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Blood Moon

By: BrazenVamp



She can't have been more than 21, I'm certain. Although sometimes, I wonder if my senses fail me after all these years. They all look the same now, just more or less beautiful, but always enticing. Still, there she was, lying there, lying on the grass, staring out at the water as it rippled gently on the banks. The tinny sound of her music rattling in her ears seemed to be keeping her in her own little bubble of solitude, comforted by the darkness steadily encroaching. I watched her. The way the wind blew the dark tresses of her hair and ruffled the hem of her long black skirt. She smiled and mouthed the words to the music, occasionally letting her voice break free from its restraint to sing along. It made me smile, so gentle and soft despite the meaning of the words she sang as it reached my ears.

Her over sized hand bag lay on the ground next to her, contents almost spilling onto the grass, her phone peeking out with its blue glow, and a lipstick trying to escape. I looked at her lips, deep wine red, almost the colour of blood, blood that has spent too many days lingering on skin. Oh how I would love to touch those lips, they looked so full and soft, so very appealing. I could imagine how they would feel on my skin, on my lips, leaving treacherous traces of scarlet desire in their wake. I tried to sigh; but with what breath?

Next to her hand bag there was a carrier of drink. She was waiting for someone. She wouldn't be alone for ever. I smiled, I knew I had time. I had heard her talking to him on her phone, he would be late.

It's a disgrace really, to leave such a delicate midnight blossom alone for the picking.

Walking out of the shrubbery, I smiled and headed towards her. She didn't notice me at first, eyes closed, lost in music that was dulling her senses, but when I sat down nearby, her eyes opened and she gave a gasp of surprise. I brushed my long, coffee brown hair from my face and flashed her a warm smile, to set her at ease. She whipped her earphones out and smiled nervously in return.

"Evening. You know it's not safe for you to be out on your own like this." 

My voice was like sirens song, gentle and dripping from my mouth like golden honey, a pleasure to the ears.

"I'm waiting for someone." she replied hesitantly.

"Well he's a lucky, but stupid guy." My pale blue eyes fixed on hers, a deep luxurious brown and she relaxed a little.

"Why stupid?"

"Because I would never leave such a delicate bloom out here on her own to be snatched away by anyone." It didn't matter what I said now, the words were becoming irrelevant. As long as she was listening to my voice and looking into my eyes I could tell her anything and she would feel better.

A sprinkle of laughter left those blood rich lips and then I caught it again, the smell so sweet and inviting that it had brought me here, to her.

"Well stupid as he may be, but he'll be here soon."

I could hear the sound of her music still playing through those little plastic ear phones, a wailing voice with distorted guitars, and underneath it all the resonance of her heart, that soft double beat, quickened slightly by my presence.

"It's OK." I smiled as my eyes pierced hers "You are safe, with me."

"It's OK, I am safe with you." she repeated, mindlessly.

So easy.

It helped that I was handsome, that I had been chosen for my classical good looks, my unusual eyes, my good physique. But it wasn't essential. I could be as ugly as sin and still pull the same trick. She just might run away first, is all.

"Lie back and look at the stars." She did as asked, and that smell came again, sweeter than any other blood, more precious, the true blood of life, and I would have no need to hurt her. I came to her feet, my hands running up the hard leather of her buckled boots. As I pushed, the gentle fabric of her skirt pooled around my wrists, following the movement as I wished. The skin of her thighs was so pale, so soft it made me pause. Fingers pressed into the pliable flesh, watching the blood move beneath, she was as if porcelain, and mine to mould for however brief a moment.

My hands moved higher, the fabric slowly revealing the treasure that was her body. Her breathing quickened, soft gasps that sent her pulse racing. I could smell the heady pheromones of her sex, as she responded to the subtle nuances of my touch. The pleasure it would bring her. Higher still, now I could see her bright blue panties as I gently encouraged her to lift her knees, to let me closer to that heavenly scent. Fingers hovered over that hidden warmth, the heat rising, sending my own desires wild within me. I needed her so badly, needed that hot liquid in my mouth. Hovering fingers played with the edge of her panties, causing a sudden intake of her breath as my fingers touched that most intimate of places. She would not run, or cry or scream. She was mine now. Compliant in her need to be so.

I pulled that cotton fabric to the side, feeling the damp liner she wore to keep clean. Oh how beautiful was she. A blood soaked flower, with petals so neat and clean. A privilege that I may drink of her nectar.

As I touched those soft lips, she shivered and a rush of warmth reached my nose. The fluids of her arousal mixed with the sweet blood I desired, and she glistened in the moonlight, bejewelled and beautiful. I took a sip; my tongue slithered from my lips and brushed so gently over her swollen clit. She shivered again, and I couldn't help but taste anew. The blood was on my lips now. It's taste, just as sweet as I had expected, if not more so. The muskiness of her, mixed with the slightly ferrous taint of the blood was filling my senses, every shred of my being wanting her now, and I would not restrain any longer.

My tongue pressed flat against the slit of her sex and I dragged it up her whole length, tasting and swallowing as I went, flicking on her clit to encourage her enjoyment. She needed little help, the gentle shivers and whimpers of her pleasure we're coming more readily now. Darting inside her, I could drink from her, forcing my tongue deep within, covering her aching little hole with my mouth and sucking the nectar from inside her. 

She behaved so well, her voice stifled with only simple sounds escaping. My fingers joined my tongue, dragging the blood from inside her to my mouth as I hungrily lapped at her. It was all I could do to not let my teeth graze those lips, engorged and swollen.

I needed more, more of her, more of that taste. My urgency was making me want to be aggressive, but I had to have more. She was being so good, and it would only take a little push.

My fingers slipped inside her, and gradually I pushed harder, forcing my hand deep within. She grunted heavily with the final thrust as my knuckles disappeared into her glittering, slick hole. I could feel the thickened walls as I pushed harder into her, and feel the blood slip between my fingers, finding thick gobs of lining for me to suck. As I pushed and pushed, twisting in and out, my tongue reluctant to leave her clit in peace, I felt the hard waves of her orgasm sweep across her, and she clenched my hand tight with her fluttering muscles and her moans became gasps as she tried to breathe through the thrill. 

When she finished, I pulled my hand free and slipped the bloody lumps into my mouth, sucking them sweetly and savouring the taste.

I looked at my hand and her sex, all smeared and dirty. My fingers delved into her again and she quivered with the sensitivity. I licked her, smooth flat tongue, taking every trace of the bloody mess I had created, sucking the blood from the folds of her lips and the throbbing little clit. It was as if she had never been bleeding so meticulous was my tongue. Her thighs trembled as her body began to recover and I took in deep breaths of her potent scent.

But I knew our time was almost over.

I took her clitoris one last time into my mouth, sucking it hard and letting my teeth pinch at it. She almost made a sudden sharp sound, but she held it in and gasped heavily, holding her breath as a sweet after burn orgasm washed over her again, leaving her breathless for the last time.

I retreated from between her legs, pulling her skirt down with my clean hand. As I sucked her blood from my fingers, a remaining treat from her loins, I looked down at her.

"Open your eyes." She did as asked of course. "I was never here, this never happened. Enjoy your evening, my sweet Midnight bloom. Sit up, Be Calm and relax."

The simpler the command, the easier the obedience. She did as I asked, stared out at the water, pushing her little earphones back in her ears and continuing as if it had never been. Walking away, I licked the remainder of my hand clean, like the predator I was, and disappeared into the bushes to see her beau walk into view and be greeted by his blushing bloom.

My blushing bloom. He would never have her how I did, she would always hold that sweet moment just for me.

And I? I would always remember it fondly, as a truly, excellent meal.

Blood Moon Ch. 00



**Writer's Note: Hi you guys! I have decided to edit and resubmit this series. It's pretty much the same, but with some tweaking. I got the idea for this story awhile back through a dream and didn't start writing it until a few years back. Then I submitted it to LE when I turned eighteen and never really took the time to do research and editing. So now I'm going back and editing. Hopefully this will clear up some of my earlier, careless errors. Thanks for reading me. Enjoy!**

2007 Lilith Angela sat in her plush couch and dispassionately took another sip of her red wine. Staring blankly ahead, memories Lilith tried to bury began to reemerge. Her loneliness encouraged the memories to surface. That was the reason Lilith tried to keep herself busy all the time. In nearly 600 years one would have thought that Lilith had forgotten about her past life, her only life really, considering she was now dead. If not forget about it, at least gotten over it. But she couldn't let go and couldn't forget about that life. It seemed like centuries since then. It was centuries since then, Lilith corrected bitterly.

Trying to push out the face of a strikingly handsome man from her mind, Lilith took a gulp of her wine. But what hit the home run was that beautiful laugh of a child. He was so small and precious to Lilith. She missed the way he would cling to her legs and laugh up at her.  "Damn it all to Hell!" Lilith sneered to the empty room.  No alcohol could numb her senses. It was both a blessing and a curse that alcohol had no effect on her. At that very moment Lilith considered it a curse. She wanted to blur that achingly familiar face into an indistinct shape, something unrecognizable. But the harder she tried to forget, the stronger her feelings became. Maybe one day she'd be able to forget about him. But what she wanted to forget the most was the pain of losing her baby. Their baby.

Yeah, and maybe one day I'll be human again, Lilith thought sarcastically.



Scotland 1407 Lilith Caldwell just turned fifteen. It was the most joyous day of her life! Today, Lilith assured herself as she went about her chores. Today, she would tell the village leader's son, Roderick McElroy, that she loved him now that she was a grown woman. Of course, Roderick probably wouldn't be interested in her declaration of love, considering she was younger than him, but she couldn't keep it a secret any longer. She just had to tell him and by all that was Holy, it would be that very day!  She had first fallen in love with Roderick when he returned from abroad. Roderick spent most of his years with his mother's brother in Northern Ireland. When he turned thirteen, his father had sent for him to return home. Although Roderick still visited his uncle from time to time, he mostly stayed in Scotland to learn from his father and one day take his place as clan leader.

But it was when Roderick saved Lilith from drowning that her obsession with him started. Without any hesitation, he dived into the water to rescue her and got deathly sick for doing so. Lilith visited him every day for the next fortnight while he made his recovery. He had been so kind in reassuring her it wasn't her fault and promising to teach her to swim. As soon as he got better, Roderick had taken her to the river and taught her to swim.

Sometimes they'd sit on the bank and he would teach her to read. Lilith didn't know about anyone other than the village leader's children and children from the wealthier families who could read and write. It was around the age of thirteen Lilith began to notice her feelings towards him. Roderick had just turned seventeen and was spending less and less time with her. Instead, he would keep company with other boys from the village or spend his time charming village girls closer to his age.  But Lilith had faith. She would go to the river everyday with the sun high in the sky. Roderick's visits started to come less frequently until one day he just stopped visiting all together. It had been three weeks of waiting fruitlessly before Lilith finally understood that he wasn't going to meet her at the river anymore.

Lilith straightened her spine and dusted off imaginary dirt from her best dress. Although the dress was Lilith's best, she knew it wasn't better by a lot. She spotted Roderick ducking behind a cart and quickly made her way towards him with a huge smile on her pretty face.

 Roderick saw Lilith before she saw him. Thinking he could escape her hawk-like vision, he foolishly hid behind a cart. He hit his forehead with the palm of his hand, congratulating his intelligence. A pair of dainty feet came into Roderick's downcast sight. He groaned in irritation as he looked up into the most captivatingly green eyes it was his displeasure to come across. Letting out the breath he was holding in an unsuccessful attempt not to draw her attention, Roderick stood.  "Milord." Lilith curtsied.  Roderick wryly eyed the ridiculously huge smile on Lilith's face. "Lilith, I 'ave known ye since ye were a 'lil lass, ye needn't call me milord," Roderick said with the Irish burr Lilith loved the moment he asked her if she was alright after dragging her out of the river.  "Roderick." She whispered shyly.  Groaning again, Roderick rubbed a hand over his face and looked around skittishly. He was vainly wishing one of his friends was nearby so he could politely get away from Lilith. He knew this day would come. Although he did not like to admit he very much liked Lilith, there could never be anything from their mutual interest.

Roderick knew his father needed him to marry well and be a good leader for their clan as the eldest son. Marrying well did not include marrying the blacksmith's daughter. Not only was she a blacksmith's daughter, but her family was outsiders. Wanders who came with another clan and decided to settle with the McElroy clan. Also, he couldn't dally with Lilith then forget when the time came for him to marry.  "Can I talk tae ye please? It willna take long. I promise."  Opening his mouth to say he had to be somewhere at the moment, Roderick hesitated when he recognized the pleading look in her eyes. With another sigh Roderick nodded and began walking towards the river. The short walk was a quiet one as Lilith followed three-steps behind him. The only sound heard was the crunching of dry leaves and small twigs breaking underfoot.

They reached the river and Roderick turned around suddenly, wanting the moment to be over with. Lilith had been studying the dying autumn leaves and did not notice Roderick's quick move until she had bumped into him. An embarrassed flush tinged her cheeks as she pulled out of Roderick's steadying hands.  "Do ye remember when ye saved me from drowning?" Lilith started off as she looked up into his face.  "I canna forget. I almost died when I got sick."  Lilith looked away guiltily and Roderick felt like kicking himself for his rudeness. Not attempting to continue, Lilith bit on her lower lip and began twisting the rough material of her dress between two tight fists. Tears sprang to her eyes as she thought about her admission of love going horribly wrong.

Roderick held his ground even when he saw her bite down on her trembling lip. He wanted to soothe her, but he knew doing so would give Lilith the wrong impression. So as an alternative to comforting her, Roderick began tapping his foot, pretending to grow impatient.  "If ye got none tae say lassie, I canna be standing out here all day. I 'ave things tae do, ye ken?"  Nodding mutely Lilith took a deep, shuddering breath to calm her turbulent feelings and started again. She opened and closed her mouth several times, unable to say anything. Roderick bit back a smile. The adorable opening and closing of her mouth reminded him of a fish. He could tell she was becoming frustrated and he almost pitied her.  "Aye. I'm still young and not as pretty as Maggie or Caledonia. Ye prolly think me foolish, but I had tae say it." Lilith took a deep breath, "I love ye."  Nervous, Lilith waited in agony for his reply. The silence grew deafening and Lilith dared to glance up to see Roderick's expression. He looked unsurprised by her declaration, bored even. Lilith searchingly gazed into his dark brown eyes, hoping to see a flicker of some kind of emotion. There was none. His eyes had turned hard and cold. The look was that of a predator. Lilith shivered at the thought.  He couldn't accept her feelings and he couldn't return her feelings. He was going to marry the girl his father wanted him to; a girl who would know what he really was and be a dutiful wife to him as his mother was to his father. His family curse. How could he be with Lilith and not tell her his horrible secret? He did not want Lilith to learn about what he was. He didn't want to look into her eyes and see the disgust, or worse, fear. Roderick cared too much for Lilith to marry her. Hardening his resolve, Roderick looked at Lilith with a pseudo smirk.  "I doona ken whit tae say tae that. Did ye think I were gonna say I loved ye tae? Lassie, yer father's the blacksmith. Ye should set yer attention on some common village lad. I'm the next leader of this clan. Whit makes ye think I'd be interested?"  Tears fell silently down Lilith's cheeks as she listened to Roderick's words. Her admission of love did go horribly wrong. She somewhat expected being the blacksmith's daughter made her unworthy of Roderick. But she did not know how painful the truth was until Roderick told her in that patronizing way of his. Roderick answered her with a slightly condescending voice that Lilith had suspect he was more than just irritated with her declaration. She guessed he was seething that a common girl such as she would even have the nerve to think her feelings might be returned.  Roderick's blasé expression faltered when he saw her crying silently. But Roderick held his ground, even when Lilith wiped the tears from her eyes with a delicate sniffle, even when she bowed and apologized for her insolence, even when she turned to head back home and out of his life.

