Riley's Redemption (A Moon's Glow Novel) by Christina Smith Page B

you talking about?” She was obviously trying to keep her true
identity hidden.
    Marisa rolled her eyes.
“Give me a break Eva. We almost look the same age.”
    She was right. I’d say
Eva was sixteen or seventeen when she was turned. But, with her round cherub
shaped face and girl next door features, she had an innocent quality that made
her appear younger than Marisa. Marisa’s features were sharp and smooth. She
almost looked older than her fifteen years. How Eva convinced anyone that she
was Marisa’s guardian all this time was surprising.
    Eva’s eyes widened and
she actually glanced at Adrian and me for help. I shrugged and Adrian’s lip
twitched. “Uh…” she stammered.
    Marisa spoke again
before she could finish. “I was five when I met you and you haven’t aged. I
have always known something was up.”
    “So why did you assume
werewolf?” I asked when all Eva could do was gawk at her. “It’s a bit of a
stretch don’t you think?”
    Marisa leaned back into
the ugly brown cushions of the sofa, crossing her arms in front of her. “Well,
since she turns into a wolf once a month, what would you assume?” Her tone
wasn’t at all snotty, just blunt. I had to suppress a giggle. I liked her
already.
    “ What ?” Eva
gasped, her eyes as wide as saucers.
    Marisa turned on the
couch so she was directly facing her guardian. “A few years ago, I started
noticing that you always had to work late on a full moon. Last year, on a night
that you said you would be late; I heard something outside and went to the window
to check it out. That’s when I saw you turn from a wolf to a girl.
    “At first I was freaked
and ignored you for a whole day. But then, I thought about all the things you
had done for me and I knew you might not be human, but that didn’t make you
evil.”
    Again, all of us
studied the fifteen year old girl. She seemed more mature than my old friends
that had betrayed me after setting a fire and they were four years older.
Despite how Eva had come to have Marisa, it was obvious that she had done a
terrific job raising her.
    When none of us
responded, Marisa asked again, “So, are you two werewolves or not?” She raised
a brow at her brother. “Because, it’s been ten years and you look exactly the
same.”
    Since Adrian and Eva
appeared to be dumfounded. I answered for them. “Yes, we are.”
    Marisa nodded and gazed
at Adrian. “Can you tell me what happened the night Mom and Dad were killed?”
    Adrian pursed his lips
and looked at me for support. I nodded, knowing that she could handle it. Eva
had raised a strong girl. He took a deep breath and moved to crouch in front of
her, getting to her eye level. His knees cracked when he bent down. “What do
you remember?”
    Marisa tucked her hair
behind her ear and leaned her arms on her knees. “I remember having the
cherry-upside-down cake that Mom made for your visit home. I remember you
tucking me in and then going to sleep. Then a scream woke me hours later and I
wandered downstairs. I didn’t see anyone but a girl with red hair and she said
that Mom and Dad wanted her to take me somewhere safe and that I was in danger
there. But when she took me to Eva, she told me that Mom and Dad were dead and
I had to live with this girl from now on.” She paused and glanced at each of
us. “And that’s it.”
    Adrian’s face went
hard, his eyes flashed yellow. When his sister gasped, he jumped up and moved
away, standing with his back to us as he peered out the window. He began his
story without looking at us. “Dad and I were playing chess. We had an ongoing
game that we continued every time I came home from college. Mom was watching
us, commenting on the game, making me laugh as the two of them bantered back
and forth. There was a knock at the door and since it was so late Dad went to
answer it. When he didn’t return, Mom went to check on him.” Adrian turned back
around and gazed into Marisa’s eyes. “That’s the last time I saw them