1 Chapter 1

1

Dylan tossed a heavy piece of wood onto the bonfire, sending a cloud of sparks into the night air. Heat blanketed his arms. The skin on his face felt tight and dry, and smoke tickled his nose. The moon hung over the fire, bright and swollen, its light blocking the stars from view. He felt its pull, starting low in his stomach. He wanted to run. He wanted to chase the moon until his lungs burned and the ache in his legs disappeared. But he couldn’t flee his own birthday party. Not that he wanted to leave his friends. He just wanted to stretch himself until he reached his limit.

“Somebody’s going to get lucky tonight.”

Dylan looked up sharply to see his friend, Doug, leering at him. “What are you talking about?”

“Well, for starters, it’s your birthday. There’s a full moon, lots of booze and Daria has been eyeing you all night.”

“There’s never been anything between me and Daria,” Dylan pointed out.

Doug laughed. “So that means something can’t start between you?”

“Why are you over here pestering me? Did Kate get tired of you or something?”

“Kate’s talking to her friends about girl stuff. I got bored.”

“You’re always bored.”

“Am not. So, how does it feel to be twenty-one?”

Dylan kicked a piece of wood towards the fire. “Not much different from the way twenty felt, I guess.”

“What are you talking about? You’re finally, like, an adult.”

Dylan arched his brow. “You mean, I can finally live in my own house, drive my own car, hold down a job and go to school full time? That sort of adult? Because in that case, twenty-one feels a lot like nineteen.”

“Whatever. You know what I mean. You can finally get drunk legally. How much have you had to drink tonight?”

“I never even got drunk illegally. And this is my second beer.”

“Fuck, dude, you are really not clear on the concept of a bonfire party.”

“Somebody has got to be sober enough to pull your ass out of the fire when you fall in.”

“That somebody has got to be you?” Doug asked.

Dylan looked around. “I don’t see anybody else here who’d be willing to pull your ass out of a bonfire.”

“It just seems like you can live a little now.”

“Is that why you’re waiting to turn twenty-one? I don’t think it’s going to make the difference you think it will. Not in Delta, at any rate.”

Not that Delta was a particularly bad place to live. It wasn’t. Dylan liked it well enough—though an argument could be made that he only liked it because he had never lived anywhere else—but it was small. It had started out as a tiny compound for a few shifters who had banded together for survival, and that basic mindset still pervaded the entire community. But it wasn’t so insular that there weren’t opportunities for a decent life. A growing number of shifters made their living through freelancing and telecommuting, and young and old alike took advantage of the online programs the Utah universities offered. Dylan was only two years away from a master’s in computer science.

“I don’t know. Maybe I’ll leave Delta,” Doug said.

“Really?”

“Other shifters have left. It’s not like we’re prisoners here or something. You’re not going to leave after you finish up with school?”

“No. I like it here. My friends are here. My family’s here. I like my house. Besides…I’d miss this too much. The desert. The moon.”

“You could see the moon anywhere,” Doug said.

“Not like this. It’s not the same.”

“Whatever, man. I’m going to go get a drink. You want one?”

“Nah, I’m good.”

Dylan turned his attention back to the fire. He liked to watch the flames lick at the stacks of wood, the sparks swirling with each gust of breeze, the coals glowing so red they were almost golden. Maybe he would get a fireplace installed in his house as a birthday present to himself. It never got very cold in Delta, but watching a fire was inexplicably soothing.

“Hey, you. Are you ready for a piece of cake?” Daria’s question was as bright as her smile.

“The cake you made?”

“Yep. Chocolate strawberry.”

“I’ve been looking forward to that all night.”

“Come on, then.” She looked over her shoulder. “Your parents know how you’re celebrating your birthday?”

“Well, they know I gave them my blessing when they told me they were going to be out of town.”

“I didn’t expect Irene to be willing to leave her little boy on his birthday.”

“She was not. But they both deserved a vacation, and Dad needs to be back to the school in two weeks. Besides, she called me today and I assured her that I was fine.” Dylan wrapped his arm around Daria and gave her a gentle squeeze. “But I did warn her that I wasn’t going to save any of your cake for her.”

“Maybe we should sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to you first,” Daria suggested.