A Cursed Moon: A Weird Girls Novella (A Penguin Special from Signet Eclipse) by Cecy Robson Read Free Book Online Page B

gave her a stiff nod in response. Hell, Celia would risk her life for me. The least I could do is return the favor. She slipped back to the other side of the counter and resumed eating. “You’re not going to end up alone, kid.” She swallowed hard at my revelation but then took another bite. “We’re going to get married.”
    That made her smile. “Are we?”
    “Totally.” I kept munching and popped open a new bag of Doritos. “It’ll be an open marriage, of course.”
    She nodded thoughtfully. “Of course.”
    “Oh hell yeah. Dan’s eventually going to marry—probably some fugly chick at the rate he’s going.” I shuddered. “They’ll go on to make fugly-ass babies and where will that leave me? Shit, you know I don’t cook. And someone has to clean.”
    “Mmm. Cook
and
clean, too. You really know how to woo a gal.”
    My grin widened. Ceel was a hell of an audience for all my bullshit. “I’ll come home—after a hard night of bartending or banging some hot broad—and you’ll be waiting with my breakfast, dressed in an apron and stilettos.” I thought about it. “Unless your figure starts to go. Then it might have to be a naughty nurse outfit—just to cover some of that sagging shit up. It’s the perfect arrangement. What do you say?”
    “Oh, hot damn and golly, Bren, who could resist such a generous offer?”
    I would have believed her if she hadn’t nailed me in the head with an apple from the fruit bowl. I caught it on the rebound and took a bite. “Thanks, Ceel.”
    We finished our sandwiches while continuing to rip into each other, had a couple more, and washed them down with a blackberry pie. “Do you want me to pick you up, or do you just want me to meet you at the club?”
    Celia licked the last trace of blackberry goodness off her top lip. “You still want to go out? After what we just went through outside?”
    I grinned. “A bet’s a bet. Besides, you can’t let a bunch of spooks ruin your good time.”
    “I guess.” Celia stiffened before her head whipped toward the sliding glass doors leading out to her deck. She rushed to the doors. I followed, my wolf sensing something stirring outside. “Oh . . . my God.”
    I slung an arm around her shoulders when I saw what had her lids peeling back. Wisps and shimmering veils of silver and white lifted from where we’d pimp-slapped La
Llorona back to hell, and from where the shreds of screeching fabric had met their end. One by one, thirty, forty, maybe fifty ghosts swirled their way into the sky. “Huh. Well, will you look at that?”
    She slowly turned her head to face me. “There’s an army of ghosts taking off to the moon in my backyard, and this is seriously all you have to say?”
    “Relax, Ceel, this is a good thing. It means we shattered whatever nasty magic trapped La
Llorona’s victims in her dress and compelled them to want to devour our blood and guts. Given how long she’s been prowling the earth, it probably took some time for her power to fully dissolve.” I pointed upward. “Her victims are free now and have a one-way ticket up to the pearly gates, babe. So, we going out?”
    She smiled, watching the spirits drift away. “Yeah, sure. I guess we have reason to celebrate.” She jumped when the transparent image of a little boy skipped barefoot up to the glass door. Big eyes blinked back and an even bigger grin greeted Celia. He waved at her with his little hands. Celia waved back and chuckled when the little boy blew her a kiss.
    We watched as his little body elongated into one long swirl that joined the others spiraling into the sky.
    I tugged Celia against me and whispered into her ear. “Hey, Ceel. Do you think that was the little puke who wanted a sip from your boob?”

Chapter Five
    After a quick shower back at my place, I met Celia at the Watering Hole. The music blared and the colored lights flashed to the beat of some Lady Gaga song. I found Celia dancing on the floor, surrounded by a cluster of