Blood Moon (Silver Moon, #3) - By Rebecca A. Rogers Page 0,42

should remain so. Should ye tell another living being of thy curse, ye not only place thyself in danger, but also pass the curse on to thy children and theirs.”

There’s yet another long pause, and I’m sure Ulric and Daciana are contemplating what Lavenia’s told them. Having no choice in the matter, they’ll become werewolves soon. The changes are happening already; they just don’t know it. Lavenia’s proposal to inject them with magical capabilities is like trying to cover a deep cut with a Band-Aid; it fixes the problem temporarily but not permanently. This is all just a mask for what she’s done to them.

“I am ready,” Daciana eventually says, lifting her chin. Although she appears confident, her voice wavers too much for that to be true.

Lavenia, however, doesn’t seem surprised Daciana has agreed to her offer. She then looks at Ulric and asks, “And ye? Will ye join her?”

Ulric is different, though; he has doubt written all over his face. But he, like Daciana, replies, “Aye, I am ready, as well.”

“So be it,” Lavenia says, before she begins chanting words I’ve never heard before, words I certainly don’t understand. A blinding-white light flashes in the small cottage, and everyone but Lavenia has shielded their eyes, including me. “Now, ye are free, my brother and sister of the night. Remember, tell no one of thy curse.”

Though visibly shaken, Ulric and Daciana are able to stand on their feet and leave the cottage. I need to give them ample time before I do the same. Ben needs to know everything I’ve witnessed, that the curse has started, and that Alaric is not one of them . . . yet. We’ll just have to figure out at what point Alaric loses his marbles and banishes Ulric and Daciana to the Otherworld. Maybe it’s soon. If I was him, I’d be pissed that my brother and his girlfriend could transform and wield magic, but if what Lavenia said is true, Alaric doesn’t know.

Oh, Ben and I will have to put our heads together for this. Timing will mean life or death, and the future of our families. We can’t screw up; it’s just not an option.

Fortunately for me, I make my way back to Fiona’s without a hitch. Ben’s pacing by the hearth when I enter. He glances up, wide-eyed and relieved, then his expression shifts to fury.

“I’m fine,” I say, giving him a half-hearted smile. He won’t be happy to learn about the new information I discovered, but I’ll definitely have to wait until Fiona’s left for work before filling him in.

You better have a damn good explanation for why you went to Lavenia’s without me, he says.

“Oh, thank the stars!” Fiona shouts, her face relaxed yet joyous. “Ye had me worried.”

“You had me worried, too,” Ben adds through clenched teeth, playing along like he doesn’t know what’s going on.

I plop down in a chair at the dining table. Fiona quickly grabs an extra bowl and fills it full of her homemade porridge.

“When was the last time ye ate?” she asks, placing the dish in front of me. My stomach growls, and Fiona shakes her head. “As I suspected.”

“Fiona told me you explained everything,” Ben says, with a warning underneath his tone.

Not everything, babe. “Pretty much,” I reply.

So, she doesn’t know we’re werewolves? “That’s good. I’m just afraid those witches will do something stupid and ruin this town.”

No, she doesn’t know we’re werewolves. Let’s save the mental conversation. My head hurts, and I have a lot to tell you. I prefer to say everything in person, not like this. Mentally, I black out my thoughts so he can’t see what I’m thinking, or what’s occurred overnight.

Ben and I finish our breakfast, and Fiona heads off to work, taking Francine with her. She explains it’s good for Francine to get out of the house and smell the fresh air every once in a while. I still haven’t gotten through to that poor girl, but maybe before we leave this era, she will speak.

As soon as we enter the guest bedroom, Ben slams the door behind us, and I wilt onto the bed. I’m so tired, but there’s so much to tell. Where do I even begin? Ben’s not going to be happy when he learns Ulric and Daciana have become werewolves with magical powers. Of course, he’s already pissed at me, so it’s not like the situation can get any worse.

“Okay, spill,” Ben says, as he parks himself at the foot of the