Asphalt Moon

Chapter 11: The Stranger

Three months changed a lot of things.

The garage got a new paint job. Nellie's idea. She picked yellow. I hated it at first. Then I got used to it.

Tío Ray stopped jumping every time someone knocked on the door. He still had nightmares. But he was talking more. Eating better. He even smiled once. I think.

Cade and I were good. Really good. No secrets. No bonds. Just us.

And Damon? He sent a postcard from Arizona. A picture of a cactus. On the back, he wrote: Doing okay. Found a dog. Named her Lena.

I kept it on my nightstand.

School was school. Math still sucked. English was fine. Lunch was the same sad pizza.

Nellie was still Nellie. Louder, if anything. The bite mark on her neck had healed into a thin white scar. She wore it like a trophy.

Everything was normal.

Until she walked in.

It was a Tuesday. Late afternoon. I was under a truck, changing the oil, when the bell above the garage door jingled.

"Be right there," I called.

I slid out on my creeper.

And froze.

She was tall. Dark skin. Gray streaks in her braids. Wore a denim jacket and boots that looked older than me. Her eyes were yellow. Not human yellow. Wolf yellow.

"You Lena?" she asked.

"Who's asking?"

"Name's Carmen. I knew your mother."

I stood up. Wiped my hands on my jeans. "Everyone knew my mother."

"I knew her before Hale. Before your father. Before any of this." She looked around the garage. "She talked about this place. Said it was her favorite spot in town."

"She never brought me here."

"You were a baby. She didn't want you involved."

"Didn't work out that way."

Carmen smiled. Sad. "No. It didn't."

Cade walked in from the office. He saw Carmen. Saw my face. His hand went to his belt.

"Lena. Everything okay?"

"This is Carmen. She knew my mom."

Cade didn't relax. "How did you find us?"

"I've been looking for three months. Since Hale went to prison." Carmen pulled out a folded piece of paper. Handed it to me. "Your mother gave me this before she died. Told me to give it to you when you were older."

I unfolded the paper.

It was a photograph. My mom. Younger. Standing next to Carmen. Both of them in leather jackets. Both of them smiling.

Behind them, a symbol painted on a wall. A crescent moon with a dagger through it.

"What's that?" I asked.

Carmen's smile faded. "That's the problem."

Tío Ray came out of the office. He saw Carmen. His face went pale.

"You," he said.

"Ray."

"You were supposed to protect her."

"I tried."

"Not hard enough."

Carmen looked at the floor. "I know."

I stepped between them. "Someone want to tell me what's going on?"

Tío Ray rubbed his face. "Carmen was your mother's partner. Back in the day. They ran together. Fought together. Until your mother got pregnant with you."

"And then?"

"Then I made a choice," Carmen said. "I chose the pack over her. I've regretted it every day since."

"Why are you here now?"

Carmen looked at me. Her yellow eyes were wet.

"Because Hale wasn't the only one who wanted your mother's bloodline. There's a group. Older than Hale. Stronger. They've been watching you since you were born."

"What group?"

"The Crescent Circle." Carmen pointed at the symbol in the photo. "They believe certain bloodlines carry power. Your mother's bloodline especially. They think if they sacrifice the last descendant, they can control the wolf inside every shifter."

"Sacrifice?" Cade's voice was sharp.

"Kill her. On a full moon. At a specific location." Carmen looked at me. "You're the last one, Lena. Your mother's grandmother was the first. Every generation since, they've tried to take someone."

"And now they want me."

"They've been waiting for Hale to fall. He was keeping them out. Protecting his own operation. But now he's gone." Carmen stepped closer. "They'll come for you. Soon."

Nellie burst through the door. Tire iron in hand. "I heard sacrifice. Who's getting sacrificed?"

"No one," I said.

"That's what people always say before they get sacrificed."

"Nellie."

"I'm just saying."

Cade put his hand on my shoulder. "How many?"

"At least a dozen," Carmen said. "Maybe more. They've been recruiting for years."

"Wolves?"

"Humans too. Rich ones. They fund the operation."

Tío Ray sat on a tool chest. His head was in his hands. "I thought it was over. After Hale. I thought we were safe."

"Nothing is safe," Carmen said. "Not with the Circle watching."

I looked at the photo again. My mom. Smiling. Young. Alive.

She knew about this. She knew they were coming. And she still had me. Still tried to protect me.

"What do they want?" I asked. "Specifically."

"Your blood. On a stone altar. Under a full moon. There's a ritual. Old. Dark." Carmen shivered. "I've seen it once. When I was young. They killed a girl. Fifteen years old. Her name was Marisol."

"You watched someone die?"

"I was young. Stupid. Thought it was a ceremony. Thought it was honor." Carmen's voice cracked. "It was murder."

The garage was quiet.

Nellie put down her tire iron. "So. We're fighting a cult now."

"Looks like it."

"Cool. I've always wanted to fight a cult."

Cade shook his head. "This isn't a game, Nellie."

"I know. That's why I'm scared." She looked at me. "But I'm not leaving. None of us are."

Tío Ray stood up. "We need to call Damon."

"Damon's in Arizona," I said.

"Damon's a wolf. And wolves know things humans don't." He pulled out his phone. "I'm calling him."

He walked outside.

Carmen sat on the floor. Cross-legged. Like she was meditating.

"I'm sorry," she said. "For bringing this to your door."

"You didn't bring it. It was already coming."

"Still. I should have come sooner."

"You're here now."

She nodded. "I'm here now."

Damon showed up two days later.

He looked different. Tan. Healthier. The dark circles under his eyes were gone.

He also had a dog. A mutt. Brown and white. She wagged her tail and licked Nellie's face.

"I see you got my postcard," he said.

"I see you named your dog after me."

"She's stubborn. Like you." He looked at Carmen. "Who's the new wolf?"

"Carmen. Friend of my mom's."

Damon's eyes narrowed. "You're Crescent Circle."

"Was. A long time ago. Not anymore."

"Can we trust her?"

I looked at Carmen. She stared back. Steady.

"I think so," I said.

"Thinking isn't knowing."

"Then we'll find out together."

Damon nodded. He knelt beside his dog. Scratched her ears.

"The Circle doesn't give up," he said. "They've been around for centuries. Every time someone thinks they've killed them, they come back."

"How do we stop them?"

"You don't. You survive them." He looked up at me. "And you hide. Somewhere they can't find you."

"I'm not hiding."

"Lena.."

"I'm not hiding, Damon. I ran from Hale. I ran from the wolf. I'm done running."

Carmen smiled. "She really is Maria's daughter."

Cade stepped forward. "So what's the plan?"

"We find the Circle before they find us," I said. "Carmen, you know their locations?"

"Some. They move around."

"Then we start there."

Nellie raised her hand. "Can I drive?"

"No."

"Can I bring my tire iron?"

"Yes."

"Good enough."

Damon stood up. His dog sat at his heel. "If we're doing this, we do it smart. No more charging into compounds with no backup."

"Agreed."

"And we need more wolves."

"I know some," Carmen said. "Old friends. Ones who left the Circle."

"Call them."

Carmen pulled out her phone.

The sun was setting outside. The garage lights flickered on.

I looked at Cade. He was watching me. Worried.

"You okay?" he asked.

"No. But I will be."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

He kissed my forehead.

Nellie made a gagging noise.

Damon's dog barked.

And somewhere, far away, the Crescent Circle was watching.

Waiting.

The moon wasn't full yet.

But it was coming.