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Moon ran around the forest in his human form, burning off the energy he still had in his body. Maddox watched him some more, then pushed himself up a tree trunk and climbed a tall branch. The cloudy weather was perfect today, allowing him to enjoy yet another day off, as James seemed to have gotten tired of ordering him around. Upon inspection, he saw more flowers than people and wondered if they knew what they were missing and what vampires had to give up to stay alive. Then he spotted a figure walking toward the forest at a brisk pace.
Recognition glinted and he climbed back down, debating whether to hide Moon or not. But it was too late as Moon detected the new presence, too, nostrils flaring. Hostility thrummed in Moon’s body, his fur standing on end. Realizing he wouldn’t be able to convince the boy to leave, he stood beside the boy instead as the leaves rustled and in strolled Pearl, a basket in her hand and her white-gray eyes latching on to Moon.
“Oh, my. Who is this?”
“This is Moon,” Maddox replied promptly, much to Moon’s trepidation. The boy scowled at him, but Maddox flashed a warning look. “He is a friend of Ruby and me. We stayed with him in a pirate ship before he discovered his shifter side and had to leave…the good pirate ship, mind you.”
“Friends, you say?”
“Yes. He is skittish about strangers, and his wolf recognizes power. I would appreciate it if you turned yours off.”
Pearl considered this, studying the patches of fur. Then her energy dissipated in the blink of an eye, which set off Moon to slowly let go of his hostility, too. The boy relaxed in stages, studying her in turn and clearing his throat.
“I’m Moon. I don’t know my last name, so it’s just Moon.”
She smirked. “I’m Pearl. I do know my last name, so it’s Pearl Sutton.”
“Ruby’s sister?”
“That’s right.” Pearl glanced at Maddox, and the friendly look turned speculative. “I have to wonder, what other secrets are you and my sister hiding?”
“This is the only one.” Even while he said it, the guilt swirled inside him. But he had to focus on the present and the boy. “And Moon matters to us. He is just a boy trying to find his place in your home. He is preparing himself for when he meets your people.”
Pearl winced, her understanding distinct.
“Yes, well, I hope he works on it sooner rather than later.Youguys need to state his existence sooner rather than later, too.”
“Sooner,” Maddox promised.
That seemed to satisfy the witch, but there was still enough tension in the atmosphere that he decided to just end it.
“Ruby isn’t here, by the way. Either she is in James’ office or out on errands for him.”
To his surprise, Pearl shrugged.
“I know. I was looking for you. I’m running errands for the family, who made a deal with Helga over her pet. You know, the one you are training. Can you come with me?”
He agreed because he wanted to give Moon some space, but curiosity took over as soon as they were ambling their way toward Helga’s property. Maddox noted the basket that the brunette was carrying, covered with a cloth and filled with…
“Are those potions?”
“Yes. Saph made them, and I helped. She is wicked good at these kinds of things, and we think—or they think—that Helga has a better chance of taming that creature with these.”
“The creature is Milos.”
“Ooh. Am I sensing a tight bond already?”
“Milos wants to kill me half the time. The other half is quite friendly.”
Pearl chuckled. They arrived at the property with Helga already antsy and not in the mood for small talk, unlike Pearl. The brunette talked his ear off while he attempted to calm down Milos, who was as aggravated as Moon had been over the new presence. Unlike Moon, though, Milos wasn’t very good at listening, charging Maddox multiple times and scratching his ankle once.
“Hold him down, please,” Pearl requested. “Just for a minute.”
Maddox grunted and the chase began. When he successfully managed to wrestle the creature down, Pearl stepped in.
“I’m sorry. I would normally be using my magic for this, but you know…”
“Yeah, I know. Hurry.”
