Dead by Morning (Rituals of the Night Book One) Read online

  “None of your business,” Luna replied as she pushed past him.

  He grasped her shoulder, and she jumped from the unexpected contact. “Hey, wait up. I want to ask you something.”

  She turned to look at him, uninterested. “Yeah, what is it?”

  “Do you want to maybe go somewhere sometime? Like, the dance this weekend? I’d love to take you.”

  Luna glared at him for a moment, completely speechless. Before she realized it, she started to laugh. Without answering him, she shrugged off his hand and went back to weaving through the crowd.

  His joke lightened her mood. Once the crowd thinned out, and she had reached the building’s front entrance, she ran until the school was out of sight far behind her.

  ***

  CHANCE STOOD FROZEN in place, staring dumbstruck after Luna. Had she rejected him? Laughed in his face in front of everyone? She had rejected him, the king of the school, person of the year, the most wanted date of the century? He had never—and he meant it when he said ‘never’—been rejected before, never in his entire life.

  He had always gotten girls, even all the way back in elementary school during the whole “cooties” epidemic. Even his incarceration in juvenile hall hadn’t been able to stain that record.

  Violet had lied to him. He frowned as the realization hit him. What purpose did she have for it? Had he given her some reason to want revenge? He pushed the thought away—he really didn’t care.

  Luna was the only thing on his mind. No one had ever resisted his charms before. He needed her even though she wanted nothing to do with him. That was fine, but he was running out of time; it was senior year…their last year together before graduation would permanently separate them. He was sure she would be shipped off to some fancy four-year school, and he’d never see her again.

  He would change her attitude before then. He was confident in himself.

  He could feel himself sliding into that mind frame. The one no one knew about, the one he kept to himself. But he couldn’t help it. The mere thought of Luna put him into it, despite everything.

  Somebody bumped into him, and he was brought back to the reality of the hall. Brought out of that mind and back into the normal one. Everyone around stared in shock—even they couldn’t believe he had been rejected. He composed himself as best he could.

  “It was a joke,” he said, feigning a laugh, and pushed quickly out of the crowd.

  The thought that his reputation could be on the line didn’t enter his mind.

  He emerged onto the steps of Shawnee High in time to catch a glimpse of Luna’s dark raven hair as she ran from the school and presumably from Chance himself.

  He growled. She could run, and she could reject him, but they were only temporary hiccups. He’d get her to go on that date with him—one way or another.

  ***

  LUNA EXHALED CONTENTEDLY and set the cup down on the counter. The music in the background of the restaurant was oddly comforting as the smoothie soothed her throat and cooled her down from her run. She crossed her legs, kicking once at her backpack, which sat at the base of the stool. She wiped her face and resumed reading her copy of Hamlet. Her lips whispered the words silently as she dove into the story.

  Engrossed in her reading, she didn’t hear the chair beside her pull out. Chance set his hand underneath her book as he reached over and closed it, tipping his head to observe the cover.

  “Hamlet, huh?” he asked, looking her in the face as she flipped her book back open in annoyance.

  “Yep,” she replied, reading over the line he had interrupted.

  “Talk about a dysfunctional family.”

  She glared at him over the top of her book before she closed it and set it on the counter. “Did you need something?”

  “I think I’m owed an apology.” He laced his fingers together, setting his hands beside her book.

  “Not happening,” she said, tucking her book into her backpack and throwing a few bucks down for her drink.

  Chance smirked at her as he followed her out the door.

  “What’s the deal though, really?” he asked. “I heard through the grapevine you have a crush on me. Why reject me like that?”

  Luna froze in place as she turned to look at him. “That grapevine must be rotten, because your information is wrong.”

  She whisked away to carry on her journey home, and he continued to walk at her side. Irritation bit at her. She didn’t know what he planned, but the shadow across his eyes was enough for her to know he was planning something.

  “Why continue to follow me?” she demanded. “Most people back off when they’re rejected.”