1410 "Lilith! Wait for me!"  Lilith turned around with a smile at the voice. She placed both hands on her hips and gave the approaching boy a teasing smile. Danny stopped right in front of Lilith with his hands on his knees as he gasped for breath. Looking up into the most enchanting green eyes he had ever seen, Danny resisted the urge to kiss the beautiful girl in front of him. He still cringed at the memory of the last time he tried to kiss her.  "Whit do ye want Danny Boy?"  Danny straightened and smiled at Lilith. He was the most handsome boy in the village. All the girls tried to get his attention. His family was well off and they owned quite a bit of land. The mothers in the village encouraged their daughters to snatch up such a fine man for a husband. But Danny was only interested in Lilith ever since they were both children.

Danny hadn't always been considered handsome. As a child he was a short thing with twig-like arms and legs. A few years ago he grew quite tall, but still looked awkward with his thin frame. Eventually, he filled out and the married women in the village constantly made remarks about his appearance that would cause Danny to blush.  "I'm no longer a boy." Danny complained.  Lilith's answering musical laughter filled the air as she shook her head in amusement and continued towards the fields that the McElroy owned.  "Ye'll always be Danny Boy tae me."  "As long as none else calls me that. And yer father was looking for ye."  Shrugging as though she was used to her father wondering her whereabouts, Lilith continued to walk towards the fields. She reached the enclosed pasture and climbed over the high gates with ease. Danny followed as he smoothly pulled himself up and over. He dusted himself off and looked to see if Lilith had seen his great leap over the gate. When he finally located her distant figure, Danny noticed a gigantic black horse galloping towards her. Looking on in horror, Danny began to run towards Lilith, intending on saving her.

With a warm smile on her face and welcoming, open arms, Lilith turned and greeted the horse that suddenly stopped in front of her. She kissed the horse's nose affectionately as she held his head. The horse nudged his head against her. Bending his head, the horse sniffed Lilith's dress as his nudges became more insistent. Lilith rolled her eyes and laughed as she pulled out the snack she brought for the horse. She stroked the horse's mane lovingly while he greedily ate the sweet treat she brought. Danny reached Lilith, out of breath once again.  Noticing the stranger, the large horse began to grow skittish. Lilith continued to pet the horse and whisper reassuringly. As if the horse could understand her words, it became calm, but still distant from Danny. When Danny tried to draw near to the horse or Lilith, it would try to bite him as it retreated.  "Is this whaur ye go during the day?"  Lilith nodded. "I used tae watch the McElroys ride. They had a wee foal. Stubborn thing." The horse snorted indignantly, but Lilith continued. "He let only me close enough tae touch. I bring Midnight treats."  Lilith wiped her hands on her dress and kissed Midnight's nose. She turned to head back out of the pasture and Midnight followed alongside. Midnight's ears twitched and he snapped his head in the other direction. Lilith followed the horse's gaze and saw a man atop a horse, riding towards them. Groaning as she recognized the rider, Lilith contemplated running back home quickly. The cowardly decision didn't appeal to Lilith as much as she hoped it would.

 Roderick rode up and looked down into the two faces. The boy he knew as Daniel. Their fathers worked together sometimes. The second face he could never forget. Lilith tilted her beautiful face up at him with a blank expression. Gone was the admiration and adoring looks.

 Roderick turned towards Danny and spoke curtly, "Find elsewhere tae conduct yer flirtations."  Lilith tensed at his accusation and ran off before she openly cried.  "Milord, Lilith came tae see Midnight. I followed 'er ." Danny explained hurriedly before he turned and chased after Lilith.  He watched the both of them leave and thought about Danny and Lilith marrying and having a family together. But when he tried to envision it, he saw himself in Danny's place. Roderick shook the thoughts out of his head as he decided to ride for a bit before returning home.  When Roderick arrived home his baby sister ran up to him with a disapproving frown. She jabbed him in the ribs with her finger and opened her mouth to speak. Since she was the only female in their family after their ma passed, Jenna took it upon herself to scold all the males about any little thing.  "What did ye say tae Lilith?"  Roderick raised a brow. "Nothing."  Jenna eyed her brother suspiciously. "I passed 'er sometime ago, coming from the direction ye said ye were goin' and she was crying."  The memory of Lilith silently crying three years ago came into Roderick's head. Jenna began scolding Roderick about not understanding women's feelings and him being a fool. Sometimes he wished Jenna didn't grow up. She was twelve now and would prattle on about love and boys and how boys were too stupid to figure girls out.  Jenna defended Lilith all the time. Lilith was the mother she wished she had. Their mother died giving birth to their younger brother Haden, when Jenna was four. Lilith was compassionate, understanding, kind, sweet and loving. She could cook, clean and stitch. Sometimes Jenna would go over to Lilith's house for long talks or to help Lilith make medicine for the sick in the village. Jenna wanted one of her brothers to marry Lilith so they could be sisters. She often pestered her two eldest brothers, Roderick and Rowan, to marry Lilith.  "She's the most beautiful girl in the village!" Jenna would often point out.  Kieran would laugh at his younger sister and say he'd marry Lilith, but she'd turn him down like she had turned down all other's wanting to marry her.  "I ken why she'd turn ye down. Yer like a babe! Only Roderick and Rowan are full grown. Ye, Tristan, and Haden are still wet behind the ears!" She'd reply, much to the amusement of all the brothers.  Rowan would often pat his little sister on her head and say, "If anyone in this family was tae marry her, it would be Roderick, but Roderick canna marry her because she isn't a laird's daughter."  "Whit does that have tae do with anything?" Jenna would cry out and no one bothered to explain things to her.

Roderick was reminiscing about those conversations when he heard Jenna's voice bringing him back to the present. By the tone of her voice she asked the same question more than once because she was beginning to grow irritated.

"Doona ye agree?"  "Whit about?" Roderick asked exasperated with Jenna's constant stream of questions.  "That Lilith is tae old tae marry."  It was true. Most girls got married before they turned sixteen. Lilith was eighteen now and still unmarried. Lilith's mother had died a couple weeks after Lilith's fifteenth birthday. Since then Lilith had been helping her father and turned down all the offers of marriages she had received. Lilith's father didn't mind because he wanted his daughter to marry someone she loved. Love was something Lilith's father and mother had in abundance. But still, her father was worried about her total lack of interest in men. All of Lilith's friends had already gotten married and started families.  "Her own fault." Roderick snorted.  Jenna gave her brother a sly look before answering. "Well, I 'eard that Lilith was in love with this lad some time back, but he didna accept her love. And I 'eard that he told her verrah cruelly that he didna feel the same. Lilith, being her first love and all, was so hurt she didna want tae marry anyone if it couldna be him."  Roderick watched as his sister flounce back to their house. He finished rubbing his horse down before he followed. He couldn't possibly be the reason Lilith refused to get married.

2007 Lilith blinked a couple times as if to chase away the wisps of memories that haunted her. How foolish she had been. She had loved Roderick to her dying day. Literally. But he had betrayed her and from that day, she hated him with unrelenting passion. Maybe one day she'd find him and kill him.

Seattle

2007 Derek woke up, tangled in sheets. He yawned before inspecting the two naked, female bodies on both sides of him. With a tired groan, he got out of the bed and made his way to the bathroom. By the time Derek was finished with his shower, the two women were just getting up. They tried to get him back in bed with them, but he offered that charming grin of his and said he had to leave. The women whined for him to stay. Derek was growing annoyed with their antics and brushed them off as he exited the rented room.  He got into his sleek ride and drove off. Picking up his cell, Derek looked at the 9 missed calls and dialed his brother. The call was answered after a couple rings.  "Damn it Roderick! I've been trying tae reach you all last night. Where the hell are ye?" The voice on the other line yelled at him.  "I got busy. What crawled up your ass and died, Rowan? And remember, I changed my name to Derek." Derek loved poking fun at his brother.




Blood Moon Ch. 00



After all, Rowan was the only sibling he had alive. Nearly their entire clan was slaughtered and of their family, only Rowan and Derek survived that night. Derek's mind began to wander and a pair of green eyes flashed in his mind. He growled low. It was an inhuman sound. One full of unadulterated hate. Derek swore that if he ever found the owner of those eyes, he'd rip out her throat for the pain she caused him.  "Whit the hell was that growl for? Whaur are ye? Did ye spend the night whoring around again? Ye better be on yer way tae the office!" Rowan spoke quickly. "Let's discuss this when ye come in. We both know how much I hate technology."  "This coming from a brilliant hacker and program designer? That's shocking." Derek laughed into the phone. Unlike Rowan who still had a noticeable accent to Americans, Derek had the barest hint of one.  "Yeah, I know a lot more about technology than ye do, which makes me certified tae say that it sucks. Now-a-days anyone can get any information they want. Spooks me out. Like I said, less talk. Get here."  Derek mumbled a reply that he'd get there when he gets there. Just when he was about to hang up, Rowan made a loud noise. "What is it now?"  "Bring me some Starbucks while yer at it. Oh don't even pull that groaning bullshit with me. Unlike ye, I was up all night being productive and useful." Rowan retorted before hanging up.  "Useful my arse." Derek grumbled under his breath as he threw his cell onto the passenger seat. He parked his car on the street and made his way into Starbucks. One wonderful thing about Seattle was that there were at least two coffee shops on each block.  He walked into the coffee shop. The aromatic smells overloaded his senses for a moment before he adjusted. Derek snorted then sneezed as he made his way up to the register. After ordering his drinks, Derek moved to the side. He observed the people around him, mildly amused by their lives. Having lived for so long, there wasn't anything Derek hadn't seen. Since his kind lived for at least a couple thousand years, Derek and his brother moved often.

They couldn't stay in one place too long. People back in England began to grow suspicious of the two brothers who never seemed to age in the fifty years they lived there. So it was time for a move and they chose America as their new oyster. They were settled in San Francisco, but had some business to see to in Seattle. Time moved slowly for them and the three months they had lived in the constantly overcast city seemed like years.

A scent caught his interest. Derek shook his head as he recognized that scent. He couldn't possibly be so lucky as to have found that bitch without even trying. But there was that unmistaken scent. Sweet and lingering. Derek searched frantically about the place, trying not to look too obvious. His eyes darted towards the door as people flowed in and out. He thought he caught a glimpse of her. Focusing his sight, Derek watched the woman's back as she walked off and he hoped she'd turn around. She flagged down a taxi and just as she got into the car, Derek saw that unforgettable face. Lilith. 

Lilith had a weird feeling as she exited Starbucks. Almost as if someone was watching her. She shook the feeling off as she waved a taxi over. A tingle went down her spine and she paused for a moment and scanned her surroundings. It must have been her near emotional breakdown that had gotten her so jumpy. She could have sworn she felt the presence of a werewolf. She shook off the shiver and got into the taxi. Lilith gave the driver directions to her office as they drove off. 

Derek was still shaken as he grabbed his coffees and went back to his car. He placed the two cups in the holders and just sat for a moment. As Derek thought of finally getting his revenge on Lilith, his mind began to wander to all the events that led up to her betrayal.



Blood Moon Ch. 01



Scotland

1413

Roderick's engagement to a neighboring laird's daughter was to be announced that night. Everyone already knew the joyous news, but none the less, there would be a great celebration. In five days Roderick would get to meet his soon-to-be bride for the first time. Even with the pats on the back and congratulations, Roderick couldn't stop thinking about the look on Lilith's face at the news. 

The village was already resigned to the fact that Lilith would become a spinster. Lilith didn't mind. Her father died a couple years ago and left what little possessions he had to Lilith. Although it wasn't much, it was enough and Lilith didn't mind working hard.

She had been at Roderick's house when he and his father returned home from the meeting with the other laird. Jenna and Lilith were good friends and often spent time with each other. His father happily announced to the occupants of their home that Roderick was as good as a married man. Neither was expecting Lilith to be there. The look of disbelief and hurt on her face affected him more than he liked. His brothers crowded around to congratulate him while Jenna pouted and dragged Lilith outside.

The celebration was overflowing with food, company and entertainment. Everyone was having a good time. The night began to dwindle away and Roderick grew tired. He excused himself to bed while everyone toasted to him again in a cacophony of cheers. Smiling and thanking everyone, he tiredly went to the tent he set up early in the week. A neighboring laird's younger son was visiting along with a chaperone to better acquaint himself with Jenna. Both their fathers wanted a match between the two. So Roderick let the lad have his room for the time being. Roderick put on a light tunic before slipping under the layers of fur that made up his bed.

There was a rustling that woke Roderick up. Instantly he reached for his dagger and the intruder. His eyes began to adjust to the darkness and he grabbed the trespasser. The intruder gasped at the cold blade against his neck. Roderick removed his hand from over the intruder's mouth as he whispered in his ear.

"Who are ye and whit do ye want?"

Roderick felt the trespasser shiver and he caught her scent and immediately spun her around. His eyes had adjusted to the dark and he could see her features. "Lilith." He stated. "Whit are ye doin' in 'ere?"

The villagers had gone to sleep, but left the celebration fires burning. Gulping, Lilith answered.

"Soon ye'll be a married man. And..." Lilith paused, not knowing how to continue. "Would ye spend a night with me? Just one night. I want tae know whit it's like. I just thought...before ye married if we could..." she stopped, this time unable to continue.

Letting out a breath, Roderick tucked himself back under the furs and growled a reply. "Go home."

Lilith bit down on her lower lip to prevent herself from crying. It took all her courage to sneak into his tent and he still rejected her. Why even now, with no strings attach couldn't he make love to her? Lilith had caught Maggie and Danny romping in Maggie's late husband's stables once. She didn't really know what they were doing, but watched from her hidden spot, curious as to the noises they were both making.

As she watched, Lilith began to grow breathless and aching. Lilith felt herself growing damp as she slid her hand down her body to feel between her legs. When her fingers brushed against her sensitive nub, she felt a jolt that caught her breath. Later that night she experimented a little more which led to a pleasure so painful she stopped before she reached her breaking point.

Just thinking about it made Lilith wet. She shifted uncomfortably in front of Roderick and he growled again. Roderick could smell her arousal. He stomped down the urge to get up and tear her clothes off.

"I said leave."

Strengthening her resolve, Lilith swallowed. She began to slip her heavy dress off, watching the pile of fur that Roderick hid under. He had turned his back to her, but he could hear the rustling of her skirts as she stepped out of them. Her footsteps seemed to echo as she walked towards him and pulled the furs up and slid in next to him. Lilith's cold limbs pressed up against Roderick's unusually warm body.

Lilith's snuggling against Roderick for warmth was driving him insane. He fought with himself. He knew he should send her away, but his body had different ideas. Roderick's animalistic need began to rise and he wanted to mark her as his own. Her heart beats pounded into his back as she pushed her soft breasts against him. With a low growl, he had her on her back and was nestled between her thighs in less than a second. Roderick leaned down to whisper against her mouth as he held her wrists in his hands.

"If we go through with this, there's tae be no regrets."

Lilith nodded quickly at what Roderick said as she felt a big smile form. Tears began to prick at her eyes and Lilith chastised herself for picking that moment to start crying. Roderick licked the tears that fell down her cheeks.

"Do ye want me tae stop?"

Lilith shook her head so fast that Roderick smiled. Slowly he released her wrists and Lilith linked her arms around his neck as she tried to pull herself up to him. Her enthusiasm made Roderick even harder. He kissed her softly, catching her gasp in his mouth. As he worked her mouth open with enticing nibbles, one hand began to wander her body. 

