Di and Moira Meet

Pre-completion Teaser for Ghostwolf

Prior to where Ghostwolf picks up, two of its main characters meet and become close.

Moira was on edge about keeping her and Art’s sideline activities from their superiors while at the same time recruiting enough people to perform the ritual. It had been difficult and risky. They still lacked the pivotal piece of the ceremony, and even putting her mind to it nauseated Moira. She was tasked with locating a person with a very specific quality, and it pushed her resolve to the limit of what she could force herself to accept.

But the payoff. The price was worth the purchase, but if only she could find someone more palatable.

Moira’s car surged forward, bouncing Moira’s head off of the steering wheel. Lost in her thoughts, and exhausted from all-night practices with Art, it took Moira several moments to realize that she’d been rear-ended. She reached across to grab her purse, then climbed out of her black Mercedes. As soon as she turned around, she was nose-to-nose with the owner of a pair of vivid pale green eyes. Moira’s mind was still wandering, and began casting about for the best way to the describe the color. Sea foam green? Meadow green? Like a field of grass viewed through a class of water. Sage. They were sage.

The eyes moved away to be joined by a brilliant smile, sandy, neck-length hair fashionably cut to frame extremely beautiful sharp-featured face…of a woman. Too bad, she thought. Those are amazing eyes.

The woman had said something. What was it? “No, I’m fine,” Moira said, figuring that would cover her bases in the situation.

“Really?” asked the other woman. “So, do you always stand in thoughtful silence within kissing distance of a complete stranger? Or is this something that you save for fender-benders?” She said it with a good-natured humor, and a laugh escaped Moira before she’d even fully registered what the woman was saying.

It was a brief laugh, but it felt good. It occurred to Moira that it had been a while since she’d laughed.

Something in the other woman’s demeanor and smile put Moira at ease. As she thought of it, the woman looked completely comfortable herself. She’d just rear-ended someone—her insurance card and license were already in her hand—and yet she stood at the side of the road as if that was exactly where she meant to be. Moira had seen other people who usually looked as though they belonged wherever they stood, but unlike those others, this woman looked to be a part of the place, its center, but not as though she “owned” it.

I really need to get more sleep, thought Moira. “I’m sorry,” Moira finally said, trying to shake off the dreamy quality of the experience brought about by her sleep deprivation.

The other woman’s eyes registered surprise, but she did not hesitate before firing back, “And well you should be! What kind of person leaves her car stopped at a red light!” Moira laughed again. Then the other woman looked more serious. “Are you sure you’re all right? You kind of seem like you’re in shock. I didn’t think I hit you hard enough to hurt you—oh, and I’m sorry about that, by the way—but…”

“No, really,” Moira interrupted. “I’m just sleepwalking. Pulling all-nighters. For that matter, are you all right?”

“Perfectly. In fact, I’m surprisingly good, considering I just rammed into someone’s car. I was expecting a belligerent angry man to leap out of that car, not a calm and strikingly attractive woman.” The other woman winked. “Normally, I’d feign jealousy at someone with flashier looks than me, but I kind of feel like I have to give you this one, since I rammed into your car.”

The woman stole another laugh from Moira. She wasn’t even saying things that were particularly funny, she just made Moira feel good. Giddy, almost. Hell, she was starting to get punch-drunk, like a little girl at a sleepover. She really needed to get home and into bed.

The blond woman was writing something on a business card. She looked up and handed it to Moira. “You’re obviously dead on your feet, and I just robbed you of even more time till you can get to bed. My cell number is on my card, along with my insurance information. The cars aren’t bad enough to have to wait around for a police officer to eventually come around and take oodles of drooling time to tell us what we already know.”

Moira looked down at the card. Diana Valentine. “Wow, great name. The boys must find endless ways to repeat the same lines on you.”

Diana looked directly into Moira’s eyes, and an enigmatic smile form over her lips. “They try.” She paused a beat without breaking her gaze, then drawled out, “So…” When Moira didn’t immediately respond, Diana chuckled. “Shall I just refer to you as ‘Ms. Blue-eyed Sleepwalker’, or could I possibly have the pleasure of your name?”

Later, having been talked into into dinner, and then drinks afterward, Di surprised Moira with a kiss. Light, but full, their lips parted, tongues tentatively exploring each other's mouth. Moira was shocked by her body’s response, so much so that she could barely move. She’d never felt such an immediate and visceral reaction to a first kiss.

Moira opened her eyes bare inches away from Di. Again, those eyes captivated her. Moira’s breath came faster, her palms sweating, and she felt an aching, longing from her body that she never remembered feeling before. She's a woman, thought Moira. It's not possible. Not right. But she found her hand against Diana’s face, her fingertips sending vibrations between her legs. She wanted more of it.

Moira slid her hand up the back of Di's neck, feeling the soft, silkiness of the short undercut hair hidden beneath the fashionable bob. Then Moira pulled Id into another kiss, deeper, longer, wetter. Rather than fulfilling the want, it surged higher. My god! I feel like a teenager! Only, she'd never felt this way when she was an actual teenager. This was new, this was…

“Wait,” said Moira, wishing her voice didn't sound so raw, so desperate. “I…you’re a…we’re…” She bit her lip. What was wrong with her! “I don't know what to do!”

“I do,” Di whispered, and Moira felt electrified by the feel of Di’s smile against her lips. Oh! Oh yes, she did.