  “Yeah, but I’m determined,” he announced. An amused glint replaced the mysterious one that had lurked in his eyes a moment prior.

  Luna lifted her hand to press the place in her forehead where she could feel the beginning of a headache throb to life. She consoled herself with the information that only a few blocks separated her and home.

  “You only have four contacts in your phone? That’s kinda sad.”

  She turned to look at him and recognized the small black flip-phone in his hand. She patted her back pocket and realized hers was gone.

  “What? Give it back!” she said, swiping for the device.

  He raised it out of her reach as he continued to snoop. “How old is this thing anyway? Is it even capable of texting?”

  With a huff of annoyance, she leapt up and pulled it out of his fingers, snapping it shut and tucking it away into the safety of her front pocket. “No, it’s not, it’s for emergency calls only,” she said, taking a slight step backwards.

  Chance’s eyes widened. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her out of the road a moment before a car sped past. Luna lost her balance and tumbled to the ground, feeling her knees rip open with the impact. She looked up at him accusingly through a mess of black hair.

  “That shit right there is exactly why I insist on walking with you.” He folded his arms over his chest.

  “You didn’t have to push me,” she said.

  “Either that or let you get run over.”

  She ignored him as she sat back and observed the fresh wounds on her knees. They stung, and her father would not be happy with her for ripping her pants.

  “Here, let me help you.” The sneering tone vanished from his voice.

  Luna looked at his pale hand as it hung by her face then smacked it away. For all she knew, he’d push her down again. “I can do it myself.”

  She stood up and brushed herself off, all the while staring at him hatefully as he looked up at her from the crouched position he had taken. His mouth parted slightly, like he was surprised she had rejected him again. Luna snorted. Moron.

  As she stared back at him, she noticed the sun glinting off of a silver object that stuck out a bit from the pocket of his black pants. What was that?

  Chance looked back at her and saw her expression had changed. He noticed where she was staring, and he stood up straight; the silver object disappeared into the depths.

  What is he hiding?

  “What are you looking at?” His voice actually sounded…nervous.

  “Nothing.”

  “Am I that captivating?” His teasing tone had returned.

  “No, you’re not,” she told him, quickly losing interest in the topic.

  Luna took a step away from him as they stared at each other. “Just leave me alone,” Luna said to him finally before she turned and walked away.

  Her speech had been said before, but Chance wasn’t worth the effort it would take to come up with a new one.

  Chapter Four

  CHANCE DIDN’T MOVE. He couldn’t move as he watched her go. The look in her eyes when she had gotten herself up had been pure hatred. He had never seen that expression aimed at him before.

  He thought his act of bravery would’ve done something to melt the ice in her heart, but it didn’t work.

  He reached into his pocket to reassure h
imself that his favorite knife still waited there, tucked into the depths. Had she seen it? He couldn’t tell for sure. Nobody knew about his knife, and it needed to stay that way. It was his favorite sidekick when he was in that mind.

  Even when he was okay, he kept it with him. He never knew when he’d need it—his time behind bars had proven that—so he had it always. He tried to convince himself Luna hadn’t seen it. If she had, she would’ve said something…questioned it.

  Yes, he was positive of that.

  He looked to the ground where Luna had fallen and noticed the grass blades bent in a peculiar pattern. He knelt down and noticed blood streaked across a handful of them. He picked them and tucked them into the pocket with his knife.

  A sudden thought caused him to worry—what would Luna tell her parents about him when they asked how she had injured herself?

  Rose, Luna’s mother, expected nothing less than perfection from her daughter. Luna’s father, David, was as overbearing, if not more so, and he was grossly protective of her. Understandable. If Luna decided to say he had pushed her down then he’d be in big trouble. He didn’t doubt her father would try to strike up a harassment charge against him, which wouldn’t be good for his already hefty record.

  He had to fix the situation he had created, and he had to make sure he did it brilliantly so no one could ever suspect his true motives.

