Dead by Morning (Rituals of the Night Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

ice. I never knew you could be such a liar.”
    “Aw, Dad, come on. You don’t know a lie from the truth,” she said looking down at the ground. She felt so much betrayal in her it was breathtaking.
    How could he take Chance’s side over his own daughter? It wasn’t right.
    “And I called Rose too,” he tacked on as if he just remembered.
    All her feelings of anger, betrayal, and hurt dissolved away and were replaced with fear as her attention snapped to him instantly. “You called Mom? Why?”
    “Fighting is a serious problem and just because she’s not here right now doesn’t mean she should be shut out of what’s happening in your life. And I think this situation needs to be straightened out as soon as possible,” David said. “Rose always seems to know just what to do.”
    “I wasn’t trying to fight anybody!” she said exasperated. “I was trying to mind my own business but he just won’t leave me alone! Like right now!”
    “I don’t know why she keeps lying about this, Sir,” Chance said. “What I told you is the truth. I only wanted to be her friend.”
    “Just shut up!” Luna yelled at him. She was so tired of his face, his voice, his lies….everything! Every day he managed to make her life a little bit worse and nobody believed her.
    “Luna!” David said to her.
    She winced as she realized she probably hadn’t helped her case any by yelling at him in front of David.
    “That’s a rude way to talk to guests and you know it. I think you owe him for putting him through all this trouble and not even trying to apologize. I mean you didn’t even tell me anything about this!” he said.
    “That’s because it never happened!” she said to him. “I don’t owe him anything. Except maybe a broken tooth like he gave me.”
    “Enough,” David said shaking his head. “This is just getting ridiculous.”
    “You’re telling me,” she scoffed.
                  “I’ve been talking with Chance about it, and I think it’d be fair if you went with him to get dinner tomorrow and then accompanied him to the dance this weekend,” David said.
    “I think that’d be fair too, Mr. Ketz,” Chance said softly.
    Luna’s eyes flicked to him for a minute, but she ignored him as she looked back at David. “Come on, Dad,” she said again as she felt the last bit of strength slip away. What a nightmare. “Just kill me now. Don’t do this.”
    “This is an order, Luna,” he said to her. “You are to do it no matter what.”
    “Fine, whatever,” she said rolling her eyes. She could tell he was on Chance’s side and there would be no changing that.
    “Good. Now, Luna, you need to call your mother back and then straighten things out with Chance,” David said walking out of the kitchen.
    Luna watched him go with a handful of emotions coursing through her.
    Chance leaned against his chair and looked smug as his innocent look disappeared.
                  “Looks like we have a date tomorrow,” he said. “And this weekend. What fun.”
    “What is your problem? You know none of that happened!” she growled.
    “Didn’t it?” he asked innocently.
    Luna ground her teeth; his acting was really good, she’d admit. She turned away from him. She looked at the phone that hung on the wall.
    She would worry about him later. At the moment, she had more important things to worry about. She walked over to it and picked it up, staring at the phone in her hand as the dial tone buzzed loudly. She knew Rose wouldn’t be happy.
    “Well, are you going to call her or aren’t you?” Chance asked sarcastically. “Or are you too scared to call Mommy?”
    She ignored him as she thought of the number of her mother’s cell phone and dialed it into the phone slowly. She’d rather listen to Rose’s lecture than Chance’s sarcasm. The phone rang a few times and finally Rose answered.
    “Hi, Mom,” she said.
    “Luna, I am very upset with you,” Rose said without even a greeting.