Dead by Morning (Rituals of the Night #1)

Chapter Eleven

LUNA FROWNED WITH the remains of her dream in her mind and finally decided that Chance killing that bird had upset her more than she had initially realized. Wiping the sweat off her forehead, she sighed, trying to clear her mind.

She had already overslept fifteen minutes but that didn't stop her from taking out her prayer mat. After the night she had weathered, some spirituality would do her good. When she was finished, she stuffed it away and hurried through her morning routine to make up for it. She grabbed her backpack off the couch and dashed out the door, running two blocks, without stopping once, to where Violet met her every day before school. The dream had shaken her, and there was some part of her that needed to see her friend was okay.

"Sorry I was late," Luna breathed, wheezing to catch her breath. "I had the weirdest dream."

"Dare I ask what about?" Luna swallowed, unsure if she really wanted to say or not. "Let me guess...big girl dreams about Chance?"

Luna gave her the stink-eye. "No. We were walking through some forest and then this guy in all black came out of nowhere."

"That was your whole dream?" Violet asked, emotionless.

"No, that's not it," Luna said, lifting her eyebrows in annoyance, and straightened out her posture. "I never saw his face...he kept it hidden the whole time and pulled out a gun. He shot you in the head before he made me go with him."

"Where'd he take you?"

"I woke up before I found out."

Violet was silent for a long minute before she spoke. "That is a weird dream."

"Did you have the same dream last night?"

Violet scrunched up her face, and it looked like she had taken a bite out of something unpleasant. "No, no, I didn't get to sleep. I dozed in and out but that didn't last long. That's your own unique, strange creation. Congratulations."

"Yeah, I guess," Luna replied, wiping her hair from her eyes. "What kept you from sleeping?"

"A headache."

"He shot you in—"

"Don't say it, Luna. Please don't finish that sentence."

***

ON THE OPPOSITE side of town, Chance awoke at the same time as Luna. A sheen of sweat covered his skin, making him feel hot and sticky but the adrenaline coursing through his veins made it easy to ignore. He had Luna in his clutches, and Violet...well, Violet was finally where she belonged.

Life was sweet.

He groaned, feeling groggy, and climbed out of bed. There were no working clocks in his house, but his internal one was so set he didn't need an external one. Morning had come—light seeped through the black, dusty curtain hanging over the window. Again, it was time to be the prestigious Chance Welfrey of Shawnee High School. The thought made him sneer. He needed a lot of mental preparation every morning.

He rushed through his morning routine, determined to get there a bit early. Luna would be upset over her best friend's absence, he was sure. Maybe an upset Luna would be an easier to control Luna. If he could control her, he could get her to listen; that was his motivation for the day. He threw on his clothes and checked for his trusty dagger, securing it in his pocket, before he went out the door.

Chance walked across the spooky, unkempt lawn and climbed into his truck. The drive to school was unremarkable and he parked in his usual spot toward the end of the lot. He cut off the engine and stayed in the seat, waiting. Any minute, Luna would be there.