  ***

  FOR THE REST of the walk home, Luna wondered what had been hidden in Chance’s pocket. He had been so eager to hide it from sight the moment her eyes drifted to it…why? It didn’t really matter—it was his business.

  She dragged her feet, groaning under her breath and finally pushed open the door to her house. She threw down the backpack she had been carrying, already feeling better for the loss of its weight, and sat down in the soft black armchair in the corner of the living room.

  Luna bent forward to start untying her shoes. David, who had been sitting on the couch watching a sitcom, turned to look at her, face a little bit horrified.

  “Luna, something happen at school?” he asked.

  She looked up at him, surprised by his tone. “No, it was same-old. Why do you ask?”

  “You’re bleeding.”

  “It’s fine. I fell is all,” Luna replied through gritted teeth as she returned to untying her shoes. There was no way she’d tell him about Chance. “You know how clumsy I can be, and when I’m in a rush, it’s worse. It’s fine.”

  “It’s not fine. Now I’ll have to buy you new clothes. You think it’s okay to walk around looking like that?”

  Luna pursed her lips.

  “Did you get into a fight?” he questioned. “Or did you get beat up?”

  “No, Dad, why do you think that?” She didn’t look up at him.

  “You seem agitated. Are you hiding something from me?”

  “I’m not hiding anything.”

  He was silent for a moment, and she peeked up through the strands of her dark hair to see him frowning at her. ”I wish your mother was here. She’d know what to say to you right now. I’ve never been good at talking to you about problems.”

  “I don’t have a problem,” she said slowly. Could her dad hear her, or did she only imagine speaking?

  “Well, something seems off.”

  “I’ll wait for you to figure it out yourself,” she sneered and went into the bathroom. Frowning, she looked at her bloody knees. They seemed even uglier in comparison to her white bathroom floor.

  There had to be some way she could get Chance to leave her alone. It seemed as if every time he made an appearance, something bad happened. She grabbed a washcloth off the nearest rack and ran it under the water before she dabbed away the blood, wincing as she did so. With a grimace, she slammed the washcloth back onto the counter and left the bathroom.

  Once inside the safety of her room, she realized nothing she could do would better her situation. Chance had an annoyingly optimistic demeanor and that meant he didn’t give up…no matter how bleak the situation.

  ***

  CHANCE PUT ON his best look of innocence as he stood on Luna’s porch, knocking on the door. Less than a minute later, her father, David, answered. He was a stern-looking man in his mid-40’s with disheveled brown hair and a slight line of hair on his upper lip. He didn’t look much the fatherly type, and Chance could only guess he acted in much the same manner.

  “Yes? Can I help you?” he demanded.

  Chance nodded. “Yes, sir. Are you Luna’s father?”

  “I am, who are you?”

  “My name is Chance. I go to school with your daughter,” he said, tilting his head to the side.

  The hardened expression on David’s face softened at that, and he stepped aside to allow Chance entrance. “Would you care to come in?”

  “I would, thank you,” Chance replied, following David into the kitchen.

  Chance took a seat at the table as Luna’s father turned to the fridge to pull out a can of pop to offer to Chance. “So what brings you here today?”

  “Your daughter is a wonderful person, and I hate to be the one to tell you this, I really do.” Chance paused for a moment, setting his tongue to the roof of his mouth as he searched David’s eyes, looking for the sticking point for his manipulation. “But I saw her smoking yesterday.”

  David’s softened expression vanished as he drew his eyebrows together, scrutinizing Chance from his head to his feet. “That doesn’t sound like my daughter.”

  “No, it doesn’t, but I have no reason to lie.”

  David blanched, appearing suddenly conflicted. “What exactly happened?” Luna’s father asked, seating himself across from the blonde.