Uncertain as to how fast he should go, Roderick slid his hand from her hip to her waist and higher so he could cup her breast. He pinched her nipple softly as she gasped into his mouth again. As he played with her, he took her second gasp as an opportunity to slide his tongue in her mouth. Roderick teased her with light sucks and brushes. Breaking away from their kiss, he slid his lips lower to suck on Lilith's neck as his hand slid down. She moaned softly and Roderick looked up with a smile.

"Shh. Ye canna be makin' tae much noise or we'll 'ave tae stop." He warned.

Lilith bit her lip in a desperate attempt to be quiet. She temporarily forgot that when his mouth closed over her nipple as she choked on another moan. He sucked and bit gently until Lilith was arching her body. Silently she begged for something. She didn't know what until his hand was between her thighs playing with her clit. He rubbed the tips of his fingers over her slit to part her pussy lips. Roderick lubricated a finger and pushed his index into her tightness while his thumb massaged her nub.

The sensations were becoming too much and Lilith was on the verge of begging Roderick to stop. It was all more than she could handle. He kept kissing down her body until his head was between her thighs. He sucked her clit into his mouth as he added a second finger, pushing in and out of her. Lilith's toes curled and her breathing grew harsh. She didn't know what was happening to her body. She reached down to run her fingers in his thick hair as her legs clamped around his head.

"It hurts!" Lilith gasped, close to coming. But Roderick didn't relent. Instead he sucked harder and his fingers pushed into her quicker and rougher.

She arched again, rubbing her mound into his face frantically as she came. Lilith rode out her orgasm as Roderick continued to milk sensations from her body. When he finally lifted his head and sucked her juices off his finger, Lilith was laying against the furs in a trembling heap. He crawled up her body to look at her flushed and pleased face.

Chuckling a bit to himself, Roderick teased her. "Are ye tae tired tae continue?"

"There's more?" Lilith asked in wonder, feeling a bit foolish when Roderick laughed and nodded.

"I can show ye. Would ye like that?"

"Aye." Lilith breathed as Roderick's fingers went back to playing between her sensitive thighs.

Roderick lay on his back, pulling Lilith on top of him. She looked at him surprised and a bit confused. He positioned her over his throbbing cock. Moving her down slightly, her slickness touched the head of his cock and they both moaned. Roderick grabbed his cock in his hand and rubbed it up and down her wet slit.

"Go slow." He instructed as Lilith began to lower herself on him.

It was an uncomfortable feeling of being stretched. When his head entered her, Lilith had wanted to stop because of the uncomfortable pressure, but she wanted more to please Roderick. So she continued to lower herself onto him, feeling his cock stretch her. With each inch, Lilith had harder time breathing. It wasn't until Roderick smiled at her and told her to breathe did she take a breath. She sat there, looking at Roderick for guidance. 

With her hips in his hands he moved her up a little and pulled her down roughly as he pushed up. Lilith's gasp was half pain, half pleasure as her maidenhead gave way. She began to move against Roderick, finding the right pace.

Lilith stuck with the pace that had Roderick moaning the most as his fingers pinched at her nipples. She leaned forward like he instructed so he could suck on her nipples as she began to ride him quicker. Roderick's hips where pumping up as his hands flew to her hips. He kept her steady over him as he pounded in and out. 

Unable to put up with it anymore, Roderick flipped Lilith onto her back as he penetrated her roughly. He had her legs pushed up, almost folding Lilith in half as his balls slapped against her ass when he thrust in and out. Roderick's rough motions rubbed against Lilith's sensitive clit and she came again.

A moan itched at the back of her throat. Roderick leaned forward in time to capture her loud moan in his mouth. He came inside of her, groaning in intense pleasure as her pussy spasmed around his cock. Powerless to stop himself, Roderick felt his canines elongate as he bit into Lilith's shoulder. She cried out, turning her head into his shoulder to muffle her scream. The marks burned and Roderick licked the spot to seal up the punctures.

Roderick pulled out of Lilith and collapsed beside her. He gathered her in his arms. They were both sweaty, but the cold air began to nip at them. He pulled the furs around them and then kissed the spot he bit and told her to sleep for now. They were both exhausted. It would be sometime before anyone woke up from last night's party. Lilith could sleep in his tent for a bit before she had to leave lest they get caught.

Shadows moved away from the tent as the inside quieted. Danny had followed Lilith only to find her fooling around with Roderick. He hated both of them. Roderick was engaged. Danny thought with Roderick married, Lilith might finally see how much he loved her and agree to marry Danny. But Lilith rather whore herself to Roderick than be anyone else's wife. Danny would find a way to ruin them both. He swore he would.

When Lilith woke up, she had been asleep for about an hour. Roderick's face was right next to hers. She traced the outline of his face, smiling to herself. Kissing his lips softly, Lilith went to get out of bed. Roderick stirred before falling asleep again. Afraid she'd get Roderick in trouble; Lilith quickly gathered her clothes, got dressed in the freezing temperature, and headed home. 

Lilith went into her cold house. She started the fireplace as she huddled under some blankets. And then she began to cry, knowing she had sealed her fate by asking Roderick to make love to her. Roderick's wife would come to live with him in the village. And it would have killed Lilith to have to watch him with another woman. The part that Lilith hated the most was that she had no rights to Roderick and the woman he'd spend the rest of his life with would be his wife and eventually the mother to his children.

She couldn't stay there. Lilith had to get away. But to where? She had an aunt who lived in Inverness. Aye, she'd go there. Lilith quickly packed her scarce belongings. There were some visitors last night from near Inverness. They had come to celebrate Roderick's engagement. Maybe she could get a ride with them and figure things out from there. With one last look at her father's place, Lilith said goodbye and went to find the travelers before they left. She heard them discussing leaving early and this was her only chance at getting out of her village.

Roderick woke up with a grin. He palmed the erection in one hand as his free hand blindly searched for Lilith. He'd give her a memorable good morning, but all his hand encountered was more and more fur. His eyes flicked open to discover that Lilith was no place to be found. Well not anywhere in his tent anyways. In his hurry to find Lilith, Roderick flew the furs off his body. The freezing air made contact with his naked body and took care of Roderick's aroused state. He scanned the ground for his clothes and quickly put them on. As he exited his tent, he heard his brother Rowan calling out to him.

As much as Roderick wanted to go find Lilith and talk to her, he needed to get ready to see his bride-to-be and soon-to-bes. Not to mention...Roderick needed to figure out an easy way to tell his father that he was breaking off the engagement. No doubt his father would be angry, but Roderick couldn't see himself with anyone but Lilith. Well no point stalling the inevitable, Roderick thought as he quickened his step towards his home.

Shockingly, his father, Riagan, wasn't so surprised when Roderick said he wanted to marry Lilith. Unfortunately, it was too late. They had already set the engagement and his betrothed and her family was expecting a visit in less than a week to make it official. Roderick cleared his throat guiltily.

"Whit did ye do?" Riagan demanded.

Rowan looked between Roderick and their father. He had wanted to leave the room, but their father ordered Rowan to take a seat. Rowan looked to his brother, interested in what Roderick's next words would be.

"I've already claimed Lilith as my mate." Roderick cleared his throat again.

"Whit?" Their father's bellow shook the room. "Ye bit her?"

Roderick nodded silently as Rowan tried not to laugh out loud. They all knew what it meant. The McElroy family had a curse put on them from the beginning of their heritage. It was a curse they shared with a handful of other families. Once there were two brothers who sought ultimate power and in their corrupted quest formed two new breeds. 

The legend went that ultimate power could only be obtained when one of the two races existed. So it was a constant war between the wolf men and blood suckers. The numbers were to the vampires' advantage as they needed only to make blood transfusions, a werewolf needed to find a mate and mark her. The shape-shifter could only reproduce with his mated and unless his mate died, could not mark another.

The McElroy leader slumped in his seat and exhaled in an exhausted manner. "Whit is wrong with ye? Ye couldna have decided this before ye got engaged?"

The betrothed would have been perfect for Roderick. She knew about his curse. Her family was another werewolf group. Rowan cleared his throat this time and his father cut him a glance.

"'Ear me out da. I can marry the lass. I've got no interest in anyone and neither am I mated. If she'll 'ave me, I'll marry 'er. Canna say I'm as good as the first born son, but whit choice do we 'ave really?"

Roderick turned to his brother in disbelief and gave him a big hug. Both sons looked to their father for his answer.

"I'll be discussin' it whit the Anderson clan, but doona be expecting it tae go well. They'll not be tae keen on this."

Roderick and Rowan nodded solemnly before getting dismissed from their father. Jenna ran into Roderick's arms laughing.

"I 'eard the news! I'm so glad yer not as dumb as ye look. We must go tell Lilith!"

Roderick smiled. "Aye." He said as they all headed to Lilith's cottage.



Blood Moon Ch. 01



Syra stared out the window of small efficacy apartment, watching as people hurried back and forth along the icy sidewalk. She didn't remember what it was like to run around with her friends, she couldn't remember what it was like to laugh with her best friend. It had been five years since she had let herself do those things, five years since she had let herself feel any emotion at all. Even now, using memories as her tools for her emotions, she couldn't bring forth any. Most people that she worked with said she was cold, like a marble statue that sat in the foray. Even the supernaturals that worked with the Specialized Enforcement Agency, or SEA, as most people called them, couldn't get a rise from her. She was emotionless and determined, focused solely on bringing down those who miss used there powers, wither they were human or supernatural. She didn't care who they were, but instead believed only in punishing them. She didn't really know if she had no emotion, or if she had just locked them tightly away after the incident when she was fifteen. She wasn't sure if she would ever get them back, but she wished she could. Without them she was only a few steps above those who abused their power for material gain. 

Syra was pulled from her musings by the sound of the phone ringing shrilly. She looked at the caller id and sighed shrugging on her ankle length trench coat as she answered.

"Yeah Dan, I am on my way to training now." She said

"Sharp as ever Syramalik. I'll see you in five minutes."

"Don't call me that."

The phone disconnected and she heaved a sigh. She went to her closet and pulled out her, training clothes, spandex pants, a wrap around skirt, and a sports bra. She hated having to train with everyone else, knowing that once she was there she would have to endure their pitying looks and feel the men's hungry eyes and the women's anger. That was something she could never understand, why the women would be mad at her, it's not like she did anything that could provoke such a response. Then again she didn't understand why anyone found her attractive either. She wasn't friendly with anyone, never even smiled often enough to be considered to be flirting, and from what she had heard, most of the men found her to severe and man like. Yet every time she went to train the same things always happened, and she would return to her room more drained then she would have been coming back from a six month mission. Heaving a last sigh she left her room and went down the stairs to the training room. Everyone was already there waiting for her to show up, a few already practicing hand to hand or sword play. Syra had always found that amusing, here they were in the year thirty-fifty two and they still used swords along with every sort of weapon. After the year twenty, twenty-one, the human race had degenerated into their worst state when the existence of supernatural creatures came out. A battle took place and most of the human race had been wiped away, now they lived in a middle age future. Kings and queens, lords and ladies, yet there was still the perks of the future, cars, guns and the like.

Syra shook her head as she went to pick up and practice sword and almost tripped over her own feet when she saw the object of her greatest fantasies and worst frustrations. Dominic LeSabor, resident vampire and the best agent at SEA, Syra pulling a close second. His black hair fell to the middle of his back, and was currently pulled back into a ponytail by a piece of leather that matched his shiny strands. His eyes were the color of chocolate, flakes of amber shooting through them, though when he was made the colors switched, or if he was really pissed, they turned black. He was six foot, four inches placing him nine inches taller then her. His voice was deep and always sent shivers coursing up her spine, and when he laughed the world fell away. Syra shook those thoughts from her head before her body sent changed. For some reason whenever she thought of him her body had the sent of honey coming from it. Many found it weird, but that was the reason she had closed off her emotions. For her, her scent always changed with her moods, and that alone gave away what she was feeling. It had taken her years to control that reaction, and several times Dominic had almost made her lose that control. She tried to ignore him, but she couldn't help noticing him, like right now, she really wanted to hurt the little blonde girl that was causing him to smile.

Shaking her head in disgust at herself, Syra, pulled back her deep blood colored hair and secured it in a bun. Grabbing a sword she moved to an isolated area and started to practice on her own. Most of the people here never asked to practice with her, and the few that did were all men that she found annoying and she turned them away. So she had taken to doing the maneuvers on her own, and for the most part no one bothered her, though there were a few times they tried. Syra hated having anyone bother her, especially when she was in the mood she was in now. She hadn't slept well the night before thanks to Dominic popping up in her dreams, though she refused to let anyone know about her sexual frustration and aggravation, at the man who now laughed full bellied at whatever the blond had said. Syra pictured the girl in her head, and her attacks became more violent as if she was fighting an enemy. She didn't notice that several others had stopped to look at her as she moved around the floor of the training ground, causing people to move quickly or get cut. Syra was so trapped in mangling the girl in her mind that she didn't notice Dominic frowning at her.

Syra was jarred from her angry haze by the shook her arm felt as steel met steel. She looked up quickly her emerald and gold eyes widening as the met Dominic's brown ones. The look in his eyes was something he had never seen before, almost as if he wanted to beat her senseless. A strange thrill went through her at the thought of pitting her skill against Dominic's and she blocked his attack, a smile curving her mouth. She attacked this time and from the corner of her eye saw the blond try and rush forward before she was caught. Fury burst within her and a red haze settled over her mind.

Dominic noticed her eyes glazing over, and barely managed to stop her blows as they came faster and more furious. Her smile that a moment ago was only a pure challenge, now was one that he had only seen on her face when she was captured on a mission and being brutally abused. It was a smile that said she was ready to die and dared whoever she was against to try if they had the guts. He didn't understand why it was on her face or why her eyes made it look as if they were made of glass. Then he saw, Victoria trying to pull away from another man, and heard her shout his name. He noticed that at the sound Syra, seemed to become even more violent and he had a feeling that this was going to end badly for one of them.

One her next downward swing he thrust up, knocking the sword from her hand. Syra felt her sword jerk free and quickly moved to a weaponless fighting stance, she was ready for anything except for Dominic tackling her. Twisting around she managed to throw Dominic off of her before pinning him to the ground and holding him. That only lasted a moment as he planted his feet in her chest and sent her flying over his head to slam into the concrete wall behind her. Stars exploded in her head but she shook them off to charge him again. This time he simply slammed her on the mat and pinned her legs with his, one of his hands holding her wrists the other gripping her hair and holding her head down. Syra slowly came back to herself, and finally realized what was going on. With Dominic laying on her every move she made, caused them to rub together in a way that made her want to arch against him and moan. 

She tried to squirm again but his hold on her tightened and Syra felt her careful control start to slip. She went to jerk her head, but his hand only tightened further causing a mix of pleasure and pain to dance along her nerves. 

"Can you let me up?" She asked frostily

"Can you control yourself?" Dominic asked his lips close to her ear.

At the feel of his breath on her neck and sensitive earlobe, Syra could not hold back the shudder of longing that whipped through her, or her aroused scent from leaking from her pores into the air. She prayed that Dominic wouldn't notice but saw his nostrils flare, and then a confused look crossed his face.

"Let me go now."

She meant it to sound stiff and authoritative, but instead it came out shaky and breathless. Her lower parts were starting to become damp and achy, her breathing coming in fast at the feel of him against her. Dominic stared down at her in confusion for a moment longer before another man who was close looked at Syra in astonishment.

