Under the Harvest Moon by Robin Hale

Author:Robin Hale [Robin Hale]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Google: Y02eDwAAQBAJ
Amazon: B07TBQQQFJ
Goodreads: 46386885
Published: 2019-06-21T03:00:00+00:00

Driving back toward the city and away from the community festival gone sour was a vicious reminder that I was an outsider. Practically a pariah. And even with all the shit that had gone down, Absalon was a valued member of the star-born community — welcomed with open arms.

The growing distance from my truck to that bastard wasn’t enough to get my heartrate back down to normal levels. Not yet, anyway. My mouth was dry, my knuckles white on the steering wheel and I didn’t know how I was going to explain…everything.

I hadn’t talked about it since I’d given my testimony to the Council more than ten years ago. That day had been drenched in shame, fear, the sort of quivering grief that had stolen my voice until I’d been forced to speak through someone else. How could I bring that to Laurel? How could I show her the worst part of myself, the part that I was still trying to atone for?

I’d asked her to come with me to the Harvest Moon because I thought I could have a single night of normalcy. I thought the night of peace treaties could extend to me. But the night was rushing toward over and tomorrow I’d still be the same person I’d always been. How could I show her that?

I navigated the route back to her apartment with certainty pressing me down into the seat. This was the last time I’d see her. But she deserved to know the truth about me, so I’d figure out some way to tell her.

“Absalon is a member of Clan Leinth. It’s one of the older vampire clans, popular with the Council. They hold a lot of property and wealth. Powerful group.” The sound of the truck’s air circulating through the vents was the only sound in the cab to compete with my flat, mechanical voice.

Laurel had gone still, watching me with patient concern.

“You felt his — his signature,” I wasn’t quite sure what that entailed, but I had a good enough idea to guess. “At Barleywick because of something that happened about…thirteen years ago.” I swallowed hard, throat clicking in dry protest. “He wasn’t there that day. At least, I don’t see how he could’ve been. But one of his fledges — a fledge is a newly created vampire. They’re young. They haven’t gained all of their powers, they sometimes have — trouble. Controlling themselves.” My throat clenched shut, pain spreading through the muscle of my neck like spiderwebs through an attic.

Could I leave it at this part? Could I tell her what had happened according to the Council and leave out the part that seared guilt into my gut?

I wished that I could. I knew that I couldn’t.

“You asked me once,” I said. “About my coven. Whether Greenhollow was mine.”

I registered Laurel’s nod out of the corner of my eye but couldn’t bring myself to face her. I kept my eyes on the road.

“I had a coven,” I said and it was a confession.

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