Beneath a Blood Moon Read Online Free

She peeled away the note on the bottom of the hourglass and opened it. Her brows furrowed. “It’s blank.”
    “Who goes through the trouble of leaving something like that with a blank note?” I muttered, crossing my arms over my chest. “This is ridiculous.”
    “It’s creepy as hell,” Isabella said, tossing the card onto the table. “What are you going to do?”
    “Well, I can’t call the cops. They’ll take one good look at my ID, start looking around, and realize it’s a fake.” I sighed, shaking my head. “I don’t know what to do. Maybe I can find a cheap apartment somewhere else in town and keep out of sight for a while.”
    “You’re not exactly high profile as it is, girl. Sure, you’re a regular at some of the clubs and casinos, but you don’t exactly draw attention to yourself. Where the hell are you going to find an apartment you can afford? You can barely afford the one you have now. Prices haven’t exactly gone down in the past three years.”
    As always, the scorn in Isabella’s words cut deep; if I sold my body like she did, I’d be able to afford a nicer place. I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. I glared at the urn and hourglass, tempted to take out my frustrations on them. After drawing several deep breaths, I sighed. “I know. I could pick up extra shifts to make up for it.”
    “You’d have to quit school. You already do nothing more than work, go to class, and study. You do have to sleep.”
    I flinched. While she was right, I couldn’t think of any alternatives. “I’ll make it work somehow. Can I stay here until I find a new place?”
    “Yeah, sure. Just don’t let your trouble come knocking at my door. Oh, well. At least my building has security, unlike your dive.”
    If I were willing to go home with men most nights, I could probably afford to live in a nice apartment like Isabella did. She spent more nights away with clients than she did at home. “I don’t want this trouble knocking at my door either,” I muttered.
    “I’ll ask around and see if I can find any leads on a place you can afford. No promises, but I’ll try.”
    I forced a smile for her benefit. “Thanks, I owe you.”
    Snorting, Isabella shoveled the roses, urn, and hourglass back into my gym bag. “Like hell you do. It’s about time you asked me for something . When is your next shift?”
    I had left my calendar in my apartment in my hurry to get out. Frowning, I tried to remember. “I think I start at four. I’ll need to get a new copy of my shifts; I left my schedule at my apartment.”
    “Did you leave anything important behind?”
    I considered the bag of clothes, sighed, and nodded. “All of my school work.”
    Spitting curses, Isabella paced her living room, halting at the window to stare out over the city. “I’ll go with you after shift; I’m starting at six. Stick around at the club; we’ll go to your apartment together. Safety in numbers.”
    I nodded. “Okay. Thanks, Isa.”
    “Just don’t turn this into a habit.”
    I had no intention of doing so, but I also refused to make a promise I couldn’t keep, so I remained quiet.

    Sleep eluded me. By the time I needed to leave for work, I was so exhausted I considered calling in sick. I couldn’t afford to, and swallowing back my urge to sigh, I got ready to leave. Isabella frowned at me, grumbled something under her breath, and stomped into her bedroom, pausing at the door.
    “It’d be stupid if you went alone. I’ll come in with you and find some way to entertain myself until my shift starts,” she announced, narrowing her eyes at me.
    Her declaration was a noose, and it settled around my neck. With sinking certainty, I knew I had done a lot more than ask for her help; no matter what she had said last night, I would be repaying her for a long time to come.
    “I’ll make it up to you,” I promised.
    “I’m sure you will. You may not be good for cash, but you’ll figure something out. You always do.”