Read Shepherd's Moon for Free Online Page A

meeting?”
    “Friday.”
    He moved a pile of paper to the side and marked the date on the large desktop calendar with a cross.
    “You can tell them if you feel it’s applicable. It’s not like they won’t find out anyway.” Now, he set his pen down and stared at me, “what time shall I tell Meg you’ll be arriving this evening?”
    I opened my phone and searched the calendar, pretending to be much busier than I was. It was a ploy that had worked well for me in the past. “Seven o’clock, I guess. I have to run a few errands first. I set the phone on his desk, wincing against the sudden movement as my shoulder seized with pain.”
    He lifted his eyebrows. “How is the arm?”
    “Sore,” I admitted. “But Bren gave me an injection last night.” While vampires are some of the most toxic creatures in the world, their white blood cells have healing abilities that could only be described as miraculous. The downside is that the same blood is heavily trafficked as a street drug.
    And vampires don’t like to share.
    “I’ll bet he loved that.” Amusement creased the corners of his eyes and he pressed a key on the computer to print out a map to my next unwanted assignment. “Just remember how dangerous that is, though. Tougher people than you have gotten hooked on that junk.”
    “I’m a Shepherd, Richard. I’m immune.” He knew as well as I did that we had a much higher tolerance for the injections.
    “No one’s immune. It’s always a risk — although I will admit in your case, it’s a smaller risk.” He pulled the map from the printer and held it out to me. “Speaking of Bren, are the two of you getting along any better?”
    Bren is the only vampire who lives with us at the house. As he is the twin brother of my alpha werewolf, Brock, we make an effort. As far as I’m concerned, the only real benefit of having him around is his healing blood. While their saliva is straight toxin, the plasma from their blood holds healing properties that exceed those of even a shifter. Besides, shifters aren’t able to heal the effects of a bite from a vampire. So, while I don’t particularly like the guy, he does have his uses.
    He gets his revenge on me by making the pack miserable every chance he gets.
    “You have no idea,” I smiled, rolling my eyes and taking the map from him.
    Richard nodded, taking in my underlying meaning. “You’ll be alone when you go to Meg’s tonight, correct?”
    “Would it make a difference?” I asked, suspiciously.
    He shrugged, feigning indifference, but I could sense something was up. “It’s a domestic cat, Alex. Name one member of your pack that isn’t a natural predator.”
    “They’re with me to become socialized, Richard.” An impatient sigh escaped me. But even I had to admit that even our jaguars wouldn’t turn down a meal of domestic cat if it were handed to them. Hell, at this point I was lucky to keep them away from Billy. They were getting better, but you can’t domesticate an animal overnight, and while Weres tend to get along with others better than most, it’s always questionable how long the fragile peace will hold.
    I grumbled, pushing my hair away from my forehead and sighing in resignation. “Fine. I’ll go alone. But she’d better have some food there for me.”
    Actually, the timing was perfect since it was Billy’s turn to cook tonight. Truth be told, I wasn’t confident I could stomach another of his experiments; but Richard didn’t need to know that. At least this would give me a reason to grab a burger on the way over to the house without insulting him. One day, I really needed to take some time and teach that boy how to cook a decent meal.
    “Oh, if I know Meg, you can count on that.” He glanced up at me. “Just be nice. She’s old, she’s worried and she’s a good friend of mine.”
    “I’m always nice, Richard. Look at all the free hours you get from me while I’m handling your little side projects.”
    He passed by my chair