Moon, Bitten

Chapter Eleven

          Ronan relaxed his muscles – the topic clearly off Kate but added to gain assurance. The human is nothing to me.

          He appeared to have assuaged the others concerns and with Nico's deliberate goading put momentarily to rest, they turned to a moonlit run and hasty hunt.

         Two full kettles of tea into the early morning and Julie had finally passed out on the couch. Grinning inherently as she uncurled her feet from the floral recliner, Kate stood to gather up the empty glasses and a half-eaten bag of chocolate chip cookies.

          Her grin broadened as she carried her load to the kitchen, surmising that herbal and sweet dough rolled with chocolate just didn't mix.

          She had dozed some in the chair but awakened to the sudden blinding blue instilled on her TV screen after the abrupt ending of their late-night movie credits.

          As she padded barefoot to the kitchen she tried recalling what the movie had been about but Julie had chatted with such infectious giddiness that she had enjoyed herself immensely to have not given it any thought.

         She was still smiling as she washed out their cups and tucked the cookies securely back in the cupboard. She was vaguely aware of the late hour but more so surprised when she peered at the clock on the wall to find it read 5:31 AM.

        Her mouth went slack – it was near dawn.

       Turning, she stepped to a window in the kitchen and peered outside which innately cued a tingling chill over her skin. Suppressing a shudder, she grabbed the folds of her knee-length cardigan and wrapped it securely about her, all the while, peeking intently outside the glass.

          Her heart began to beat wildly as she gazed outwardly into the dissipating darkness, smoothed away by the budding sunrise that crept slowly through the trees and she was suddenly breathless.

          And then she felt it – a presence – something watching her. She wasn't certain how she knew but it was like that indefinite thread that she couldn't explain, telling her of things that others overlooked.

          Kate backed away from the window, gripping the material of her cardigan with a merciless grip.

          Was Danny out there? Watching her? Laying in wait to make his move?

          The thought was such a disheartening and frightening blow that she hadn't heard Julie step up behind her.

          She felt a hand on her shoulder and screamed.

         "It's me!" Julie exclaimed alarmingly, rearing back and throwing her hands up, appearing quite taken aback by Kate's reaction.

          Kate flattened a hand over her heart, feeling it pitch wildly with the prospect of her fears that nearly rendered her immobile.

         She exhaled with a pang of relief and attempted to smile, "You startled me."

      Julie mirrored her feeble smile, her blue eyes apologetic and showing signs of concern. Luckily, she didn't pry.

         "I'm sorry." She said, peering past Kate's shoulder, "What were you looking at?"

         Wrapping her arms tightly about the imbedded chill she couldn't shake, she said, "Oh, just the sunrise."

         "Hard to do with all the blasted trees in the way, don't you think?"
          She refrained from smiling, rolling her eyes mentally at her friend's practicality.