Fated Under the Moon Read online

  We passed several people who tried to say hello, but the greeting was thwarted by young Ashton. If I didn't have such long legs, I'd nearly be running to keep up with him.

  We moved into a barn with oversized double doors for storing farming equipment. I briefly saw two puppies chasing each other, but I didn't have a chance to really take notice of them. We walked past half a dozen stalls and stopped about halfway down. "Here she is. This is Bella," he told us.

  "Have you been around horses before?" Mindy asked.

  "I've seen them, even pet them a few times too, but I've never ridden one."

  "Bella will be a little ornery." Mindy unclasped the lock on the stall and slid the barn door open.

  Bella was a fawn-colored mare. Her mane was a coarse blonde that looked like it had recently been brushed. She whinnied as Mindy approached her. "There, there, girl. You're okay."

  It was one of the strangest things I'd witnessed to date. Mindy put her head up against the mare. They stared at one another. There were a few more whinnies from the horse, then Mindy moved back.

  "She's in a lot of pain, but contractions haven't begun yet. Maybe a day or two more. Elle, do you see on the shelf behind you, there's a tin?"

  I nodded, glancing behind me and up.

  "Can you grab that and hand it to me? It's a liniment used to treat sore joints in horses. It will help soothe her. I reached up, realizing that there was no way Mindy would've been able to grab it. My guess was she was five-five in heels, and since we were going swimming... I handed Mindy the liniment, and as I approached the horse, the horse kicked its back leg and blew out large puffs of air, making her nostrils flare. "It's okay, girl. She's not going to hurt you."

  Bella became increasingly irritated. I'd never been around horses before, so I was unsure of what to do.

  "Back up slowly," Mindy ordered.

  Just as I began to take a few steps backward, the horse reared up. I fell back, seeing that if I didn't move and fast, I'd be crushed. Like I was in some ninja movie, I quickly rolled to the side, avoiding her stomping on me.

  "Get her out of here," Mindy ordered Ashton.

  Ashton grabbed my hand. "Come on. Quick!" He tugged me out of the barn. I was panting and shaking, unbelieving that I almost got crushed by a mare!

  "I've never seen her act that way. Are you okay?" Ashton asked me.

  With my arms crossed protectively around my front, I began to pat myself down, ensuring I was intact. "I'm okay."

  "Whoa, your ring! Is that like some type of mood ring?"

  I looked down at my ring, and the ruby was now thrumming between a dark red and black. I momentarily stared at it. "That's really happening? I didn't hit my head or anything?" I asked. No one had seen this yet. I thought I imagined it when I'd seen it turn black before.

  Ashton laughed, "You're funny. Let's go to the car."

  I held my hand out in front of me and stared at the ring, which seemed to change back to its ruby red the farther away from the barn I got. I turned on the car and stood outside of it. I didn't want to wait in a steaming hot car. I looked at my ring again, and it seemed completely normal. Perhaps, I imagined that. I needed to Google and check if rubies ever changed color. Maybe it wasn't even a ruby? Could there be something with the heat that made the ruby do that?

  I'd never heard of that before, but hey, anything was possible, right? I vowed to look into it. Maybe I could check at work when I had the Internet. The thought of work and being around that woman made me feel uneasy. Truthfully, the work part of it was great, but what Ryker said about me not trusting my intuition niggled at the recesses of my mind.

  After a few minutes, Mindy showed back up.

  "Is she okay?" Ashton asked.

  "Yes," Mindy glanced at me speculatively. "How about you, Elle? Are you hurt?"

  "No, just shaken up is all."

  "I'm sorry. She's never behaved that way."

  Even though I was more than a little shaken up, I shrugged and got in my car. Everyone else followed.

  I looked back at Ashton. "Do you need a booster seat or something?"

  "Hey," he snapped, "I'm nine. I might be small, but I'm not a baby."

  "No offense meant, kid." I put my hands up placatingly.

  Mindy gave me directions. I continued down the dirt road that the houses were on, and we suddenly began to drive downhill. We became surrounded by trees. It was shocking because everything had been so flat, so to be surrounded by large trees seemed out of place.