"Jeez Syra, I never thought you would get turned on by wrestling with Dominic. Maybe I'll be your next partner."

Dominic looked down at Syra who had closed her eyes quickly, but not before she saw the look of horror. He also couldn't miss the flush that started at her chest and rose to her face. Then he remembered guys in the locker room making bets about who could make Syra smell like honey. He started to apologize but, Syra threw him over her shoulder and ran from the training room like the devil himself was after her.



Blood Moon Ch. 02



Ullapool, Scotland

1414

It had been five months since Lilith had left her village. She assumed Roderick must be married by now. The threat of tears burned her eyes as she placed both hands on her growing stomach. At least she'd have a little part of him with her always.   

Lilith had been staying with her father's spinster sister all that time. A few months after her arrival, Lilith began to get sick. She couldn't keep her food down and was always tired. When her aunt found her hunched over and dry heaving, she gasped and asked Lilith if she was with child.

Lilith didn't know what to say. No one explained to her exactly how babies were made so she spoke to her aunt honestly. With some sly questioning, her aunt found out that Lilith had a lover and was most likely carrying his child. Of course her aunt was upset, thinking the man had taken advantage and discarded her innocent niece.

The two women swore they'd love and take care of the child. Secretly, her aunt was very pleased that Lilith had come to stay with her. She was growing old and lonely. A new baby would bring so much life to her cold and lonesome home. Since Lilith could read, her aunt would often have Lilith read beside the fireplace before bedtime. Her aunt wasn't rich, but she was well off to support the two of them and a babe. The garden Lilith's aunt had fed them and she would sell part of her harvest for anything else she needed.

Lilith thought about Roderick all the time and what she'd name their baby. She'd have to give their baby two names. If the babe was a girl, she'd name the baby after his and her mother. If the baby was a boy, she'd name him after Roderick and her father. Lilith smiled to herself, hoping the baby would be a boy and grow up to look like his father.

Village in Lochaber district, county of Iverness(shire), Scotland

1414 Six months! It had been six months and no one had any idea as to what happened to Lilith. Roderick was going insane trying to find her. What caused rumor to start was that Daniel was also missing around the same time. His brother, Rowan, had already married Sara and surprisingly, the two were a very good match.

Seeing as Rowan's father had no sons, he welcomed the idea of having a second son marry his only child. That way there would be an alliance between the Andersons and the McElroys and he'd have an heir to take care of his clan. So Rowan moved to the next village to become his father-in-law's adopted son. He wished Roderick the best of luck in finding Lilith.

Roderick searched in all the neighboring villages, but no one knew what happened to Lilith. He talked to dozens of people who were at the engagement celebration. A few said they gave her a ride, but none of them knew what happened to her after that. It was almost as if she vanished.

Trying to find Lilith was wearing Roderick down. He knew she was still alive. After he marked her, that bond allowed him to know that much. But as to where she was...Roderick had no idea. She could be anywhere and he was searching all of Scotland. He knew she was alive, and he wasn't going to give up. Unfortunately, there was word that a new vampire faction was spotted in Scotland and people began to go missing. No doubt they were building their numbers to take out the weres. Roderick didn't have the time to get distracted.

Danny was sitting inside a bar, drinking himself into a stupor. He still didn't know how he'd get his revenge. Going up against Roderick McElroy was suicide. And how could he hurt Lilith? He wanted to devastate her, but leave her alive so she could live with the pain he'd cause.

"Bastard McElroy." Danny slurred.

A man from a nearby table of newcomers turned to look at Danny. He seemed like the leader and he put his hand up to silence his men.

"I'm goin' tae kill Roderick McElroy, mark my words." Danny mumbled again.

The man perked up and he felt himself smiling. As the night began to grow late, the newcomers left until there was one left. He was waiting for Danny to move and was planning on following. He looked outside to see how soon the sun would rise. Contrary to popular belief, some of them could walk in sunlight. But that was a gift to few of their kind. Only the strongest were able to walk in the sunlight, during hours when the sunlight was weak. And none of them ventured out from noon to dusk.

It would be dawn in a couple hours. The pub was closing and Danny got kicked out. He got up and drunkenly began to walk away. The man watched Danny from the shadows to see where he was headed. He wanted to have a talk with Danny, but only when the idiot was sober. For now, he'd let Danny rest.

Danny woke up the following morning with a hell of a headache. He was planning on going drinking again, but his headache kept him in bed all day. When he woke up again it was already dark. Danny made his way back to the pub when he was knocked across the head and everything went black.

When Danny came to, he heard the sound of water dripping. Shaking himself awake he found himself tied up. There were torches on the wall and a loud roaring noise. There must be water nearby, Danny thought. Which meant that he was probably in a cave. He heard footsteps and looked up at a man he'd never seen before.

"I believe you possess some useful information for me. My name is William. Shall we talk?" His eyes were shining an impossible blue as he smiled to show elongated canines. "Now, we can do this the easy way, or the unnecessarily messy way." William flashed his fangs again.

"Yer damn English. Whit do ye want?" Danny struggled to say.

"I hear you have a grudge against Roderick McElroy. I'm here to help you bring the man to ruin."

Danny stopped struggling against his restraints and eyed William. "Whit's in it for ye?"

"Let's just say that you and I have a common goal. And that's to kill Roderick McElroy. Unfortunately, I don't know of any weakness and you seem to know him better than I do."

"That man 'as no weakness." Danny muttered.

William hissed in annoyance. "Of course he does. Everyone has a weakness."

"The only thing that could 'urt Roderick McElroy is 'urting 'is family. And when ye 'arm them, yer as good as dead. And 'e keeps a good eye on them. None go unprotected."

William growled. He may as well just kill the man before him. He served no use.

"And that bastard took me Lilith away and now she's carrying 'is bastard." Danny mumbled more to himself than anyone else.

Hearing what Danny said, William's head snapped up. "Roderick has a mated? My men spied on Roderick a fortnight ago and he has no wife."

"And who told ye 'e was married? Roderick McElroy took the virginity of my fiancée and impregnated 'er with 'is bastard."

The bloody fool wasn't making any sense! William was tempted to kill him already. But that would upset his father. And William did not want to get on his father's bad side.

"And where is Roderick's mated right now?"

"'is mated? Ye mean my fiancée?" Danny all but shouted.

Growling low, William composed himself. "Very well. Where is your fiancée?"

"She be living with 'er aunt in a yonder village. After Roderick McElroy 'ad 'is way with 'er, she ran away in shame. Her babe is tae be due soon. I saw her naught long ago. I've been watching 'er. But after what 'appened, I doona want Roderick McElroy's left overs nor 'is bastard, ye ken?"

"This woman...your fiancée, Lilith. Are you saying she's unprotected?"

"Aye, Roderick's been going mad trying tae find 'er. But 'e's no idea where she is. And I'll not be telling 'im either. I'm going tae get my revenge on Roderick McElroy and make that whore of 'is my pliant bitch."

William's deep laugh echoed through the walls of the cave. "My, my. You're quite bitter aren't you? Bitterness gets you nowhere. It just festers until you can't handle it anymore. Anger is what gets things done. It gives you the power to destroy those who dare stand in your way. Now, you're going to tell me where to find this Lilith and we'll both see to Roderick McElroy's demise." William went over to Danny and cut him loose. For a moment, both men just stared at each other before William put his hand out. Danny stared at the offered hand before taking it and sealing their deal.

Ullapool, Scotland

1416

Lilith had been working outside in her aunt's garden when her water broke. She was laughing and crying all at the same time, unable to fathom the happiness she felt that her baby was coming. She called out to her aunt who quickly rushed to her side to help her into the house. Her aunt left to get the midwife.

For fourteen hours, Lilith was in labor until she finally gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. She named her son Bran Roderick for her father and the father of her child. Over the next year, Bran Roderick grew up to be a noted troublemaker in the house. He filled the home with laughter and love. There wasn't another boy who was as obviously loved by his mother as Bran Roderick.

Meanwhile, Danny watched over Lilith and his anger grew every day. That bastard child would grow up to look just like his father, but he had his mother's green eyes instead of his father's golden-brown. Danny didn't think he'd have to wait so long for revenge. But William assured him that the time was near. They were gathering more forces so they could destroy the McElroy clan. So Danny remained patient, watching as Lilith showered her son with all her love.

That could have been my son and my wife, Danny would always tell himself. But it was too late. He'd get his revenge.

"Whit ye got there?" Lilith asked her son as he hid something behind his back. He shook his head and gave Lilith a big smile.

"Aunt Isla." Bran Roderick replied in his best one-and-a-half year old voice.

"Ohhh, really now? A gift for aunt Isla." Lilith laughed as Bran Roderick nodded. "And ye ma canna take a look?"

Her son shook his head no again and Lilith pouted.

"Shhh." Bran Roderick warned as he revealed to Lilith what was behind his back.

"Well now. That's a beautiful flower ye got there. Ye dinna happen tae take it from aunt Isla's garden did ye?" Bran Roderick looked away guiltily at his mother's question and Lilith laughed again. She picked up her son and cuddled him. "Doona worry. I'm sure she'll be flattered at the thought. Hurry along. We have tae get supper ready. I'll race ye."

Lilith put her son down and they both began to run towards the house laughing. She let him win like she always did. It was already dark by the time they got home. When they reached the house, the door was ajar and it was dark inside. Lilith knew something was wrong. Her eyes got big as she screamed for Bran Roderick.

"No! Don't go inside! Bran!" Lilith yelled after her son, but it was too late. A man picked him up with ease as he fought back, kicking and screaming.

Before Lilith knew what was happening, someone had grabbed her from behind. He whispered in her ear to be quiet and Lilith froze.

"Danny?" she gasped as he dragged her into the house.

Lilith was pushed down to sit in a chair as another man lit the fireplace. A scream bubbled up in the back of her throat as she saw her mangled aunt lying dead on the floor. There was blood everywhere. Bran Roderick began to sob when he saw the corpse. He bit the man holding him and ran to his mother. Lilith cradled her son close and hid his face as she looked around her. There were about four men, one of them was Danny.

"Danny," Lilith's mouth quivered. "Whit 'appened?"

"This is whit's going tae 'appen. I want tae kill Roderick McElroy and ye are going tae 'elp me."

"No!" Lilith screamed. "I'll never do that." She spat at Danny's feet.

His eyes began to glow an eerie blue as he opened his mouth and hissed at her, showing her impossibly long canines. He tore Lilith's son away from her and held the boy in the air, kicking and screaming for his mother.

"Monster! Whit are ye?" Lilith asked in fear. Danny made a mock motion to break Bran Roderick's arm and Lilith began to shout and beg. "No no! I'm sorry. Please, put 'im down!"

Snorting in disgust, Danny more or less threw Bran Roderick back to his mother. "This is whit's going tae 'appen. Ye must lure Roderick McElroy away from 'is village. 'e needs tae be alone. If ye do this, we'll give yer son back and let the both of ye live."

"Whit are ye goin' to do with Roderick?"

"Whit does it matter? If ye doona do as I say, I'll just kill yer son now."

"Alright! I'll do it. Just please...doona 'urt my baby boy."

"As long as ye do whit yer told, neither of ye will be 'armed." Danny lied.

Roderick hadn't given up looking for Lilith, but with the undeniable threat of the blood suckers' growing numbers, he had to focus his energy elsewhere. He and his brothers were growing tense. They could feel a war was coming soon and they had to prepare themselves. He was going over some emergency evacuation plans for his clan when there was a knock on the door. The moment the door opened Roderick thought he smelled Lilith. He pushed the thought aside as he told himself to focus.

The man at the door cleared his throat. "My laird. Lilith Caldwell is here to see you."

Roderick's eyes shot up from his paperwork and connected with Lilith's. "Leave." Roderick ordered the man as Lilith stepped into the room.

When the door shut behind her, Lilith found herself in Roderick's arms and his lips were against hers. He kissed her roughly, almost desperately before burying his face in the crook of her neck where he bit her over two years ago. Roderick inhaled that intoxicating scent of his mated before pulling back and staring into her eyes.

"Ye bloody idiot. Where 'ave ye been?" Roderick demanded. He didn't wait for her answer before he was kissing her again, possessing her mouth with such dominance that Lilith shivered. She wrapped her arms around his neck and began to kiss him back.

A guilty pain shot through her body as she thought about her son. Their son. Lilith tore herself away from Roderick and held his head between her hands.

"I need tae talk tae ye." She said quietly.

"Later," was Roderick's reply as he pushed her against the door and began to tear at their clothing.

Lilith fought with him. "No! We need tae talk now!" She cried.

With great restraint, Roderick released her and let out an angry breath. When he looked into her teary eyes, his anger drained away. "Whit about?"

"Not 'ere. Come with me. By the river we used tae swim in." Lilith said.

"I canna do that. Things 'ave 'appened and I'm needed 'ere."

"Please." Lilith pleaded. "It willna take long. I promise."

"Fine. Lead the way." Roderick and Lilith snuck out of the village together to head to the river. The walk was very quiet and it unnerved Roderick. So he tried to strike up a conversation. "So...whaur 'ave ye been?"

The sound of Roderick's voice made Lilith jump. "I've been staying with my aunt. She lives about a fortnight's travel from 'ere."

"Why'd ye leave?" It was the question Roderick had been asking for the past two years.

"Simple. I loved ye tae much."

Roderick reached for Lilith and stopped her. Spinning her around so they faced each other, Roderick tilted her chin up. They looked into each other's eyes and Roderick wondered why Lilith looked so sad. She pulled away and continued towards the river.

When they got there Roderick couldn't take it anymore. He pulled Lilith into his arms and she began to cry. She was mumbling something against his chest and Roderick laughed lightly.

"Whit are ye sniffling about?" He teased her.

"Forgive me."

Before Roderick could understand what she said he was suddenly aware of the presence of vrykolakas. He moved Lilith to behind him with intentions of protecting her with his life. Roderick regretted not having told Lilith what he was earlier. Now she'd have to find out what kind of monster he was. When the figures stepped out of the shadow he was surprised.

"Daniel Ross?" Roderick asked, slightly confused. Lilith began to move away from Roderick and he reached for her. "Be careful! Lilith-" the rest of his sentence died in his throat as she walked right up to Daniel and wrapped her arms around him.

Just like Danny told Lilith to do, she hugged him and tipped her face up for a kiss. Swallowing down the urge to throw up, Lilith let Danny hold her and kiss her. She tried not to look at Roderick. Lilith hated herself more than she could put into words.

Pain seared his whole body at Lilith's betrayal. It wasn't until she walked right into Daniel's arms and kissed him did Roderick feel as if his heart was torn out of his chest. Looking up into the night's sky, Roderick howled as his body began to contort. Lilith fell onto her butt as she scrambled away. The others in the shadows began to attack and the beast shredded its attackers. Daniel retreated, leaving Lilith behind. Roderick advanced towards her in his monstrous form. She looked at his fearsome appearance and was scared witless. It wasn't so much the way he looked, but the fact that he probably wanted to kill her.

A scream pierced the air and the beast lifted its head in the direction of the village. Roderick looked at Lilith one last time, unable to kill the woman he once loved, before darting to his village to save his clan who was being slaughtered by the vampires.

 Roderick arrived in town to find the houses being burned to the ground. Another high pitched scream echoed in the cold night and Roderick ran to the sound. He found Jenna holding a sword with their younger brothers behind her. Their brothers had just reached puberty, their wolf forms were new to them and they didn't know how to control it. And since it was a new moon, they were at their weakest.

"Roderick!" Jenna screamed for help.

