how to prepare for tonight and reviewed the guns they would be carrying one last time. They were all nervous, and Xavier had to wipe his forehead with his shirt. Lilly had her earphones in and was in the zone, listening to her music. Bear and Hayden, as normal, were off in the corner, chatting and enjoying a drink. I decided to check on the guys and make sure they were ready.