Their Warrior Luna
Chapter 20

I quickly put on my ratty rock band crop top saying to hell with the boobie holster. Bolting from the closet as the twin’s soft chuckles reddened my already heated cheeks. Denny was at the door with a judging face, like he knew exactly what had transpired moments earlier between us.

“Doris is waiting in the office for us. I got you a coffee.” He said, smirking as my shaking hand reached for the cup.

“Thanks, Den. Let’s go.” I couldn’t get to the elevator fast enough.

I stared at the black nail polish on my toes the whole time, trying to avoid how their presence had my heart rate rising. I left the elevator gasping when Atlas entwined his fingers in mine and Atlas rested his hand on my lower back. His rough thumb rubbed tight circles on the skin exposed by the crop top making goosebumps erupt everywhere.

“Such a responsive little mate.” Atlas’s praise rang through my mind.

“There you areeeee!!” a graying woman slightly taller than I rushed towards us with her arms out wide. I couldn’t help but laugh when the twins grinned, opening their arms to accept her hug only to be pushed away.

“Not you two. You are in trouble! How could you reject this?!” She said, wrapping me in her arms. I hugged her tightly, realizing how much she reminded me of my grandma.

“Come now, honey. We have work to do.” Her kind smile and rosy cheeks eased the tornado in me caused by the twins and my dream of them. I let her take my hand as she pulled us into the office, stopping the three boys from coming in.

“You three can get lunch for us. I only need to speak to Harley for now.” She said politely before slamming the door in their face with enough force to surprise me.

“I am too old for that office set up in there. Is the couch okay with you, dear?” her green eyes sparkled in contrast to her gray locks. She truly looked mystical in her own way.

“Sure.” I shrugged, sipping on the coffee Den had given me.

“Where would you like to start?” I asked, taking another long drink before placing it on the coffee table before me.

“My gift lets me see only what the goddess needs me to see. To say it is always accurate would be a lie. Whatever she shows me could be something set in stone long before now or something that could happen due to the wind blowing in the east instead of the west. How about you show me what you have discovered, and then we can go from there.” I nodded, jumping up to gather my papers and the book from the conference room behind the bookcase.

I spread that out in front of us on the coffee table and got to work telling her how I had translated this much, but this is what seemed important so far. She reviewed what I had put together for a few minutes as I drank my coffee, settling back into the couch. She hummed and tapped her fingers as she analyzed each page carefully.

“They will be back soon, and I have questions. Would that be alright?” I didn’t mind answering questions. I was getting used to disclosing just enough to make people understand without hurting my feelings. I shrugged, bringing my coffee to my lips again.

“Sure, whatever you need.” I held my head high in preparation for their godmother to piss me off or hurt my feelings over her boys.

“Why did they reject you?” I was taken aback by her first question. It was normally what I did to make them reject me like it was somehow my fault.

“Their father told them I was an unsuitable luna. In all fairness, he was right. I don’t plan parties or fantasize about dresses. I have trained hard to be a warrior and perfect my skills.” I spoke.

“A Luna who can protect her pack will always be more valuable than one who plans the perfect party.” Her words surprised me. I remember the twin’s mom. She was soft and kind, very much like Doris. We sat some time talking about the rejection and my replaceings from the book. I found it easy to get lost in her company as we settled in close, looking over the prophecy, trying to decode the missing pieces. Until the guys came in with tons of take-out boxes from Denny’s favorite Chinese spot.

“Well, it is about time. I thought you would let Harley and I starve in here.” Her smile was wide as she grabbed a couple of containers, passing them to me, and a fountain drink.

“Eat up, sugar. We have work to do!” I wasted no time in doing as she said. My stomach hurt from being so empty. I tore into the food as Doris and I continued the conversation about the prophecy. We hadn’t gotten any closer to deciphering the riddle before us, and it was really irking me.

“What is Agonalia?” asked Denny, reviewing the prophecy again.

“According to legend, Agonalia was celebrated on January ninth to celebrate and honor Janus, the God of the beginning and the end.” I said, flipping through papers. I looked up to replace all four staring at me.

“Such a smart, beautiful girl.” Doris grinned, cupping my face and making me blush. The twins were eyeing me like they had this morning in the closet, making my thighs clench.

“So, we know the mark gets bonded to something before January ninth,” Den asked.

“That is the only thing I know for sure other than that I believe the earth bleeding refers to a battle or war.” I shrugged.

Why do you think that, child?” Doris’s brows dipped as she listened to me like I was the most interesting thing in the world.

“Well, in every battle I have been in because I can’t shift and use weaponry, I have always left a trail of b***d behind me, and as the soil soaks the b***d into the earth, it looks like the earth is bleeding,” I said, looking into her saddened eyes.

“You two should be ashamed. If your mother had been alive when you turned eighteen, she would have worshiped Harley.” She shook her head at her godsons in disappointment. They both opened their mouths to say something and were quickly cut off by Doris, who continued her rant.

My mind wandered elsewhere, looking into the pictures. Devourer… devourer…

“VAMPIRES DEVOUR!” I jumped up screaming, interrupting Doris and her scolding of the twins. I think the prophecy is talking about vampires being devourers.

I ran to the books on the shelf, searching for one I had seen last night. Finally, I pulled a black book from the shelf. Its bindings were done in shimmering silver threads; the only thing on the cover was the goddess herself.

Coming up short on a date for the year of the moon, I closed it in frustration. Laying flat on my back on the floor, staring at the ceiling, my anxiety rattled my rib cage as my heart pounded rapidly.

Inhaling a deep breath, I held it. One. Two. Three.

“You boys go now; we have lots to do.” Doris said trying to push the boys from the office.