As if everything was happening in slow motion, Roderick began to run towards his younger siblings as he felt blades stabbed into his sides. He was staked to the ground in his werewolf form. His younger siblings were slain before him. Kieran was busy trying to fight off the vampires before he too was outnumbered and slaughtered.

There was a distant howl before another werewolf appeared. Roderick spoke to his brother telepathically.

Rowan...our people are being slaughtered. 'Elp them.

Rowan searched throughout the village only to see that nearly everyone had been killed. He would have been there sooner, but had to gather reinforcements. Most of the blood suckers were being taken care of, but they had already wrought their damage. Rowan found Roderick staked to the ground and quickly changed back into his human form to pull out the swords. Weak from loss of blood, Roderick's body changed into his human form and Rowan helped keep his brother steady. They walked through the village, hoping to find someone alive.

There was one vampire, surrounded by the werewolf reinforcements and their followers. He was carrying what looked like to be a child. Roderick caught scent of the child and was surprised to sense the boy was of shifter heritage. Before anyone moved, the vampire bit the boy in a spiteful act. The reinforcement descended and quickly killed the blood sucker. Roderick looked at the babe on the ground. The vampire made sure to sever the jugular and the child was choking on his own blood. Roderick picked up a sword to put the boy out of his misery.

 Lilith ran through the forest trying to get back to the village. Where was her baby? She reached the end of the forest at the end of the village. She ran through the place, looking for her son.

"Bran! Bran!" She cried throughout the place.

She kept running until she came across people gathered around something. Looking closely she saw her son. Roderick limped towards their baby with a sword in his hand. Lilith was about to scream when a hand closed around her mouth. She fought against the hand, tears blurring her sight as she was dragged backwards. She watched Roderick's sword fall as she felt her heart shatter.




Blood Moon Ch. 02



Syra tried her best to see through the curtain of her hair and the sting of her tears as she ran through the corridors. She had never been so embarrassed or mortified in her whole life. Now the entire work force would know that she was attracted to Dominic, and that she wasn't an Ice Princess like everyone thought. This meant more advances from the men and more difficulty getting along with the women who worked here. 

She continued to run, out of the compound and headed for the woods, the one place no one knew she ever went to, so it was the last place they would look for her. In all of her twenty-one years had she ever wanted someone as bad as she did Dominic, and with what had happened five years ago, she knew he would never want her. Memories started to flow over her as she tripped on a branch and tumbled down a large hill, her roll stopped by a large rock to her side. Gasping for breath she kept running trying to force the memory away, trying to keep from reliving that night. Her efforts were to no avail as she again fell, this time in a clearing. Night had already settled in, and the darkness mixed with the biting cold wind only helped to make her memories more real. She remembered coming home and seeing her family dead on the floor, remembered the rouge vampire that had stood in the corner smiling. She felt his claws as he dragged them down her side, and his fangs as the buried themselves in her arm, tearing away flesh. She could feel the pain and fear as he pinned her to the ground and began tearing away her clothing, the hope she felt when she grabbed the broken leg of a chair, and the victory she got as she stabbed him through the back as he tore into her throat with his teeth. She felt the pain of the change again, fangs ripping through her gums, her senses heightening.

Syra touched the scar on her arm and struggled against tears that threatened to fall. She knew that Dominic wouldn't want her; she was a created vampire, not one that was born. Other men didn't want her, fear of her killing them or disgust at her scars. The men who did look at her were known to be violent and abusive. She had kept her secret about Dominic since she had met him when she had first come to this place, and now everyone knew. She shuddered as cold settled into her body, making the freezing wind feel too hot on her skin. Tears that she had never shed now tried to pour down her cheeks as she curled into a ball on the dried grass and closed her eyes tightly. She wondered what it would feel like to freeze to death, knowing that she couldn't. Even if she wasn't born a vampire, she was still one and that meant she couldn't die. 

As she lay there, Syra allowed herself a few minutes to think of Dominic. She didn't really know much about him other then the fact that he was always surrounded by women and was the best fighter at SEA. He was sexy and from the rumors she heard, very good in bed. There had been several nights she had fallen asleep thinking about what he would be like, and more then a few times she dreamed of him, always waking before she came. Like now, she could feel herself drifting to sleep as she thought of him, wishing that she would have one chance to be with him, that he would be the first to take her. Then her eyes slid closed and she fell into darkness.

*.................*..................*........................*.....................*

"Has anyone seen Syramalik?"

Several people turned to Dan when he asked the question. Most of them had a look of confusion on their faces. 

"Did you check her room?" someone asked

"Yes and she isn't there. Nor is she anywhere to be found in the compound." Dan answered

"She probably ran off somewhere else after her little secret was found out."

Dan looked over at the speaker, a kid named Ron who had been with the team for two years and felt like something bad had happened.

"What secret would that be?" Dan asked

"That she likes Dominic and lusts after him." Ron answered causing several people to chuckle. Dan on the other hand was not amused in the slightest. 

"You realize that it is fifteen degrees outside and if she left in her training outfit her body will have to use blood to keep warm? That and the fact that she hasn't fed means she could end up going into a bloodlust?"

Silence again filled the room and this time no one even seemed to be breathing.

"We need to go out and look for her. If she is out and about that could cause a lot of problems, especially since the Vampiric Council is coming her and will be here soon."

No one said anything as Dan left, but instead began to bundle up in warm clothing, grabbing a few bags of blood each incase she was in a bloodlust. Dominic was in the men's locker room, when he heard Ron and several other guys talking in low voices. He crept closer to hear what was being said.

"I don't understand why we have to look for the crazy bitch anyways. She is a liability to the place." Ron said

"I agree. Plus I just can't stand how uppity she acts. Like she is better then all of us." A guy called Greg stated

"After we find her we should teach her that she isn't. You know, show her that she is still a female and should learn her place." Ron laughed as he said his

Several of the other guys nodded and Dominic felt anger over take him. He didn't like the fact that Syra was attracted to him, but he couldn't simply allow her to be injured. The way these men were talking, they planned rape and that alone made them want to rip out their throats. The fact that it was Syra didn't matter, it was just the idea. Dominic left quickly deciding he would find her first, just to make sure nothing happened. He was half way across the front field heading to the street when he saw a group of figures walking from the woods, one of them carrying a woman. This was the Vampiric Council, and they had Syra with them. 

Dominic stepped forward and looked at the man carrying Syra. His hair was the same shad of Dominic's only the eyes were different, a deep emerald green. Dominic smiled showing a hint of fang.

"Prince Lucian, I will take the girl now." He said

"Now brother, why would I want to hand over this lovely creature? She is unclaimed and one of us, I was thinking she might like to join us at Court."

Dominic growled low in his throat and Lucian chuckled, his eyes alight with amusement.

"Should I take that to mean that you mean to claim her?" Lucian asked

"No! I will not be claiming her; however I have a problem with you fondling my co-worker. Please hand her over." He said again trying to keep from growling again.

"Seeing as I am already holding her, after I had to put her under a forced sleep to keep her from attacking us. And she is unclaimed and untouched, therefore making her claimable to any vampire or demon who wishes to do so. You know you and her are coming back with us, and if she is not protected then she will be in danger. So if you will not take her then I will." Lucian stated, staring hard at Dominic

Dominic felt panic flash through him as he thought back to the time he had been at Court. It was true that if a female did not have a protector or was part of the royal family, then they ended up being abused. He didn't want that to happen to Syra, it would break her and she would never be able to work again. She did need a protector as she would be new to the Court ways, and though he didn't want to do it, Lucian had never been his first choice in the list of people that he could give her too. The look in his brother's green eyes told him if he did not claim her now, then he would, leaving Dominic with no real choice in the matter.

"Then I, Prince Dominic LeSabor, claim, Syramalik Veghan, as mine."

Lucian smiled as he handed Syra to his brother, trying to stop himself from laughing. He knew from the woman's mind that she greatly wanted Dominic, yet he had never shown any interest in her. This was an interesting development if he did say so himself. 

Dominic held Syra carefully in his arms, surprised that she was so light and yet she could pin him. It was easy to tell by looking at her face that she was in a forced slumber, her face was too relaxed and she was very pale, leading to the fact that she would be in a bloodlust when she woke up. He hadn't brought any blood bags with him, leaving him only one choice. Dominic concentrated hard removing the sleep spell Lucian had woven in her mind and braced himself when she started to struggle violently in his arms. 

Syra awoke, hunger ripping through her, her body starving for blood. She could smell blood under the skin of whoever was holding her, could hear the pulse of the coursing life giving fluid. Her fangs slid free of her gums and she leaned up quickly, sinking her teeth into the persons neck. Pleasure flooded her at the sweet metallic taste that flowed into her mouth with each strong pull she took. Strength came back to her body as did sanity, and it was then she realized that it was Dominic that held her, Dominic who's blood was now flowing in her veins. 

Syra licked the puncture marks in his neck then pulled back looking into Dominic's eyes. His face had a fine sweat covering his body and his breath was heavy. His eyes were hooded showing no emotion, his mind closed tightly. 

"I am sorry Dominic. I...I didn't mean for that to happen." She said softly

"It's fine. Can you walk?" He asked

Syra nodded and he set her on the ground, holding her a moment to ensure that she could stand. It was then that she noticed the other men slightly behind them. She looked over each of them, felt the power that radiated from them and lowered her head knowing who they were.

"I am sorry that you had to witness my moment of weakness. I hope that you will forgive me this lapse." She spoke gently and with respect in her voice

"There is nothing to be sorry for, my dear, though I find it strange that you speak with reverence to us and not to my brother. He is a prince you know." Lucian said

Syra looked from the green eyed man in front of her to Dominic, her eyes widening slightly as she noticed the resemblance and could now feel the power from him. A blush stole over her features and she bowed to Dominic quickly thoroughly embarrassed for not noticing it before.

Dominic heaved a sigh and glared at Lucian who just smiled like they were sharing a secret.

"Let us go to Dan's office we have much to discuss." He said.

He turned and walked to the compound, leaving Syra to follow some distance behind the whole group. She wondered why they were all here but was sure she would find out soon. 



Blood Moon Ch. 02



Lilith let the hands drag her away. She didn't care anymore whether she lived or died. Please, she begged, someone just kill me! The hands released her and Lilith fell onto the dirt. She lay there, wishing she could stay there forever and rot away. Instead, Lilith curled into a ball and cried until her very soul ached.

Danny had dragged Lilith back to their hideout. She refused to even look at him. The moment he put her down, Lilith found the nearest corner of the room and closed her eyes. She listened to conversation around her, not really comprehending any of it. Eventually she fell asleep.

Lilith woke up to sharp slaps on her face. Instantly, she began to fight, clawing and kicking at whoever was touching her. Strong hands grabbed her upper arms and shook her viciously, snapping her out of her nightmare. Lilith woke up to another nightmare. Danny was above her, grinning like a madman.

"A bad dream?" He taunted.

Lilith clawed Danny's face. The welts instantly healed and he slammed her against the wall. As Lilith sunk to the ground, memories of her son came back to her and tears pricked her eyes.

"Ye dinna like Roderick's revenge?"

"I'm not listening tae any of your lies. Leave me be." Lilith sniffled, curling into the fetal position and sobbing.

"I'm sick and tired of all yer damn crying." Danny shouted. "Roderick killed yer son. Ye saw it yerself. I told 'em the babe was yers and mine. He saw the best way tae hurt us was tae kill our babe."

"Liar!" Lilith shrieked. "Bran was not our son! 'e belongs tae me and..." Lilith choked. "Roderick." She finished.

"Does it really matter? 'e killed yer son. 'ow does that make ye feel?"

Lilith bit on her lip. Had Roderick really think Bran was her and Danny's son? And even then...did he really hate her so much that he'd kill an innocent babe? All to get back at them? Deep down...she hated Roderick. How could he kill an innocent child? Their innocent baby! How could he?

Lilith broke into more tears, this time screaming out in anger. Her anger began to build into bitterness. Now she wanted to kill Roderick. The anger and bitterness boiled in the pit of her stomach. It almost made her heave.

"More bloody crying?" Danny picked up Lilith and threw her on the ground. He began to tear at her clothing as she tried to fight him off. "I'm going tae finally have whit I want."

The weight of his body was suffocating. She was so exhausted from all the crying. She couldn't think and started to black out. All of a sudden, the weight was lifted. Lilith vaguely remembered seeing a face over hers. He was smiling down at her, saying everything was going to be alright.

"William!" Danny hissed. Before Danny could move, William's hand was through his chest.

William leaned in close to whisper in Danny's ear. "You didn't tell me how beautiful Lilith is. I think I'll keep her for myself. I should thank you for all the help you provided, as obnoxious as you were in the past two years."

Closing his hand around Danny's heart and crushing it, Danny turned into a pile of dust and bones at William's feet. Then William walked to Lilith and touched her face gently.

"Everything will be alright, sweet. You'll be safe with me." He was captivated with her beauty. And a part of him wanted her to want him. First, he'd have to gain her trust. And what better way to do that than being her savior? Picking her up, he held her delicately. "Hush now. Sleep. I'll take care of you."

Lilith didn't trust the man. But she felt safer with him than with Danny. That wasn't saying much, but at the moment she was too tired to complain. His words whispered through her mind. Sleep now. Her eyelids felt too heavy to keep open any longer. As she fell asleep, he carried her elsewhere.



Blood Moon Ch. 03



England

1416

Lilith woke up slowly. She looked around the dim room and noticed there was a strange man beside her bed. She spied the door at the end of the room and bolted. In less than a second he was in front of her, blocking her escape. Fighting with him, Lilith tried to claw pass him. Eventually she slumped to the ground and cried. She didn't want to be there. All this was just a nightmare and she'd wake up to her baby boy sleeping beside her.

William bent down and lifted his hand to place on her head. Afraid that he was about to hit her, Lilith cowered away. But he held her, whispering comforting things into her ear. His body was so cold and Lilith shivered against him. His hypnotic voice lulled her back to sleep and the next time she woke up, she didn't have the urge to run away again. Honestly...she couldn't remember what happened.

"Whaur am I?" Lilith croaked.

Jolting up in his seat beside her bed, William woke up at the sound of her voice. "Good morning." William paused before pouring her some water. "Well I expect it's more like noon, but down here no one really knows." He offered her a smile and Lilith looked away shyly.

"Why am I 'ere? And whaur is 'ere?" She whispered from behind the sheet she held in front of her face.

William thought about how much to tell her. He had her memories sealed, but he wasn't sure if his powers were strong enough to seal everything and he knew that he wasn't strong enough to keep her memories sealed forever. Tapping his foot impatiently, William fought with himself.

"When I found you, you were in need of help and we're underground. There is a war above, so it's best we stay here." He watched as Lilith nodded her head slowly, seemingly understanding.

"'ow long 'ave I been 'ere?" Lilith put down the sheet she hid behind and graciously took the cup of water.

As she sipped at it, William replied. "You should rest more. It's not good for you to be up and about so soon." He tucked Lilith back in bed and she blushed from his attentions. "I'll tell you more when you get your strength back." Lilith nodded again and wiggled to find a comfortable position. She looked at William and thanked him before falling asleep. Oddly she trusted that he wouldn't harm her.

Eventually she got better, but she missed outdoors and sunlight. William kept her locked up in a dim room all the time. Her food and baths were brought in by servants who didn't speak to her. She began to crave company. And the only company she got was William's. At first she despised him for keeping her locked up and never telling her anything, but then over time she began to notice a change. He was always polite if somewhat distant. But she enjoyed his company and even began to anticipate the next visit.

 William was sitting across of Lilith watching her eat. She swallowed her food and looked at him.

