Blood Moon by Angela Roquet

stirred, occasionally swallowing or lolling her head
to the side, causing the tea to drip down her neck and soak her
blouse and vest.
    When the first cup was gone, Logan filled it
with hot water from the teapot and dropped the fresh herb pouch in
to steep while he extracted Zelda from her damp clothes.
    Goosebumps sprouted over the exposed skin of
her neck and chest and along her thin arms. She shivered and her
eyes cracked open. Their usual caramel was covered in a milky
haze.
    “ Theo, I’m cold. Hold me,”
she whispered.
    Logan twisted the vest in his hands and
gritted his teeth, trying to decide what to do. Would she be
disappointed if she woke with him at her side when she was
expecting her late lover? How long could he hold her while she
cried out for another? How much could his heart take?
    “ Please,” Zelda sobbed,
making up Logan’s mind for him.
    There was an overstuffed chair in the corner
with a quilt draped over the back. He grabbed the quilt and threw
it over Zelda, tucking her in before crawling in next to her. He
wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in against his
chest.
    Zelda’s ragged breath slowed and she tilted
her head against his. When her eyes closed, Logan lay awake
watching over her. He knew she probably needed more of the tea, but
for now, holding her seemed to be doing more good. For both of
them.

Chapter Twelve
     
     
    Zelda knew it was a dream, but she tried to
convince herself it wasn’t.
    She was in the car with Theo again, and they
were laughing as they sang along to a song on the radio on the way
home from Theo’s first company Christmas party as partner. Everyone
had called her Dr. Dane all night, mistaking them for a married
couple. Theo had played along, a mischievous glint in his eyes.
    Their two-year anniversary was coming up,
and Theo’s sister kept hinting that she’d been jewelry shopping
with him recently. Zelda would feign surprise when he proposed to
keep her future sister-in-law in Theo’s good graces. Her heart
still fluttered at the thought, so it wouldn’t be too hard.
    The song ended and Theo smiled at her. “So,
Dr. Dane, are you on call tonight? Do you have room in your busy
schedule to pencil in a ruggedly handsome business man?”
    Zelda raised an eyebrow. “Is this ruggedly
handsome business man in need of medical attention?”
    “ Oh yes.” He nodded
vigorously and loosened the bowtie at his neck. “His problem is
dire. You see, every time he looks at his girlfriend, he’s struck
with the sudden urge to bed her. It’s the darndest thing—and rather
embarrassing when it happens in public,” he added, whispering to
the side of his fingertips.
    Zelda giggled. “I should probably get him in
for an exam right away.”
    Theo looked away from the road. His ornery
grin and sparkling blue eyes were never more beautiful, glowing in
the light of the full moon that hung in the clear night sky above,
shining down on the road that curved through the woods surrounding
his family’s weekend cabin in the mountains.
    Zelda saw the deer first. She sucked in a
sharp breath, but there was no time for more. The front end of
Theo’s car hit the buck at full speed, and they spun off the road,
rolling down the side of a ravine and into a shallow creek.
    The car landed upside down, and Zelda tasted
blood. The airbag had hit her hard, and she thought her nose might
be broken. There was glass everywhere. It glittered red, but she
couldn’t tell if it was from blood or the light of the moon. An
eclipse had taken hold of the sky while they’d lain unconscious,
and the crisp white light had shifted to a deep red.
    “ Theo?” She groaned and
pushed away from the dash.
    Theo’s breath rushed out in a gurgling rasp.
He stared wide-eyed at her, his head lying limp across the deflated
airbag over the steering wheel. Blood ran down between his eyes and
dripped off the end of his nose. It gushed from his lips and coated
his chin and throat. He took one last