The Blood Moon Twins
Chapter 29

CAULDER

\t"What do you mean she's just gone?" Harper asked as she rushed into Remy's room with me. "It's past curfew." \t"Shh, keep it down," I reminded her, shutting Remy's door.

\tWhen I discovered Remy was gone, Harper was the first one I had called. Part of me knew I should tell my parents, but that felt like it would be a betrayal to Remy. There were no obvious signs that Remy was in danger, so it was more likely she snuck out on her own. That didn't stop me from worrying that she was in some kind of danger.

\t"I came here to talk to her, but she wasn't here," I explained to Harper. "And I can't reach her by linking, either."

\tHarper's eyes glazed over, and I knew she was attempting to reach Remy herself. When Harper's eyes returned to normal, she twisted her face with failure.

\t"I can't get her either. Either she blocked everyone out, or she's out of range for linking." Harper started looking around the room. "Do you think someone took her?"

\t"No." I would have felt something wrong between the bond Remy and I held. We have always had a sixth sense about each other, and when something was wrong with one of us, the other could feel it. My parents said it was almost uncanny how we would just know these things.

\t"Maybe we should tell someone so we can get help looking for her?" Harper looked through Remy's things for any sign of where she had gone.

\t"We can't rat her out like that. She never told anyone when I snuck out, because she trusted I could take care of myself. I can't betray her like that." My mood was quickly getting worse. Winslow had already irritated me, and replaceing Remy gone just made it worse. \t"Even if she's not in danger now, she could be at any moment. If that thing attacks her again, and no one is there, she could be killed." Harper stopped looking around and just stared me down.

\t"I know." I felt paralyzed at the thought of Remy being attacked.

\t"She can't be running around like that. Someone needs to stop her."

\t"I know." I gritted my teeth. I didn't want to act like Remy's parent, especially because she was only doing what I had spent most of my high school life doing. It would make me a hypocrite, but I felt like I couldn't tell anyone either. \t"Caulder, this isn't good." Harper was scared and worried, and I knew that, but it was only making me feel worse.

\t"I know!" This time I snapped, and the moment the words came out of my mouth, I knew I had crossed a line.

\tHarper's mouth snapped shut, and her entire body went rigid. "I was just trying to help."

\t"s**t, I know." I tugged at the ends of my hair. I made sure to soften my voice as I walked over to her. I grabbed her hands, but she wouldn't look me in the eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you. I just feel stuck, but that's no excuse."

\t"I know." She gave me a weak laugh in return. She looked up into my eyes and pulled me closer to her before wrapping her arms around my waist. "I don't know what to do either. This isn't like Remy at all, and I'm scared for her. She feels so distant, and I just thought maybe you could help."

\tl felt more relaxed from Harper's touch, and my mind seemed to clear a little. "Remy cares about you, too, you know? You might be able to get through to her more than I can right now."

\tHarper took a deep breath and then leaned her cheek against my chest. "Sometimes I worry about overstepping with the two of you. It's always been the twins and Harper. I know I'm not on the same level as the two of you are, and that's okay, but sometimes I'm not sure where that leaves me."

\tl ran my fingers through her hair, hoping I could make her feel a little better. Harper had always been there for Remy and myself, so I had never once thought of her as less than us. It was true that she didn't share the same bond Remy and I had, but Harper had never been less. And now I had the mate bond with Harper, making her even more connected.

\tl wanted to tell her the truth, but I still hadn't decided if it was worth her knowing we were mates. I wanted her to be in a relationship with me because she wanted to and never because she felt obligated to.

\tl lifted Harper's chin so she was looking at me. I wanted her to really hear the words I was about to say. "You are special to Remy and to me. Expressing that you care and have concerns will never be overstepping a boundary. Not from you." I leaned forward and kissed Harper to emphasize my words.

\tIt was easy to get lost in Harper's touch. She tasted so damn good, and I just wanted to taste every part of her. My fingers tangled in Harper's hair as I pulled her even deeper into the kiss. Harper parted her lips, inviting me into her mouth, and our breaths tangled with one another. By the way she pressed into me, I could tell she wanted even more, which made it even harder to hold back, but it was still too early to go much farther.