"Aren't ye gonna eat?" She spoke up. Lilith asked the same question day after day. And his answer was always either 'I've already eaten' or 'I've no appetite'. Lilith wondered which one he would use this time.

"I already had supper." He explained.

Lilith sighed and pushed her plate away from her. She suddenly wasn't hungry.

"Aren't you going to eat?" William parroted her earlier words. Lilith shrugged and got up from the table.

William wished he could have supper with her, but his body didn't digest food properly. He'd end up with an upset stomach. If he did eat solids, it would have to be such a small amount that it would be insignificant and more so a waste of time.  Lilith sat down at her vanity table and picked up her brush. Coming up from behind her, William took the brush from her hands and began to brush her hair. She sat there, letting him cater to her like he always did. Then he leaned down to whisper in her ear and Lilith watched her reflection as her eyes widened. She was speechless.

William stood and walked to the door. He turned towards Lilith. "I'll wait for your answer." With that, he knocked twice on the door for it to be unlocked from the other side.

What would her reply be? Did Lilith love him?

He took good care of her and even though he kept her lock inside that one room, she was safe. Lilith wanted to make him happy. The more she thought about his confession of love, the greater the ache in her chest. Did that mean she felt the same? Is that what love felt like? It must be, Lilith told herself. Sleeping on her decision, Lilith waited until William would see her again. It seemed like an eternity passed before he visited.

There was a knock on the door and William on the other side asking if he could enter. Lilith ran to the mirror to pinch her cheeks and run the brush through her hair a couple times before calling out.

"Aye." She answered as the door creaked open. She gave him a big smile as he entered with his gaze downcast. When they made eye contact, her smile widened and William slowly smiled back.

"I doona ken what love is, but e'ery time I think about ye my 'eart aches. I doona know if that is what love is suppose tae feel like. O'er time I think I can come tae love ye, but I just canna say the words at this moment. Will ye wait for me?"

William rushed to Lilith and held her in his arms, whispering in her hair that he would wait forever if he had to, as long as there was a chance. Then she was let out of her room. Lilith was still never allowed outside during the day. William would take her out at night, but refused to let her see the sunlight. He didn't like her going anywhere without him and it was becoming suffocating.

 The first time William kissed her, they had been outside in the fields. There was a full moon so the flowers were beautifully illuminated under the moon's glow. Since it was nippy out, Lilith had brought a quilt along and was wrapped up warmly. They both were just staring up at the moon when Lilith shivered. With a laugh, William pulled her closer, not that it would have made her warmer. The fact that he was a vampire and his body was dead meant he could not emanate any heat. Not that Lilith knew any of that. However, she found gesture sweet and snuggled closer. She looked up to smile at him and that was when he leaned down slightly and their lips touched.

At first she was shocked that his lips were so cold, but the slight tingle urged her to kiss him back. So she did. Lilith pressed her lips against his and William groaned at her enthusiasm. Soon his tongue was invading the warmth of her mouth and in the back of her mind, Lilith thought it felt different...but different from what? As far as she knew, that was her first kiss. While she expected the kiss to be warm, his tongue was cold as it expertly played with hers, coaxing Lilith to open her mouth wider. Eventually they ended up on the ground with Lilith's arms wrapped around his neck. William broke away from their kiss and buried his face in her neck, inhaling. When he caught scent of her mating mark, he growled low in his throat and Lilith jumped.  "Whit's wrong?" She breathed, her hands loosening from around his neck.

"Nothing's wrong." William replied as he began to suck and nibble on her neck. He was so tempted to bite, but he held himself back.

Lilith felt a moan build in the back of her throat as she arched her body against William. Her soft curves made contact with his hard body and again William had to resist rubbing himself against her. Pretty soon he wouldn't be able to be gentle with her and he might hurt her. The last thing William wanted was to hurt Lilith. So he pulled back, forcing himself to stop. Lilith's eyes flickered open and there was a look of disappointment on her face.

Smoothing back the worried look on Lilith's face, William kissed her, saying they should take it slow. From then on, they went out on their nightly walks which always ended up in William having to stop himself before he lost control. Lilith began to grow worried, not knowing why William seemed to distance himself. He always gave the excuse that she wasn't ready for what he wanted to do her. And Lilith was curious, but William never explained in depth. So one day, she decided to ask Megan, the servant girl.

"Megan, whit happens between a man and a woman?"

Stumbling over herself, Megan felt a blush creeping on her cheeks. True, she wasn't innocent and hadn't been for awhile, but discussing such a topic was something else entirely. Before Megan had been taken from her village to serve these 'masters' underground, she had been married to her long time sweetheart. Megan was near Lilith's age and she knew quite a lot about what happened between a man and a woman. Lilith gave Megan an expectant look and Megan cleared her throat before beginning.

"Well...women are different from men..." Megan began. She explained vaguely to Lilith about the pleasures to be found in sharing another's bed and by the end, Lilith was extremely curious.

So she asked Megan how she could better attract William's attention. Megan gave Lilith a smile and told her that Lilith didn't have to try hard. But if Lilith really wanted to get his attention, maybe she could try greeting him naked the next time he came to see her. That caused Lilith to blush profusely and hide her head in her pillow. But if that would get William's attention, she would give it a try.

William stood in front of Lilith's door, afraid to knock. Over the past month, it was getting harder and harder for him not to tear off her clothes and take her. The only way he could make himself weak as to not hurt her, would be to not feed. But not feeding would make him desperate to bite her. The more William thought about it, he decided he wouldn't starve himself because that could harm her more than if they were to have sex.

He knocked twice on the door and listened intently as there was shuffling on the other side. Lilith told him to wait a moment and he heard something fall over and Lilith cursing. That caused him to smile a bit and he relaxed, waiting until she said it was alright for him to enter. When she said she was ready, William opened the door and scanned the room, not seeing Lilith anywhere.

As his eyes reached the bed, he saw her lying there naked. He quickly shut the door behind him and then approached the bed. Lilith looked adorably nervous as she tried her best not to cover up under his intense stare. When William reached the foot of the bed, he trailed his fingertips over her ankle and up her leg. Pulling his hand back, William took a seat on the bed and faced Lilith.

"What's this all about?" He quirked a brow and Lilith's blush intensified under the dim light of the flickering candles.

"I want tae be yours." Lilith answered nervously.

The playful look on William's face was replaced by one of alarm. He did not prepare himself for this and denying her now would probably inflame Lilith's growing insecurities. Excuses ran through William's head as he tried desperately to think of something to say. That was until Lilith sat up and in a brave move, placed her hands on his shoulders and leaned down to kiss him.

He kissed her back, gently laying her down on the bed. William covered her warm body with his cold one as his hand trailed from her knee to her inner thigh. Making certain that what he was doing was what Lilith wanted, William pulled back to ask.

"Are you sure?"

Biting down on her lower lip, Lilith tried to pay attention to what William was asking of her. His fingers were drawing lazy circles on her inner thigh and she just couldn't think. Then his fingers stilled and William looked into her eyes and repeated the question.

"Aye. This is whit I want." Lilith nearly panted, rubbing herself against him in a plea for him to continue.

With great restraint, William sat up. "You are not going to be allowed to touch me." Lilith opened her mouth to complain, but William kissed her quickly. "Shhh, let me explain. If you were to touch me, I wouldn't be able to control myself. Either you promise not to touch me or I'll have to tie you up." He gave her a wicked grin and Lilith felt her cheeks burn. "Which one will it be?"

"I promise not tae touch." Lilith whispered softly.

William nodded and pushed Lilith back onto the bed. He kissed her softly, holding his body above hers. Kissing a trail down her neck, William knew Lilith was aching to touch. She held onto the sheets as William's mouth moved lower. He flicked his tongue over her nipple which instantly hardened at the cool touch. Gasping at the sensation, Lilith couldn't help it when her hands flew to his hair.

As Lilith's hands made contact with his head, William looked up and gave her a grin. He pulled back and reached for the sheet. Tearing a long strip, he cocked a brow at Lilith's confused expression.

"We had an agreement." William pointed out, motioning for Lilith to offer her wrists to him.

Wanting to please him, Lilith held out her hands. William nibbled on the inside of her wrists before binding them together. He made sure to ask if it was too tight and Lilith shook her head no. Then he tied her hands to the wooden headboard of the bed and went back to sucking on her nipples.

Lilith was thrashing wildly on the bed as his hand moved to between her thighs. William was amazed at how wet she was. He used her juices to lubricate her clit as he rubbed his thumb in circles over it. Lilith was whimpering and arching her body up to him as William slid a cold finger into her warm pussy. He felt her muscles suck at his finger and he groaned at the thought of having his cock in there. But he wanted to have her climax before he did that. So he kept penetrating her with his finger, adding a second as she got wetter. His thumb was still rubbing her clit as he sucked on one nipple and pinched the other. When Lilith came, William kept his two fingers still inside of her, feeling her clench around them.

He pulled his fingers out and put them to Lilith's mouth. "Suck them clean." He ordered.

Lilith opened her mouth and sucked on his fingers. She was a bit embarrassed at what he was making her do, but it also made her extremely aroused. It was difficult for William not to bite her, right then and there. Her heart was racing and he could hear every beat. Her pulse drowned out everything and he could feel his canines elongating. What brought him out of his blood haze was when Lilith pulled back and kissed the inside of his palm. William looked down at her and was able to hold himself back.

Moving down her body, William licked his way down. He spread her legs wide and felt himself grinning when Lilith's breathing became harsher. He placed his face between her legs and inhaled.

"I want to eat this beautiful cunt of yours. Will you let me, Lilith?" William asked, craving for her to accept his ownership over her.

She nodded, swallowing a few times. But William was not satisfied with a mere nod. He blew cool air between her legs and repeated his question.

"Aye!" Lilith gasped, feeling her toes curl.

"Beg me to eat your cunt, Lilith."

 Lilith stopped thrashing, but continued to breathe harshly. "Please William. Please, eat my cunt."

With a victorious smile, William buried his head between her thighs and began to suck on her clit. He licked up and down her slit, pushing his tongue into her hole. Lilith was going to climax again. He would feel it by the way her body was tensing. And the next time she was going to come, he wanted to be inside of her. Just before Lilith was pushed over the edge, William unbuttoned his breeches and pushed his cock into her. They both moaned at the contrast of her tight, warm pussy and his cold, penetrating cock.

He moved slowly at first, getting her accustomed to the invasion. But she began to buck against him, begging for something. Lilith couldn't place what it was.

"Please, oh please." She moaned over and over as he pounded in and out of her.

William moved his fingers to her pussy and began to rub her clit roughly. Lilith came again, her pussy spasmed around William's cock as he continued to thrust in and out of her. With one last groan, William came inside of Lilith, causing tingles to shoot across her body again as she was filled with his cold, sticky cum. William held himself on his elbows above Lilith before leaning down and kissing her. She kissed him back. The coldness of his body was comforting against her heated skin and Lilith felt drowsy all of a sudden. He untied her and kissed her bruised wrists.

That was the first night William slept in her bed. Well he didn't do much sleeping really. He stayed up most of the night, worried that he'd crush her in his sleep.

Their relationship progressed from that point. Lilith was quite amorous and William couldn't keep his hands off of her although he made sure she kept her hands off of him. Either he'd tie her up or had her bent over. Lilith didn't mind because William always made sure to please her before getting his own release. After the first night they shared, William was growing increasingly possessive.

But even with that said, Lilith couldn't wait until the next time he would make love to her. His body was always so cold. When his chilled, hard cock would push into her slick heat she'd moan at the contrast. One time he even bit her to a point she bled, driving her over the edge to the most powerful orgasm she ever had with him. He kept sucking on her throat and soon Lilith grew light-headed.

In his excitement, William was crushing her and drinking far too much blood than was safe to take. By the time he had stopped, Lilith was near passing out. And at that point, he realized that their relationship would not work if she was to stay human. He made it a habit to be even gentler than he normally was. Sometimes Lilith would ask him to be rougher, but he'd confuse her with the answer that he didn't want to break her.

Then one day William asked Lilith if she wanted to be with him forever.

"Of course." Lilith replied, not understanding the depth of her words.

But William was unconvinced. He had sealed her memories with a type of hypnosis that came with his transformation into a vampire. Lilith had no idea that he was anything but human. He wanted to show her before he turned her. Those ignorant and fearful of the transition did not live pass the most traumatic part of it. He needed to prepare her.

 Lilith had been taking a bath in a big wooden tub when one of the servants came into the room with flowers. The servant said that William had gotten the flowers for her and after a meeting with his father, would be in to see her. Lilith had met William's father on one occasion.

William had her bent over his study table as he pounded in and out of her when his father came bursting into the room. He was demanding to know about a pet he heard his son was keeping. The look he raked Lilith with was nothing short of disgust. He didn't like her from the moment he knew about her.

Lilith's effect on William was obvious. One little suggestion she would make and William would do everything in his power to see it done. She had been ushered out of the room just as she heard the words 'lycan whore' before the door closed. When William returned to their room later that night, neither of them spoke of the incident and for a few days later, Lilith was still making up excuses to put off having sex with William. Eventually she had gotten over it, but William hadn't.

For her disobedience, he had Lilith get on her knees and beg for his forgiveness. Lilith had been so desperate to please William that she did anything and everything he had asked of her. She touched herself like he ordered and even licked and sucked Megan's pussy until Lilith was granted forgiveness.

Now William was in another meeting with his father as Lilith took her bath. She looked over at the flowers and felt a pain in her chest. Touching her cheeks, Lilith found that she was crying. But why? A little voice echoed in her head 'aunt Isla!' the voice laughed. Suddenly, Lilith saw herself smiling down at a gorgeous baby boy, scolding him for picking aunt Isla's flowers.




Blood Moon Ch. 03



Syra remained silent as she listened to Dan, Dominic and the Vampire Council speak. Her brain was in shock from what they were saying. They wanted her to enter the Vampiric Court, to take her place among her own kind. They had already agreed that she would have to work here while she was there, but apparently the work could just be sent to her via monitor conferences. Dan was agreeing with what was being said, confirming Syra's thought that he already knew about this. She wasn't sure what to make of this, Dominic was going to, then again of course he would, and he was a damn prince. 

Syra hadn't figured out how to take that news yet. The man that she had known since she had came here, the man she desired above all others, was also one of the highest ranking members in the vampire society, someone she should fear. She couldn't understand why she had never noticed before, her only excuse being that he had shielded his energy level from her. She felt stupid and unsure how to act now; they could not continue as they had, it would show disrespect to him for her to argue and challenge him. It would also be wrong to fight every female he was with, as a prince he had the right to choose as he wished, even if it was not her.

"Does this all sound okay to you Syra?" Dan asked her

Syra looked at Dan, for the first time emotions shinning in her eyes, tears running down her cheeks.

"You have already decided on my fate without me knowing. You know full well that I cannot go against the Council of Vampires, so why ask if it is okay now?" She asked betrayal and sarcasm dripping from her tone.

"He did not mean to hurt you Syra. All of us believe it is time for you to take your place among your kind. Living forever with mortals will do you no good if you don't know the ways of vampires." Dominic stated softly

Syra's eyes flashed to him, anger coming before she could put her shields up, the room now swirling with the scent of cinnamon. 

"I will do as I have been told Prince Dominic."

Syra used the title as a weapon, a way to force herself to control herself and not attack the man in front of her. She didn't know why she felt like he had betrayed her, but she did.

"I will go pack my belongings and be ready in an hour. Is that expectable?" She asked

The men around the table nodded and Syra stood up and headed to the door, which opened for her quickly by Lucian. She looked up at him quizzically.