  I was going slowly, having never driven on these roads before. I was also unsure how my car would handle the dirt road. It was a Jetta, not a Land Rover.

  "See how the road has an angle up there? You'll turn, go slowly, or you'll miss it."

  "Not sure how much slower I can go," I mumbled.

  I turned at the angle and thought she was right. If I didn't know to look for the turn, I would've missed it. She had me make a few more turns, then directed me to park and told me we would walk the rest of the way. I briefly wondered if there were so many people here, where all their cars were, then I lost that train of thought because we arrived at the most beautiful place I'd ever seen.

  Chapter Ten

  "Whoa!" I said, taking it all in.

  "It's cool, right?" Ashton said, running ahead of us and whipping off his shirt while he did. Mindy grabbed it from a nearby tree and laughed as Ashton came to a small cliff about four feet from the water and jumped in!

  There were maybe thirty people here. Music blared, playing classic rock. People stood in line at a cliff that was at least twenty feet up from the water. I watched in fascination as Reece swung out, then did a flip in the air and landed with little splash in the water. A group of girls giggled from the sidelines. One of them yelled out, "eight and a half." Another yelled, "Nine."

  The swimming hole was maybe one hundred feet in diameter. There were cliffs on all sides that people jumped off. There were also huge rocks that jutted out where girls laid out or families gathered. Several people floated on inner tubes. Their laughter mingled with the music, instantly creating a contagious, happy vibe.

  The trees were so dense that it seemed you would never be able to spot this place unless someone told you it was here. The green, so vibrant, and the water so clear, I felt like I was in a private oasis, not the middle of Ohio.

  "Come on. Let's put our stuff down over here." Mindy motioned with her head to follow her, and we walked to a large, flat black rock.

  "This place is so cool. What is it? I mean, like, why is it here?"

  "It was formed from the ice age or something. You'll have to ask Ryker. He's better with stuff like that."

  Mindy took off her shirt and shorts and was left wearing tiny triangle swatches of fabric covering her parts. She looked amazing. I didn't think I could pull off a suit like that any longer since I was approaching my thirties.

  After looking at the swimsuits she had to offer last weekend and not finding anything, I ended up putting on a black sports bra with a tank over it to hide my back and these tiny black workout shorts. Admittedly, they were booty shorts, and I'd never worn them out of the house before, but hey, when in Rome, right?

  I laid my towel on the rock and took off the jean shorts I had on top of the athletic clothes.

  "Hey Mins, who's your friend?" A guy floating by called up.

  "Don't worry about who she is," I heard from behind me in a deep gravelly voice that could only belong to Ryker. I turned to look at him, and when I did, I caught him checking out my butt! He wasn't even hiding the fact that his eyes were glued to my cheeks.

  "Hey, Ryk!" Mindy said.

  It was then I took in Ryker. He was barefoot, and his thick corded thighs had wet cut-off jean shorts sticking to them. He had a slight dusting of hair leading into his shorts, and holy shit, I could see the faintest outline of his...

  "Eyes up here," Ryker laughed.

  "I could've said the same to you," I replied, feeling thrown. Why would he mention that I was checking him out after the way he denied me?

  Ryker shrugged then asked, "How are you doing?"

  I didn't know if he was asking about how I was since Doc left this morning, how I was since he rejected me, or what happened with the horse?

  "Fine," I said, guessing he'd heard about the horse incident. I looked down and noticed that my arm was bruising from where I fell on it. I also saw my ring and wished I'd locked it in my glove box. I didn't want it to fall off in the water.

  "What happened to your arm?" he asked curtly, surprising me with his tone.

  "You didn't mention that you were hurt when you fell," Mindy said from beside me.

  "I didn't notice it before." I rubbed my arm.

  "Is someone going to tell me what happened?" Ryker growled, yes, growled, then grabbed my arm, inspecting it. I get it. He had people he looked out for, but his protectiveness felt excessive.

  His touch sent tingles up my arm, shocking me. It wasn't like those "Oh, my God, love at first sight" tingles, but it was something. Something different from anything I'd experienced. I thought about when we touched before and how it felt like static. This was different. It was like I felt it through my entire body. I pulled away from his grasp. "It's fine. It was just a horse."

