Read Catching Moonlight (Man Season) for Free Online Page B

to put
it … but he was like a broken man. I didn’t think he really meant to harm
anyone. And Dio knew about his trips here. Stephan
said Gregory didn’t mind his taking things to sell.”
    “Gregory would not condone stealing;
especially from his own island. It was foolish of you to believe that, Toby.”
    “I realize that now, Aella . He called this morning, wanting to come over and
make it up to me. I have to tell you I’m a bit afraid of what he might do
next.”
    Kosmas stood, wiped his mustache with
a napkin. “I will call my friend Constantine. He is the lawman in the village
on the next island. He will know what to do!”
    “Oh, but I don’t want cops sniffing
around. They might find out about Dio !”
    They both looked at her with
suspicious eyes.
    “What do you mean?”
    “You both know what I mean, Aella . We don’t want people learning the truth about him.”
    Aella began to cry. Kosmas patted her
back.
    “I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to upset
you. But Dio is very precious to all of us. We can’t
take a chance when it comes to his safety.”
    “People have come before. His chamber
is very well hidden. And no one knows about him.”
    “Stephan knows. And he said a lot of
women, whole generations of them round here, have seen the moonboy .”
    “Sure, it’s a legend. That’s all.”
    “Too many people have seen him. It
won’t be a legend much longer. And what if Stephan gets the notion to tell a TV
station about Dio ? He’s desperate for money now. He’s
liable to do anything he can to get it.”
    “Kosmas, we can’t have anyone finding Dio !”
    “True, but we can’t let Stephan get
away with stealing.”
    “Well, if he steals anything again,
we can wait until he returns to the village, and have him arrested there.”
    “Is that okay with you, Toby?”
    “Yes, Kosmas. Oh, another thing … I’m going to
live in Dio’s hideout with him. He’s going to teach
me to use the powers my ancestors had.”
    “You can’t stay there … with him.”
    “ Aella , it
is her choice. I know you still carry much love for the boy, from when he loved
you. And the beautiful memory of a young man’s kiss is preferable to the old,
weary attentions of a laborer like me …”
    “Foolish man!” She left her seat, took him firmly
in her arms. “I have been with you twenty years now, and never once have I
thrown him in your face or complained about the attention you gave me.”
    “This is true but I can see the
passion in your eyes when you look at him, and I could hear the jealousy in
your voice when you talked to Toby just now.”
    “I’m a silly woman, clinging to the
last shreds of my youth. But I only want Dio to be
safe and happy. My love for him has grown into something more akin to a
mother’s affection than a lover’s desire. If he loves Toby I am glad for him,
though I know what terrible burdens she will bear if she stays with him.”
    “I’ve gone over everything in my head, Aella , and I’m willing to face whatever comes our
way.”
    “You love him this much?”
    “I do.”
    “Then we will help you both however
we can. Right, Kosmas?”
    “Right, my love!”
    Toby smiled. One hurdle out of the
way – the next - her own mother – might be a greater
challenge.
    “What did you say, Toby?” Lauren
asked when Toby gave her the news. “I must have misunderstood you.”
    “I said I’m not going to Stanford,
and I’m not coming home. Moonsea is my home now.”
    “Well, what changed your mind so
quickly?”
    “I fell in love with the island. It’s
beautiful and serene here, like something out of a dream.”
    “Of course it is. All of Greece is beautiful, but you can’t let a
romantic setting disrupt all of your father’s plans.”
    “That’s just it, Mom. They were his plans.
I didn’t get much choice in the matter. After dad died I began to think about
what I truly wanted. I came to the conclusion that what I didn’t want to do was
spend my life chasing down a