"I would be honored to help you pack your things if you don't mind having me along." He said his voice gentle and persuasive

"I would be honored if you would do so." She said

Dominic stood up quickly as Lucian and Syra walked from the room, but a hand landed on his arm holding him back. He turned to see another of his brothers, Dante, looking at him with a smile in his eyes.

"If I didn't know how much you disliked 'made' vampires, I would think that you wanted to protect her from Lucian's possible advances."

"She is my co-worker; of course I am going to protect her. Lucian is twice her size and five times her power level." Dominic said quickly

"Dominic, she is also a vampire, I am sure she can protect herself, especially if you have been training her." Dante said

"I haven't been training her at all. I haven't been able to get close to her; every time I try she either wants to fight me or runs off."

Dante looked at his brother and shook his head sadly.

"You realize she cares for you right?"

"It doesn't matter wither she does or not, she is not a born vampire, and she is too emotional. I could never go for someone like her, especially since she is a virgin." Dominic said in a growling tone

"Dominic, when are you going to let the past go? I don't think this is a woman who is easily pushed away, but I have a feeling if you sucked you would never be able to get her back." Dante replied

"I simply don't want her; the past has nothing to do with that. She is worth my time."

Syra walked quickly to her room, oblivious to the conversation that swirling about her downstairs. Lucian kept pace with her easily shooting looks at her from the corner of his eye. She was truly a beautiful woman, yet she didn't seem to notice. From what memories and thoughts he could catch from her, she didn't really see herself the same as other woman. He caught what other people thought of her from their minds, they thought her cold, unfeeling, and ice princess. Many men thought it would be good to teach her a man's body, some hated her for denying them, and the women hated her for her looks and the men's attention. He didn't agree with any of it. She wasn't cold, but instead seemed passionate and vibrant; she just needed the right man to open her up. He hoped it would be Dominic, but if he wouldn't do it willingly, Lucian would force his hand.

"You have known Dominic since you came her correct?" Lucian asked

"Yes."

"How did you not know that he was a prince?"

"He must have hidden his energy from me. Now I feel stupid for thinking that I could capture his attention. He must be used to woman so much better looking and sophisticated." Syra said

"Do you like my brother?" Lucian asked

"I don't think that matters."

With that Syra pulled open her door and walked into her room. Lucian's eyes widen as he saw where she had been living and felt anger slid throw him. The room was hardly more then a closet, a cot and several boxes were all that fit in there. A tiny window over looked the street below and it was nailed shut. Lucian had seen other rooms, all of them twice the size of this one and much better looking. He wondered if Dominic had ever been here and decided to ask.

-Dominic, have you ever entered Syra's room?-

-No why? - Dominic reply back

Lucian sent images of Syra's room to his brother and almost laughed at the growl that came to his mind.

-Don't do anything to her. Better yet get out of her room! -- Dominic demanded

Lucian just smiled and watched Syra move around going through boxes picking out certain things and throwing them on the cot. Dominic might want him to leave, but he would see if Syra felt the same why. Walking up behind the young woman he ran his hand over her gently over her back and smiled when she whirled around. 

"What are you doing Prince Lucian?" She asked

"What do you think I am doing?"

Syra looked at him and pulled away when his hand touched her face. She felt a jolt run through her body when he cupped the back of her neck in his hand and she tried to pull away. She stared at him as his head started to lower to her's and slammed her hands onto is chest, sending him flying into the wall.

"I mean no disrespect Prince Lucian, but I do not want you to touch me like that." She said looking at him

Lucian stood up and dusted himself off and smiled at her gently.

"That is fine Syra; I just wanted to see where your head was. Finish packing, I will wait downstairs with my brothers."

Lucian turned and left, heading back down the stairs laughing to himself. This was defiantly going to be fun, watching Dominic try and fight this woman.

Twenty minutes later Syra was back downstairs holding a duffle bag and a small backpack. She had changed into a pair of leather pants and a corset, her trench coat swinging around her combat boots. Her ready hair was pulled into a high ponytail and wrapped around itself to make a bun. Dominic stared at her for a moment then at her bags.

"You could have brought more things you know." He said

"I didn't have anything else to bring. I didn't want to bring any work things so this is what I own." Syra said shrugging off his comment

"Where does all your money go?!" Dominic asked in shock

"I have been saving it, not that I really get much."

Dominic looked over at Dan who at the moment was not looking very comfortable. Shaking his head Dominic looked over at Lucian.

"Is the car ready yet?" He asked

Lucian nodded and Dominic grabbed Syra's bags carrying them outside and setting them in the trunk. He turned back to her, and held the door open. 

"We have a five hour ride. Lucian will be in the other car; we will be riding in this one." Dominic said

Syra nodded her head and slipped into the car, sitting with her back facing the driver leaving the other seat for Dominic. She couldn't sit next to him; she was worried that if she did she might do something that she would get into trouble. Leaning back against the seat she closed her eyes as Dominic slid into the car and closed the door. 

"Take us to the Hall." Dominic said to the driver pulling the curtains closed on all the windows.

Syra kept her eyes closed as she felt his arm brush against her when he closed the curtain behind her head and she had to suppress her shudder of excitement. Dominic looked at Syra when he felt her tremble and saw the flush that had crept into her cheeks. He wondered if she why looked that way, vampires could not get sick, yet her skin was red and she looked like she was in pain. He rested a hand on her cheek and she jerked.

Syra's eyes flew open and she looked at Dominic, trying to force her body under control, yet the smell of honey started to seep from her pours and fill the back of the car. She saw Dominic's eyes widen and she closed her eyes and scooted into the corner of her seat, getting as far from him as she could. She felt like she was on fire from that simple touch, her body seemed like it was throbbing and tingling. She knew from what happened before that Dominic did not want her, but that didn't seem to stop her body from wanting him. 

Dominic moved closer to Syra ad she quickly drew her legs close to her chest hiding her face in her knees.

"Please don't touch me Prince Dominic. I won't be able to control myself if you do." She said her voice a bit shaky

Dominic looked at her and inhaled deeply. 

"Why do you smell of honey so quickly?" He asked

"I...I am in heat."

Syra could feel her face turn even redder and buried it deeper in her knees, she had never wanted to tell him that, but now that it was out she couldn't take it back.

"You are saying that any man would do for now right? I can get Lucian in here if you need release."

Hearing those words Syra growled low in her throat and moving quickly slammed Dominic down on the seat, her mouth covering his. Dominic lay stunned for a moment then pushed her away to look into her green and gold eyes.

"Do not do that again Syramalik...or things will end badly for you." He growled

Syra looked at him, her head tilted to the side and smiled darkly.

"Then please do not come near me Prince Dominic." She said throwing his title out as if it was a curse

Dominic felt his control snap and he pinned her against the seat, his tongue thrusting into her mouth. The way she used his title angered him, he didn't want her to call him prince. Syra moaned as she kissed him back, arching as his hands run under her shirt. She had dreamed of this for so long and it finally seemed like it would happen, she was nervous yet excited. When she felt his hand cup her breast she pressed against him, her nails digging into his back.

A rumbling growl escaped him at the mix of pleasure and pain. He ran his mouth down her neck and nipped the vein gently; thriving in the moan of passion he pulled from her. He wanted to devour her, take her and own her. He squeezed the nipple gently and she cried out as she felt fluid leak from her neither regions. 

"Dominic, please..." She moaned

The sound of his name and her voice reminded Dominic of who this was and he sat back quickly moving to the other end of the car. Syra looked at him as the pleasure stopped leaving her cold.

"I am not doing this with you Syra. Stay where you are and be silent until we arrive at the Hall."

Syra didn't disobey but closed her eyes wondering what she had done. Dominic spent the rest of the trip yelling at himself for letting his control slip, neither looked at the other, both waiting to arrive at their destination.



Blood Moon Ch. 03



Then it all came rushing back to her; the memories that were repressed for so long.

Lilith reached over for the knife on her food tray beside the tub and slit her wrists. It was a long gash from the inside of her wrist midway to elbow. Lilith sat there as tears effortlessly slid down her cheeks and the water in the tub bled crimson.

As William approached the door to his and Lilith's room after another fight with his father, he smelled blood. He nearly kicked the door in to find what Lilith had done to herself. When he neared, Lilith weakly tried to fight him off, telling him to let her die. But instead William picked her out of the water and placed her on the bed. He turned her head to the side as his canines elongated before leaning forward and biting Lilith over her mating scar.

He flinched at her weak cry of pain. William cut his wrist and held it to Lilith's mouth, but she refused to take any of his blood. Desperate, William forced her mouth open and as soon as Lilith tasted his blood, her mouth latched onto his wrist and she began to suck.

After several minutes, Lilith screamed out in agony. The gashes on her wrists sealed up, leaving scars. Her body arched repeatedly as she began to sweat. William watched in fear as her eyes began to roll back as Lilith clawed at the bed sheets. This went on for hours and William continued to watch, praying she would be alright. Eventually Lilith quieted and fell asleep. The worst was over.

 Lilith opened her eyes only to quickly close them again. She shifted against the bed sheets, feeling herself grow wet as her skin felt over stimulated. Breathing in, she caught the scent of the damp underground as well as a hundred other smells. Lilith had never noticed them before. Then there were all those sounds. The rustling of the bed sheets, the creaking of the bed, the shuffling outside the door, the murmurs down the hall. All her senses were put into overdrive and she was assaulted with a headache.

William felt the bed shift and woke up instantly. He spoke softly to her, telling her not to worry. The words were meant more for himself than for her.

Over the next three months, Lilith began to grow accustomed to her new gifts. She was told about the werewolves and vampires. Everything began to click and she pieced together William's involvement in the McElroy massacre. She never forgave William for it. The night she figured it out, Lilith had run away. She constantly moved, not wanting to be found. But with her new gifts, it was hard to live a normal life. Not to mention her craving for blood.

Although she could eat, her body needed very little food to function. She tried not to drink blood, but after a few weeks of no blood, she was getting horrible cramps and an insatiable lust for the thick red liquid. Lilith tried to drink from animals, but it wasn't the same from what William gave her. After her transformation, Lilith was brought a new human to drink from everyday. She never killed any of them, always forcing herself to stop before she took too much.

So now Lilith traveled all over, enticing men to follow her to dark alleys where she'd hypnotize them and drink enough blood to sustain her. Without mutual blood transfusion, they wouldn't turn into vampires. But drinking blood always put her in a randy mood. And she finally understood why William had always been gentle with her. She had superhuman strength and she had hurt a man when she got too frisky. Where as she thought she merely grabbed his arm, Lilith had broken it. Life was going to be hard and lonely for her.

She avoided the sun like William had adamantly warned her of. But one day she discovered that she needn't stay out of the sun. She stumbled on that discovery by accident. Lilith had fallen asleep and woken up to find a hole in the ceiling where a beam of light shone on her leg. But nothing happened. Since Lilith now knew what Roderick was and that he had mated her, she always assumed it must be because she was his mated before she became a vampire. That must have been why she could walk in the sunlight. And that was when everything changed.

Seattle

2007

Lilith entered the building, holding her cup of Starbucks coffee. She still couldn't put off the feeling that something was wrong. Maybe it was because she hadn't fed in a few days. But she'd been so busy with work that she didn't have time to go hunting. Drinking from stored blood wasn't the same as a live feeding. Bagged blood was like a 100 calorie snack. Or maybe it was because she hadn't had sex in awhile. Well she didn't have work the next day, so she could go out after work.

"Lilith!" A booming voice made her jump.

"Yes?" Lilith squeaked, afraid of that tone of voice.

"See me in my office now. We need to discuss something."

Lilith had given up the idea of riches, knowing it would make it easier for others to find her. So she lived a simple, middle-class life. And that included being subjected to her boss' ill treatment. She stood up and made her way from her cubicle to her boss' office. As she entered he motioned her to close the door.

"What the hell is this?" Her boss demanded, throwing a rolled up newspaper across the table at her.

"A newspaper?" Lilith ventured, taking a peek at the newspaper.

With a snort, Dave snatched the paper back up. "Bit By the Vixen!" He recited the title. "How is it that everyone is talking about some kind of freak going around biting people and we don't have a story like that in our newspaper? And all these men say it was a beautiful woman who seduced them into a dark alley and bit them. You haven't been doing your job!"

Obviously, Lilith thought to herself as she realized she must be slacking in wiping her victims' memories. She just continued to nod as her boss berated her. Eventually he ran out of steam and pushed her out of his office with the demand that she get the story that everyone was talking about.

Lilith let out a groan as she returned to her cubicle. How was she supposed to get the story when she was the story? Well...she could drink, leave and come back, pretending to stumble on him and get her story. Lilith stood back up and walked around to Casey's cubicle. Casey was an adorable girl with light brown hair and deep, chocolate brown eyes. She had moved to Seattle from Hawaii and although she considered herself nothing special in Hawaii, everyone at the office loved her exotic features. Although she would never be considered beautiful at first glance, it was her bubbly personality that added to her irresistible girl-next-door appeal.

"Hey Casey, you want to go clubbing tonight?"

Casey threw down her red pen in frustration. She had been correcting the same damn column for the last hour but Dave threw the paper back at her and told her to redo it. Lilith's invite was much welcomed.

"Definitely. Which club?"

"I was thinking about that new one that opened up down town." Lilith gave Casey a pitying smile as she saw the butchered article.

"Hells bells, why is he such an ass?" Casey asked more so to herself than Lilith. "Okay, okay, yes, the new club that opened up. Will I just meet you there? I need to go home and get ready. You don't work tomorrow right?"

Lilith nodded and her smile widened. "What about you, no work tomorrow?"

"Thank god yes!" Casey looked over at her clock. "Great...only seven hours thirteen minutes and some odd seconds until work is over."

Letting out a laugh, Lilith touched Casey's shoulder and said she'd meet her there as she returned to her cubicle. She opened up a file and began to edit the next day's column.

Derek swiftly walked into his building and went into his brother's office. Ignoring the good morning from his very pretty receptionist, he kept walking until he reached Rowan's office. Derek nearly slammed the coffee down and took a seat.

"Whit the 'ell was that for?" Rowan demanded. "It's just coffee. If ye dinna want tae get me coffee, ye coulda said no."

"Shut up." Derek snapped as he leaned back in the comfy chair and began to massage his temples. "I saw Lilith today while I was getting your coffee."

Rowan's hand stopped midway from grabbing his coffee. His shock was apparent in his expression. "Yer pulling my leg." When Derek shook his head no, Rowan balked. "Whit did you do? Whit did she do? And why are ye 'ere and not in prison for murder!"  "Because by the time I realized it was her, she was getting into a cab. What I don't understand is how she can be a vampire and walk in daylight."

Derek had known about Lilith being a vampire for some time. About 300 years ago he captured a vampire named William. The bloodsucker spouted shit about Derek having killed Lilith. Of course Derek figured out that Lilith and William must have been lovers. He wasn't surprised that she whored herself out.

Even though Derek hadn't killed her that night she betrayed him, he promised that if they ever crossed paths again, she would be dead. He tortured William to get the whereabouts of Lilith, but in the end William had no idea. William had honestly thought Derek had hunted Lilith down and killed her because she deceived him.

So knowing that Lilith was a vampire confused the hell out of Derek. Maybe the vampires came up with a way to walk during the day. If that was the case, the werewolves were screwed. The only advantage they had against the blood suckers was that they didn't burst into balls of flames in the sun. And now they didn't even seem to have that.

Looking out the window to the overcast skies, Rowan scrunched his brows in thought. "Maybe they can walk outside when it's cloudy?" Rowan trailed off as he saw the look on his brother's face. "That looks like a no. Hm...something tae ponder. That would explain this ridiculous story I saw in a rag mag." He slid the tabloid over the table to Derek.