  That perhaps was the wrong thing to say.

  "Mindy, talk."

  She huffed, "She said she's fine. I'm sure she's fine."

  "Mins!" he said exasperatedly.

  Just then, Ashton walked up soaking wet. He shook out his hair and said, "Did you tell him how your ring did that magic in and out thing after Bella almost trampled you? I never saw her act that way. We've had her for years. One moment she was good, and the next moment, she got a whiff of this one, and you would've thought she thought Elle was going to hu
rt her. It was crazy!"

  "It's not magic," I protested, covering my ring protectively.

  "Um, yes, it is," Mindy said, while Ryker nodded.

  "Come on. Magic isn't real. It was probably just the heat or something that made it look that way." I'd already told Ryker about it once before, but this was insane.

  Mindy and Ryker exchanged looks. I didn't understand and thought they were a little kooky. Come on, magic? My dad was a scientist. I knew there was a logical explanation. I just needed to get to the damn internet.

  "Mindy." Ryker tilted his head to the side, indicating that she should leave.

  "Come on, Ashton! I'll race you to the jump." They took off running to the small cliff that Ashton jumped from earlier.

  "Do you burn easily?"

  "Pardon?"

  "You're blonde. Your skin isn't super fair, though, so do you burn easily because the sun can be fierce when you're on the water."

  "Not really, but I did put some sunblock on because even if I don't burn, I still don't want to be old and wrinkly." I shook my head because who cared if I had sunblock on. I wasn't some spring chicken who didn't know how to take care of herself. Why was he changing the subject? This man, albeit hot, might have some serious split personalities. That had to be it, right? I didn't get his back and forth.

  He reached out and grabbed the smallest piece of my hair as if examining it. It was strange, and I felt scrutinized in a way I wasn't sure I liked. I wanted to both smack his hand away and pull him closer to me. Gah! I didn't know what was going on with my libido or why this pull between us every day, with every look and touch, got stronger?

  With Ryker that close to me, I noticed a silver scar running from his pec down, slicing across his muscular stomach. I had an urge to reach my hand out along the scar. Ryker dropped my hair, "Let's sit."

  I sat down on my towel, aware of the looks we were receiving from other people. I didn't even know why I listened to him. Who was I kidding? I would've probably done anything he asked of me.

  Some of the looks we received were curious, some women looked on with jealousy, and I caught a few eyes squinting on me in distaste. I didn't like it. I didn't want attention on me, not like this. Not with my back exposed. It took a lot for me to pretend I wasn't scarred on my back; I was just grateful that no one had asked me about it yet.

  Ryker sat next to me, making my dry towel wet. His leg brushed my thigh, and I inhaled, aware that the small brush of skin made my nipples react. I changed positions and bent my knees to my chest, trying to hide my obvious attraction. Still, give me a break. The man was fine.

  I thought it was a whole lot harder to pretend my attraction to him wasn't real when he acted friendly and his nearness bordered on cruelty. If he didn't want me, why wouldn't he just leave me alone? I didn't think his behavior was fair to me. What were his exact words? "Not you."

  I shook off those thoughts. Thinking about Ryker's hurtful rejection wasn't going to do me any good, no, I needed to figure out what Mindy and Ryker were talking about, and I needed to decide how far off the cuckoo train they'd flown.

  Wanting to get on with the lunacy of magic, I prompted, "So you think my ring is magical?" I asked humorously.

  Ryker didn't smile. He didn't do anything to communicate that he was joking when he finally replied. "No. The ring is a ruby, and it's a conduit of your magic. The ring will alert you to danger. Sometimes it's a reaction to how you're feeling, and sometimes it will alert you before you are aware. The ring has no power. It's you that is wielding it."

  Well, that sounded... "Are you high?" I asked.

  He shook his head quickly as if saying, what the hell.

  "Smoke some ganja?"

  "Ganja?" he asked with a small amount of humor lacing his words.

  "Weed, pot, Mary Jane. You know, cannabis."

  "I know what weed is. I can assure you I'm not high."

  "Shrooms then?"

  "Not tripping either, Ariel."

  "Elle," I corrected, gritting my teeth. "Stop calling me, Ariel."

