September Moon Read Online Free Page A

through the motions as if it was just another day for them. It was so robotic and emotionless. Again I questioned who the real monsters were. “So what’s up with you and Briggs anyway? When did you start sleeping with him?”
    Her jaw dropped, and I grinned. “Alexa!” Her gaze darted fearfully to the nearby Feds. “Nobody knows about that. How did you know?”
    “I picked up on it at the sports bar when we had that little meeting. So…is it serious?”
    A part of me wanted her to say no. It was totally unfair, but I thought my baby sister could do better. Briggs seemed like a stand-up guy who believed he was doing the right thing. The problem was that he wasn’t.
    Capturing my arm, Juliet dragged me away to a nearby picnic table. Perching on the edge, she smiled so wide I thought her head might split in half.
    “I think so. I mean, I hope so. It’s still pretty new. We’re just seeing where it goes.”
    Somehow I stifled a groan. “Are those his words or yours?” Her smile faltered, and I felt like a supreme asshole. Couldn’t I just keep my mouth shut and let her be happy?
    “It’s mutual. Why? Do you think I’m making a mistake?”
    My love life was so far from conventional that it put me in no position to give advice to anyone else. The wolf in me wanted one man while the vampire in me wanted another. And the fragile mortal heart in me wanted the one who knew my weakness because he’d lived it. I had no place to judge the choices of another, even Juliet.
    “No, that’s not what I said. I just don’t want you to get hurt. You work together; he’s your boss. And what about the age difference?”
    Juliet laughed, a short snap of sound that echoed in the quiet park. “You’re joking, right? You sleep with vampires who have lived hundreds of years. Not to mention the wolf that destroyed our family. You weren’t even legal when you screwed that asshole.”
    “Whoa.” I held up both hands in surrender. “We are so not going there again. I get it. I’m not exactly well equipped to judge your situation. If he makes you happy, then I’m happy.” I punched her lightly on the shoulder and smiled. “But if he hurts you, I’ll castrate him myself.”
    “I suppose that’s fair.” She tried to fight the smile that pulled at her lips and failed. Then it vanished as she prepared to interrogate me. “Speaking of those vampires you know so well, is there any chance any of them could have killed our victim?”
    “Them? Or me? I’m assuming that you’re including me in your suspect list.” The defensive edge in my voice was sharp and impossible to hide. I didn’t like what she was getting at.
    “Come on, Lexi. Of course I know you didn’t do it.” She rolled her eyes, trying to be playful and lighten the mood. It failed. “But you’re tapped into the vampire activity in this town. You can’t blame me for asking.”
    “I don’t. I blame you for what you’re thinking but not saying. I know you, Juliet.”
    Juliet stared at me as if trying to choose her next words carefully. It’s hard to be professional when accusing your sibling of shady activity. We knew. We’d been down this road before. “You’re one of them, Alexa,” she said, forgoing her nickname for me in her seriousness. “In fact, some might even say you’re the most powerful one among them. I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t ask.”
    Arguing with my sister was high on my list of least favorite things. So I swallowed my impatience and irritation. No reason we couldn’t discuss this rationally. “You’re right. I am. And I’ll deal with it. Ok?”
    “We’ll be investigating as well. If there’s a rogue vampire on the loose then we have to stop him.”
    “Does that mean you’ll be sniffing around my club?” I allowed my displeasure to show. “There’s no way in hell I’ll let you raid the place again. Not without a damn good reason.”
    A muscle twitched in her jaw. Her eyes sparkled with annoyance, but she