\tThe door creaked open, and Harper and I instantly flew apart from each other. Remy snuck through her door, and she was smiling with more delight than I had seen from her in a long time. However, the moment her eyes fell onto us, her demeanor completely changed. She tensed up, and her eyes grew wide.

\t"Oh hey guys. What are you doing in my room?" She asked, laughing nervously. She had been caught red-handed, and she knew it. She was trying to play it off, but I could see right through her.

\t"Looking for you. Where have you been?" I straightened my posture, ready to get a proper answer from her.

\t"I just wanted to get some water." Her voice was casual, but she was avoiding eye contact as she lied through her teeth.

\t"You weren't in the pack house. You snuck out." I stared at her directly as I spoke. "Remy, why are you lying to me? It's not like you."

\tHer body tensed, and it took her a moment to say anything to me. "You haven't been honest with me, so how can you expect me to be honest with you?" She didn't sound angry. Instead, she was exhausted and hurt.

\tMy shoulders fell as I stared at Remy, and she stared back at me. I didn't have a defense, and I couldn't explain it to her. It felt like all of this was my fault, and I didn't know how to fix it.

\tHarper stepped forward and wrapped Remy in her arms. "I'm glad you're back safe. We were just worried about you, because it's not like you to just disappear."

\tRemy seemed to relax as Harper hugged her. She was less defensive as she spoke. "I didn't mean to worry you."

\tHarper pulled away from the hug, but she stayed in between Remy and myself. "Where were you?"

\tRemy glanced over at me and bit her lip. I could tell she was debating if she was going to tell the truth or not.

\t"I was searching for answers. I know that creature is coming for me, and no one is telling me anything. I'm not just going to sit back and wait for something else to happen." This was the truth; although, she didn't say where she was. I knew it was pointless to interrogate her more right now.

\t"The Council of Magic are the ones keeping that creature of darkness locked away, and somehow the thing escaped them briefly. That's when it attacked the party. They are worried it's going to escape again." The words poured out of my mouth, and I couldn't take it anymore. I wouldn't mention any of the prophecy to Remy, but I refused to keep everything a secret from her.

\t"I know," Remy said simply. "And when it escapes again, it's going to come for me again. I still haven't figured out that part, yet." Her body slumped against the door, and she shut her eyes. "I suppose that's not another secret you're keeping from me too?" \tlt was, but that was the part I couldn't tell her. I stepped forward, closing the distance between Remy and me. "Look, whatever the reason is, we'll figure out how to fight it so it can't hurt you."

\tRemy pushed herself off the wall and wrapped her arms around me. "What if it's not something we can fight?"

\tThat fear had been haunting me. "A member of the Council of Magic wants me to train with him. He thinks I have strong potential for my magic and thinks I will do great things with my powers. I just don't know if it's a good idea." \tHarper stepped forward. "I thought your mother already told him no."

\tRemy pulled back and raised her eyebrows, but she waited for me to respond.

\t"He approached me again right before I found out Remy wasn't here." I turned to Remy. "I wanted to know what you thought about it."

\t"Mom doesn't want you to?" Remy asked.

\tl shook my head. "She doesn't trust him, but if he could make me stronger, I could protect you. I could protect both of you. I just don't know if it's worth it." \t"Caulder, I think you need to be careful. Luna Adria doesn't trust him for a reason," Harper warned. I could hear how unhappy she was about this in her voice. \t"Do you want to train with him?" Remy asked.

\tl ran my fingers through my hair. "I want to protect you, and I'm not strong enough yet. I just don't know if it's worth it."

\t"I don't need you to protect me, so only do it if you really want to," Remy said. "Only you can make the decision in the end. Take some time to think about it and weigh the pros and cons. Don't do it for me, either. Do it for yourself." \t"Right." Remy made a good point, but it was difficult to take her out of the equation.

\t"Now, it's late, and I want to go to bed. If the two of you want to continue your make-out session, do me a favor and don't do it in my room." Remy shooed us out of her room, leaving me to contemplate the decision on my own.