  Chance smiled to himself, hearing the man’s deposition break down with each passing moment. “It’s simply really. There’s a dance this weekend—Prom. I wanted to ask her out, maybe to dinner or something. I hate doing that kind of thing in front of other people so I thought I’d wait to do it outside of school. We hang out at the park sometimes, and well, I saw her there yesterday.”

  David cupped his chin with his hand staring at Chance for a long moment before he dropped it from his face. “This certainly can’t go without punishment.”

  The smile couldn’t keep itself off Chance’s face that time.

  ***

  “LUNA! COME HERE for a minute!” her father called.

  Luna sighed and set Hamlet down once again. Hours had passed since she had gotten home, and she wondered if her ‘problem’ still weighed on her father’s mind. Why couldn’t he see her real problems were caused by his desire to marry her off as soon as it was legal?

  Luna left her bedroom to go into the kitchen and saw him frowning at her. He stood with his arms crossed, and next to him, Chance sat at the kitchen table. Rage filled her from head to toe at the sight.

  He was everywhere.

  Luna narrowed her eyes at him, wondering why he was in her sanctuary. He looked back at her. He wore a long-sleeved black shirt, and the sleeves hid his hands as he peered at her from under his long, bright blond, curtained hair with the expression she hated most—his best innocent look. Panic struck as she realized it could work on someone gullible like her father.

  Chance was trying to cause trouble for her…again.

  “What are you doing here?” she growled at him, forgetting her father was there.

  “Luna, he says he saw you smoking,” her dad said, sounding a bit unsure.

  “You goddamn snitch,” she growled under her breath.

  “Excuse me, young lady?” David gaped.

  “That’s not what happened at all. He’s lying to you,” she blurted out, glaring at Chance with all of her hatred.

  Chance’s face remained calm, but she caught the twitch at the corner of his lips as he fought back a smile.

  “Did you do it or not, Luna,” her father said, tapping his foot as he waited for her response.

  Luna’s nostrils flared as her eyes flicked between Chance and David, desperate for a thing t
o say.

  “Luna?” David asked, tone growing more bitter by the moment.

  Luna could’ve started crying, just balled her eyes out from frustration, but she knew it was pointless. Everything was pointless.

  “Yes…okay? Yes, I fucking smoked.”

  “Language, young lady. As for smoking…why? Why do that to yourself? What man will want a smoker?”

  “You’re making me crave a cigarette, Dad.”

  David growled something under his breath then glanced at Chance as if he just remembered he was there. “I’m really sorry my daughter dragged you into this.” Then he turned to Luna. “I want you to apologize to him.”

  “No.” She jutted out her chin, glaring at Chance.

  “Luna!” David tapped his foot again, slightly this time.

  “He’s a psychopath who will do anything to get what he wants because he’s twisted in the head. He’s trying to make me look bad. Probably out of spite because I refuse to date him.”

  Her father ignored her. “Luna, you’re on thin ice.”

  “Why are you really doing this, Dad? You want people to believe I’m so perfect that you’ll believe anything negative you hear about me so long as you can ‘fix it,’ right?”

  David ignored her. “You’re lucky he came to me rather than talk to his parents about this.”

  “There’s a reason for his choice,” Luna said desperately.

  “Look, Luna, I’ve been patient, but you know what my beliefs are. What your heritage is. If you’re going to let your grades slip away and start smoking, heaven forbid, then I have no choice but to find you a husband.”

  “You can’t do that,” she breathed, looking down at the ground. Luna felt dizzy, not only for the sting of betrayal but because her father had aired all of her problems for her worst enemy to see.

  Chance was too good at playing puppet master.

  “And I called Rose too,” he tacked on as if he had just remembered.

  All her feelings of anger, betrayal, and hurt dissolved away and were replaced with fear as her attention snapped to him. “You called Mom? Why?”

  “At first, I thought you had gotten into a fight. I didn’t want her to be left out so I called her. I called her again after talking to Chance for a bit, but I think you need to update her on what’s happening now,” he said. “Rose always seems to know just what to do.”