Blood Moon (Silver Moon, #3) - By Rebecca A. Rogers
Chapter One
To be honest, I’m tired of stepping in chicken poop. The crap is everywhere, this place stinks, and this is definitely not what I had in mind when I once said I wanted to visit England. Of course, Ben and I aren’t in the twenty-first century; we’re stuck in fifteen sixty-nine. I don’t even know what month it is, but judging by the bitter air and how the citizens are dressed in warmer clothing, I can only guess we’ve arrived smack dab in the midst of autumn, or the early beginnings of winter.
“My nose burns,” I grumble, hugging myself to stay warm. Apparently the cold weather has no effect on Ben whatsoever. He’s as relaxed as he would be on a lazy summer day.
He shrugs. “We need to find a place to camp out, someplace cozy. I mean, we have no clue how long we’ll be staying here, or if we’ll ever return to Hartford.”
I stop walking and face him with a defiant glare. “We’re getting back to Hartford one way or another. Probably not today, but after we figure out how to stop Alaric.” Ben doesn’t respond, so we both continue trekking to God-knows-where. At this point, we might amble until we reach Antarctica. Who knows? “And in case you haven’t noticed, these people are eyeing us like we’re their next meal.”
“Yeah, I noticed,” he says. “Shouldn’t it be the other way around?”
“It should, but it’s not.”
Ben wraps his arm around my waist and pulls me snugly against his side as he whispers against my hair, “Don’t worry, Princess. I won’t let them eat you.”
“Well, that makes me feel so much better knowing the only way you can protect me is if you transform. And if that happens, we’re screwed. They’ll come after us with pitchforks and torches, you know.”
Ben chuckles, and the rumbling sound vibrates my ear. I smile at the thought of having Ben all to myself while we’re on this . . . vacation. I’m glad I won’t be doing this alone. Even if it was just me, I’d find a way to break the curse, but it wouldn’t be easy. I need all the eyes and ears I can get. Oh, and magic. Our magic combined might come in handy.
We pass through the middle of the market, and all eyes are focused on us. I’m sure these people think we’re the oddest couple to ever roam these streets. I can’t say I blame them. I mean, look at us! We’re decked out in jeans and T-shirts, for crying out loud. These poor, sixteenth-century people don’t know what hit them.
As we near the end of the road out of town, Ben and I halt in the middle of the muddy lane. There’s really no place for us to go. We obviously don’t have any money, or coins, or whatever it is these people used way back when, to buy a room at the inn. We can’t exactly ask around for Alaric, Ulric, or Daciana and tell them we’re their long-lost family. Our options are thin, like melted butter spread across toast. We have to think of a plan rather quickly; otherwise, Ben and I will be sleeping in the forest.
This is, without a doubt, not how I pictured this trip.
“So, what are our choices?” I ask. “We don’t have money, food, or a place to stay. That leaves us with . . . nothing.”
Ben squishes me against his chest, resting his chin atop my head. “Always the optimist,” he jests. “We’ll figure something out. Look over there,” he says, pointing to open fields ahead. “See that barn? What if we slept there at night?”
I pull back from his tight grasp and glower up at him. “You’re joking, right? We can’t sleep in a barn like animals.”
Ben playfully narrows his eyes, and a smile spreads across his lips. “Candra, think about what you just said.”
“What? Oh.” Yeah, animals. Really cute. Us being werewolves and all. “Okay, then. A barn it is.”
He pulls me back to his chest and teasingly rocks me from side to side. “See, I knew you’d see it my way.”
Past him, I acquire a straight view of our curious onlookers. They don’t seem too pleased with our presence, or the fact that we’re practically PDA-ing in the middle of their crappy street. I’m waiting for one person to get everybody else riled up so they can find a reason to come after us, but so far, nothing of that nature has happened. I think