  "You really have no idea what you are, do you?" What in the actual what!

  "Uh... human. Is this the part where you tell me, I'm on MTV and am being punked?"

  Ryker laughed, and the sound of his deep rumble warmed my insides.

  "Punked?"

  "Ugh, you never saw that show with Ashton Kutcher?" I looked at him like, 'Is it ringing a bell?'

  "I don't watch much TV."

  "Of course you don't," I mumbled, then squinted my eyes at him. "Are you guys in some type of strange cult or something? I'm not drinking your Kool-Aid. The next thing you'll tell me is, 'I do believe in fairies. I do. I do."

  He sighed, "Sometimes, I have no idea what you're talking about."

  "Peter Pan?"

  He glared at me like he was trying to be serious and wasn't amused. "I know it all sounds like a lot, but what if I told you everything you thought you believed in was wrong? What if I told you magic does exist and that there are other things out there too? What if I told you that I have an exceptional sense of smell and you're not human? I don't know what you are yet, but you hold magic, and there is more to you than meets the eye. What if I told you the reason I didn't want Doc to take your blood was that he would have to send it out to a lab, and they'd know your blood wasn't normal?"

  I looked around. There had to be a hidden camera around here somewhere. Besides, I'd had lab work done before, hadn't I? I thought about it, then realized it was always Dad who drew my blood. He never took me to a hospital for it.

  Ryker's declarations freaked me out, and I felt on edge as I answered, "I'd tell you that I think you're insane, and I think it's time for me to go." I grabbed my shorts and was about to put them on when he placed his hand on my arm, stopping me. I felt those weird damn sparks again. "Just wait. Watch people. I think you'll see what I'm talking about if you pay attention."

  "Elle! Are you coming in or what?" Ashton called from the water.

  I looked at the water and felt the sweat dripping between my breasts. So, Ryker was hot and certifiable. It didn't mean I couldn't swim, right?

  I set my shirt down and scooted away from Ryker. "Fine, but I think you're insane. I appreciate what you've done for me, but can you leave the cuckoo crazy talk for someone who will actually buy that shit. I'll swim, but I think after today, we might need to distance ourselves." I said the words hoping I'd believe them. I wasn't sure I could keep my distance, but the things he was saying felt impossible.

  He looked at me in disbelief, his eyes saying, "We'll see."

  I squinted my eyes back at him, silently replying, "Yes, we will."

  I WAS RUNNING. I DON'T know how I let Reece and Micah talk me into this. I was afraid but in a good way.

  "In 3... 2... 1... Go!" Micah shouted.

  I leapt from the cliff. There was a moment of exhilaration where I was flying, then the cold water, which was a refreshing shock to the system, cooled me off instantly as I submerged into its depths. I began swimming to the surface when a small blue light caught my eye.

  I needed to see what it was. I wasn't even sure why, but something inside me told me I had to swim to the blue light. The closer I got to it, the further it seemed to move. My lungs were burning. What was I doing? I had to get to the blue light, but I needed air. Which way was up? I began to panic. Where did the light go? It was there. I looked around and felt my chest starting to ache. I needed to get to the surface.

  The blue light was gone. I had to take a breath. My lungs hurt. Think, Elle. Think. My air; it would move toward the surface. Was there even any air left in my lungs? I let out a small air bubble and watched as it moved. What did I need to do next? My mind was feeling fuzzy. I needed to kick, right?

  Suddenly, there was an arm around my waist, and Ryker was there, pulling me up. I could tell there was a sense of urgency within him, but then everything was getting darker. My vision began to darken, and I wanted to hang on, but I just couldn't control it any longer. I had to breathe. I opened my mouth and felt the water rush in. It hurt. God, why did it hurt so badly? I couldn't breathe. It burned. Everything ached, then there was blackness, and I felt absolutely nothing.

  Chapter Eleven

  There was darkness everywhere—complete nothingness. I felt cold seeping throughout my body; then I saw the light—not the take me to paradise light—the blue light I'd been following. It was a single spark, and the closer I got to it, the warmer I felt. My insides felt warmer with each advancing step. This time, the light wasn't moving further away.