Chapter 13

45 Minutes until Dawn

Author's Note: Okay guys, this will be the second to last update of Blood Moon. I will double-update the last chapter with the epilogue and there will be a special announcement at the end of the epilogue confirming something you may or may not guess by then. Jkirsch is the only one who knows so far (So no spoilers please) but the rest of you will be finding out soon. Thanks for all the reviews I've had on this story. You guys are the main reason that I chose to try doing another multi-chapter story. This is my first one for Wolfblood as I mentioned and it's easily my most successful one yet. Thanks again so much for all the support and I hope you enjoy.

"I actually can't believe that worked again." Tom muttered as he finished tying up the red wolf that had just tried to tear his face off and now lay sleeping like a puppy at his feet. He jammed a piece of thistle root that Shannon passed him under her tongue and loosely roped her jaws together.

"This stuff seems to be irresistible to wolves and Wolfbloods alike." Shannon added. "Though I'm surprised Echo hasn't come running yet."

"Shan, what if Kyle's journal was right about Echo being a hallucination?" Tom asked. "He had a reason to lie about trying to catch Jana because he did something illegal to do it, but he had no reason to lie about his mother or what the blood moon might actually be capable of."

"What are you saying, Tom?" Shannon asked.

"I'm saying we've been going all night with no sleep, no food and picking up bumps and bruises as we go." Tom replied. "I'm saying I'm physically exhausted and the next best thing to emotionally broken. I just want to sit down and cry myself to sleep. If you're honest with yourself, I don't really think you're doing much better, are you?" There was a pause before Shannon shook her head.

"I honestly don't know what I'm running on right now."

"I say the best thing we can do is to go up to the main house and raid the fridge." Tom said. "Once we at least get some food in us, we'll be able to think straighter."

"Tom, we can't raid someone else's food!" Shannon countered. "It's not ours to take. We've both done a lot of things that we're not proud of tonight, among which we've tied our friends up, caused someone's death and broken into a bike shed. I don't want to add stealing food to our list."

"It's not stealing, Shan." Tom assured her. "The Smiths know us. They have known us for years. We're part of their pack. I'm sure once we tell them everything that's happened they won't be worried about a bacon sandwich or two."

"If they eat us alive in the morning because you've stolen bacon from them, I'll make sure you die first." Shannon said, her hunger winning over. Tom raced up the stairs into the main house. A few minutes later, he came back with two plates of bacon sandwiches. "That was quick." Shannon observed.

"Bacon doesn't take long." Tom shrugged as he pulled out a bottle of ketchup. Around them, the wolves growled in their sleep. "Maybe we should take this upstairs."

Shannon and Tom flopped down on the Smiths' sofa. They were away from the wolves that they once called friends. In just over half an hour, they would all be friends again. They had no illusions that things would ever truly go back to the way they were. Things had happened on this night that could never be forgotten. They'd nearly died on a number of occasions. If Kyle hadn't shown up, things would almost certainly have been so much easier.

"So, what are we going to do with Kyle?" Tom asked as he tucked in.

"I think we should keep him locked down until Maddy and her family change back." Shannon replied as she grabbed another sandwich for herself. Annoyingly, Tom hadn't put ketchup on any of them and they were awfully dry compared to what she was used to as a result. But she was so low on energy that she wasn't about to complain. "Once they're in human form again, we can tell them everything and get their help taking him to the police station. At the very least we can get him on a GBH charge with what he did to his camera man. At worst, it's two counts of attempted murder. That's got to put him out of our hair for at least six years."

"Well that's six years I will be sure to make the most of." Tom relaxed back and stretched. Shannon couldn't help but notice the way his left arm draped over her shoulders as if wanting to hug her closer despite knowing she was going out with Harry. As far as she was concerned, it didn't matter. She was exhausted. She leaned over and curled up next to Tom, resting her head against his side before hugging her knees to her chest.

Just then, a noise from outside snapped the two of them out of their stupor. They raced out to see Kyle frantically clambering out through the coal hatch. He saw that they'd spotted him and started running. Despite their exhaustion, Shannon and Tom gave chase. He was too dangerous to be allowed to escape.

"How the hell did he get loose?" Shannon wondered aloud. "What was he doing in the den?" Shannon needn't have asked because she quickly got her answer. Tom suddenly went down in a sea of fur, teeth and claws. Kyle had let the wolves loose! Shannon turned and was about to go back and help him when she was kicked to the floor from the side.

"You're just determined to be the heroine tonight aren't you, Shannon?" Kyle spat ferociously.

"What do you get out of this?" Shannon tried to hold back a sob, both from the pain and the sound of Tom's frantic yelling.

"You're asking the wrong questions now, Shannon." Kyle paced around her slowly. "It's not what I have to gain now. It's what I can't afford to lose! I may be a gambler, but even I know there are some bets that just shouldn't be taken!" Shannon used the distraction to try to save herself. She jumped up and charged, head-butting Kyle in the stomach. Kyle brought his knee up and connected with her temple. She fell back temporarily dazed.

"God, that hurt!" she coughed out.

"You have spirit, Shannon; but this is the real world!" All trace of calmness was gone from Kyle's voice. "The real world is cold! The real world doesn't give a crap about spirits!" With that, Kyle landed a savage kick on Shannon. He tried again, but this time she kicked out and hit him in the kneecap, taking all the power out of it. "If you want to be a true beast hunter, then play the part! Just lie down and die at their feet as every hunter before you has!"

"What does that make someone who's as evil as you, then?" Shannon gasped, frantically trying to draw air into her lungs.

"I'll just do what I do best!" Kyle snapped as he paced around Shannon victoriously. "I'll lie; cheat, steal and above all I'll survive!" No sooner had Kyle finished his sentence than something extraordinary happened. A black pair of furry jaws closed around Kyle's right arm. There was a crunch followed by his ear-splitting scream. With that arm rendered useless, Echo clamped his jaws on Kyle's head. The death bite caused Echo's fangs to punch through Kyle's skull with ease. Kyle dropped to the floor, limp and lifeless.

The Jaglion dropped his kill, walking over to the girl who lay prone and bruised on the floor. He moved close, breathing in her delicate scent. His tongue lightly brushed her face. She flinched away at first, but then realised he meant no harm.

"Thank you, Echo." Shannon reached out a trembling hand and closed her eyes. When they came in contact with fur, she opened them again. Jana's blood red eyes glared back at her. "That can't have been and illusion!" Shannon gasped. "That had to have been real!" Jana's red eyes burned into Shannon's skull. The heat of her glare was unforgiving. "Just do it!" Shannon sat back, feeling utterly defeated. As she watched, the most brilliant thing happened. The red glow in Jana's eyes faded. Instantly, the yellow flames that flooded them in a golden inferno were warm and friendly. She looked over to see Tom being practically licked to death by the other Wolfbloods. Dawn had arrived.

Shannon and Tom were so wrapped up in the Wolfbloods that they failed to notice they were being watched. An old lady stood on the edge to the Moors. Just beside her aged form stood the shadowy figure of the Beast of Stoneybridge. As Sylvia Weathers faded from the land of the living, her memory never leaving the creature she'd saved and taken care of, Echo slipped silently between the trees and out of sight.