Picking up the paper Derek scanned the title. "Damn. She's picking guys up at clubs."

"Whit makes ye think that?" Rowan asked, sipping his coffee.

Flipping the paper towards Rowan, Derek explained. "It's easier for her to take advantage of them if they're drunk. And the man who said he was bitten by her was near a club. Then again, there's a club on every corner in this damn city."

Rowan nodded slowly before asking the question he wanted to ask when Lilith was first mentioned. "So...are you going tae see 'er again? She most likely goes tae the same café every day."

Cutting his brother a look, Derek got out of his seat. "I'm still thinking about it. Next time I see her, I doona think I'd be able to stop myself from strangling her regardless of being in a public place or not."

"I say we go out tonight. There's a new club opening down town. It'll give us a chance tae unwind. What are the chances we'll bump intae Lilith? The club will be so busy, she wouldn't chance getting caught."

"I'll see if I can meet you there. I'm meeting up with Kat for dinner." Derek said a bit distractedly.

"Does Kat know that ye had sex with probably a bunch of women last night?"

Derek snorted. "She's probably did the same thing last night."

With a laugh Rowan asked, "Kat with a bunch of women or men?"

"Both. We have an understanding in our relationship. Anyways, don't count on me showing up. You have fun though." Derek rose from his seat and made his way to his own office.

Lilith and Casey went their separate ways after work, promising to meet up at the club. Casey had asked if Lilith wanted to meet up earlier and get dinner first, but Lilith quickly declined saying she was meeting someone for dinner already. Although Lilith literally couldn't stomach solid foods, her body was fine with liquids, which was why she was such a coffee addict. Lilith got to her apartment and took a shower before getting ready for her night out clubbing.

After glancing at the time, she realized had a lot of time to spare before having to meet up with Casey. So she decided to take a nap. When Lilith woke up from her nap it was almost 9:30. A top with a plunging neckline and a micro-mini skirt were thrown on. Then Lilith quickly applied some makeup and covered up her suicide scars. She wasn't going to make it to the club by 10.

 When Lilith got to the club, she was about forty-five minutes late. She looked all over for Casey outside, but she was nowhere to be found. Lilith scanned the long line before finally pulling out her cell and calling Casey up. The club music blasted through from the other end. Jerking the phone away from her ear, Lilith almost hissed at the painful burst of noise. Obviously Casey was already inside.

"Hello?" Lilith yelled into her phone. "Hey, Casey, where are you exactly?"

"I'm inside the club!" Casey yelled back. "I'll come meet you at the entrance!"

"Alright, I'll see you soon!" With that Lilith hung up and made her way to the front.

 Casey came out to meet with Lilith and the bouncer unlatched the rope and let Lilith in. Everyone waiting in line began to complain and Lilith rolled her eyes. Casey had commented on Lilith's state of near nakedness and laughingly said that as smoking as Lilith looked, she must be freezing. Honestly, Lilith wasn't cold at all. Her body slowed in lower temperatures, but her pain receptors to the cold were almost non-existent. It was only in extreme cases that she felt cold or hot.

The sweat, loud music and stinging burn of alcohol messed with Lilith's smell. Oddly enough, she thought she smelled a werewolf. Shaking off the feeling as paranoia, Lilith went to the bar. Although she couldn't get drunk, she could at least enjoy the burn of alcohol.

"Vodka please!" Lilith called over to the bar tender. She turned to Casey who yelled out an order and the man came back with their drinks.

"See any cute guys?" Lilith shouted over to Casey who laughed.

"Ask me in a few more drinks." Casey was scanning the crowd, hoping to get lucky. Her boyfriend dumped her about three months ago because the relationship wasn't moving as fast as he wanted it to and she was horny. Casey was hoping to drown out her values for one night of hot sex with a stranger.

Lilith laughed along with Casey and then downed her drink. They chatted for awhile and drank until Casey had a nice buzz going. A few good songs came on so they danced to those before returning to the bar for some water until the next batch of good songs came on. A particularly good song started and Lilith perked up.

"Casey! Let's dance!" Lilith shouted, grabbing Casey's hands and pulling her to the dance floor.

Both women got onto the dance floor and began bumping and grinding. Lilith stumbled into a guy who began to rub up against her. She grinned at him as she rubbed back against him playfully.

"I'm Michael." The guy called over. "Hey, do you want to join me in the VIP lounge?"

"Um...can my friend come?" Lilith asked as she turned and rubbed herself against his thigh.

"Of course! Bring your friend over." Was his reply. Lilith and Michael danced for about another twenty minutes until Michael was winded and asked Lilith to go to VIP and kick back with him.

Lilith located Casey and dragged her along to VIP. The music wasn't as loud in the VIP lounge which was located above the dance floor. Lilith had been in VIP before, so she wasn't surprised to see a threesome going on. Casey's jaw dropped and she pulled on Lilith's top. Lilith leaned down for Casey to whisper in her ear that she was going to grab a drink and be back when the sex was over. Lilith laughed and looked over at the two women and one guy and nodded.

"So...I guess I'll see you in two minutes."

Casey laughed and nodded, quickly leaving the room. Michael sat down and patted the seat next to him. The room was dark, but the flashing laser lights lit up the place as it shone through the one way glass. Those inside the room could see outside, but those outside on the dance floor couldn't see inside. Lilith took a seat next to Michael and draped a leg over his knee.

"What time is it?" Lilith whispered into Michael's ear. He checked his watch as his other hand began to sneak up her mini-skirt.

"Almost 1:30." Michael breathed against Lilith's ear before nibbling on her lobe.

Lilith popped a few buttons from his collared shirt and slid her hand inside. She placed her palm against his beating heart and moaned. The funny thing about alcohol was that it didn't affect her, but if she drank from someone who was drunk, then she'd get drunk. Luckily she never got hangovers in any case, but at least Michael wasn't drunk. It tainted the blood.

Lilith leaned down and began to suck on his neck, wanting desperately to bite him. But she couldn't do that until she was able to gain control of his mind. At that moment she was filtering through his brain, finding the spot that would give her dominance over him.

"Let's move to a more private area." Lilith suggested, knowing it was too lighted in the place they were in.

Michael nodded and they moved to a dark corner and resumed their play. He tried to shove his hand between her legs and Lilith cringed. He wasn't so keen on finesse, she noted. But it wasn't as though she was going to have sex with him. As horny as she got, Lilith would rather go home and get herself off than let some incompetent fool rub her raw.

 Meanwhile, Casey was at the bar, waiting to get attention. She tried calling over, but never seemed to be loud enough. There was also the fact that she was a bit shy to be rude and demand service. Letting out a sigh, Casey clung to the bar, hoping in vain that one of the bartenders would notice her. As she waited, a man about 6'5" came up beside her and bellowed for the bartender. He immediately got all of their attention.

Casey tilted her head up to look at him. She was barely 5' 2" and her neck hurt from looking up. She gave the good looking man a little smile and he smiled back. At first Casey thought he must be looking at some hot babe behind her because surely that seductive smile wasn't for her. Casey looked behind her and saw no one. The man laughed, realizing what she must be thinking.

"Can I buy ye a drink?" He asked her.

"Really? Me?" Casey was stunned.

His smile widened and he nodded. "Yeah, really. "

"Thanks! Um...a Buttery Nipple would be great." Casey felt her face heat as she realized that sounded suggestive. He gave her another wide grin before calling her order out to the bartender.

 The man gave her a smile and motioned for her to sit. Casey took a seat at the bar and he did the same. The bartender made their drinks and handed it to them. Casey sipped slowly at her drink and smiled up at the guy who just paid the bartender.

"Ye doona look like the type tae be very demanding. My name is Rowan by the way." He put his hand out for a shake.

Casey was a bit distracted by his accent. Gods, she was a sucker for accents. Looking down at his offered hand, she realized she was day dreaming. She quickly took his hand and shook it. She noticed how big his hands were and began to wonder if that saying about big hands was true. Catching herself, Casey let go of his hand quickly and smiled up at him.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Casey. Are you here by yourself?"

Rowan laughed. "Usually the guy asks the girl that. But aye, I'm by myself. My lousy excuse of a brother was supposed tae meet me and look, it's nearly 2AM and no sign of 'im. Whit about ye? 'ere by yerself?"

Casey shook her head and wondered if she imagined him looking a bit disappointed. "I'm here with a friend. She went into the VIP lounge with a guy she met and I thought I should give them some space." Casey grinned along with Rowan. "I love your accent. Where are you from?"

"'ere and there, but Scotland originally. And whaur are ye from? Ye 'ave a bit 'o an accent yerself." It was a subtle accent that Casey had. Like most people from Hawaii, their vowels were pronounced very soft and smooth. She was surprised he noticed it.




Blood Moon Ch. 03



"Hawaii. I moved here for college and haven't moved since."

"Hawaii? Excuse me, my accent butchers the word." He laughed when Casey gave him a guilty smile. "I love the place. Visited a long time ago." Rowan's cell began to buzz and he looked to see his brother calling. "If ye'll excuse me, that brother of mine decided tae show."

Casey nodded, a bit disappointed that he was leaving. He didn't even ask for her number or anything. Heaving a sigh, Casey went back to sipping her drink, wondering if she had given Lilith enough time. She wasn't in the mood for partying anymore and would rather go home. Casey made her way back to the VIP lounge as Rowan went outside to answer his phone. It was much too loud inside the club. When he answered the phone Derek was in a mood.

"Whit's wrong with ye now?" Rowan asked.

"I need a drink. Are you still at that club? I'll meet you there." Derek replied as he drove towards the place.

"Aye, I'm still here. Again, whit's wrong?"

"Kat suggested we get married. I have to say, that was the best cock killer to date. What is wrong with women and saying those kinds of things in the middle of sex? Don't answer. I'll be there in five minutes." Derek hung up before his brother could reply.

Rowan shook his head as he slipped his phone back in his pocket and decided to wait outside for Derek.

Lilith lifted her head. She looked at Michael, making sure he was alright. Lilith was afraid she may have gone overboard at this drink session. Usually she got caught up in the moment. Feeding was already an erotic experience for both the food and the feeder. If either one were to orgasm during feeding, it would be one of the most powerful orgasms they've ever experienced.

So in exchange for their blood, Lilith would give the guys a hand job. She thought it was a fair exchange. Michael was still in a stupefied state, his body shivering from the after affects of his orgasm. Lilith pulled her hand from out of his pants and wiped it on his shirt. She made sure to be thorough and wipe his memories as she got up to leave.

Then she spotted Casey coming back and ran up to meet with her. Casey wasn't stupid. She'd be able to piece together what happened if she saw Michael with two puncture wounds on his neck. Provided Lilith did lick and seal the marks, there would be bruising for a couple weeks before it completely went away. It was like a hickey.

The moment Lilith got up to Casey she hissed. Casey jumped in surprise at the feline like sound coming from Lilith. She rushed over to help, thinking Lilith was hurt.

"Are you okay?"

Why did Casey smell like a werewolf? Lilith wondered. Maybe she wasn't paranoid after all. A werewolf would have smelled a vampire on Casey and now Lilith was certain there was a lycan in the club. She had to get out of there.

"I'm so sorry. Just got a cramp." Lilith made up an excuse. "I'm thinking I'm going to call it a night. What about you?" If there was a werewolf in the club, Lilith wanted to get as far away as possible. She wasn't the type of vampire who hunted werewolves, but she couldn't say that the shifter wasn't the type who hunted her kind.

Casey nodded, still a bit worried about Lilith. "Actually I came up here to tell you I was on my way home." They walked down to the ground level together. "Ew, that must suck. Having cramps when you were having so much fun."

Lilith nodded. "Um...Casey, did you meet someone while you went to get a drink?" Someone who was more than not attracted to Lilith's vampire scent that was all over Casey since they had been dancing together.

The way Casey's face lit up, Lilith had to smile. "I did! This tall, sinfully delicious man. Green green eyes and this gorgeous smile. He bought me a drink and then left to answer a phone call." Casey frowned. "That's all that happened. And we didn't even switch digits or anything."

Giving Casey an empathetic smile, they both made their way out of the club. Lilith felt Casey tugging on her arm and she looked in the direction Casey was pointing saying 'That's him! That's him!' Lilith looked over at the guy and if her heart hadn't stopped beating over five hundred years ago, she would have sworn it would right then. Because standing in front of her was Rowan who was talking to a man with his back turned. Lilith already knew who that man was. Roderick.

Lilith quickly turned around and began to walk down the street. Rowan noticed Casey and waved over at her. Waving back, Casey turned to look at Lilith, but realized that Lilith was running off down the street. Confused, Casey decided to help her friend out rather than flirt.

"Sorry!" Casey called out to Rowan. "But I need to catch up with my friend, Lilith. See you around!" She ended as she ran after her friend who turned the corner.

Derek snapped his head in the direction of the voice calling out Lilith. At first Rowan thought it was paranoia that had him thinking Casey smelled like a vampire. Now he was second thinking that. Rowan and Derek made their way down the street. They started walking at first, but they both ended up running and turning the corner where Casey had vanished.

Lilith had grabbed Casey when she turned the corner, placing a hand over Casey's mouth. She told Casey to be quiet and Casey nodded as Lilith removed her hand. Knowing she owed Casey an explanation, Lilith sped through one.

"Okay, you know that guy you met?" Lilith began. Casey nodded. "That is my ex-boyfriend's brother. I can't bump into either of them because Roderick, my ex, is a fucking psycho and last time we met, he tried to kill me." That wasn't really true, but Casey needed to understand the direness of the situation.

Eyes widening in understanding, Casey nodded. "That is so horrible. Oh gods. I yelled out your name. Do you think they heard and are going to come running after us? But it's not like they know that you're the Lilith they know right? Then again, Lilith isn't a very common name."

Casey blubbered on as Lilith tried to think of what to do. She couldn't leave Casey unconscious in an alley by herself. But she also couldn't scale walls without Casey figuring out something was up. Damn it! And all Lilith just wanted to do was to go home and get herself off!

"Listen. I'm being optimistic in thinking they didn't follow you here. But if they did, we're going to make a run for it alright? If they get me, just keep running. I will never forgive myself if they hurt you. Understand?" Lilith didn't know how merciful Roderick and Rowan would be to Casey seeing as Casey was her friend. If Roderick had no qualms about killing their baby, she highly doubted he had any morals that would stop him from killing an innocent young woman.

Casey nodded, trying to tell herself not to freak out. Both women turned the corner out of the alley and began walking. They picked up their pace and thought they were in the clear when suddenly Lilith was grabbed from behind. Casey screamed and looked up into Rowan's eyes. He didn't look like the type of person who would help his brother harm Lilith. Casey was shook out of her thoughts as Lilith began to yell at her.

"Run! Damn it Casey! What did I tell you?" Lilith fought against Roderick who had her in a crushingly tight hold.

Afraid, Casey began to run and Rowan went to case after her. Lilith bit Derek's arm and he instantly released her, howling in pain. Lilith tackled Rowan down to stop him from getting to Casey. Rowan flipped Lilith onto her back and she kneed him in the groin. Doubling over in pain, Rowan's hands went to cup himself as he rolled off of her.

She was nearly falling out of her low plunge top and her mini-skirt was riding up, but none of that mattered. Lilith jumped to her feet to make a run for it, but she tripped in her high heels and fell. Derek grabbed Lilith and she fought against him. He dragged her into a dark alley as Rowan ran off to find Casey.

"Help! Help!" Lilith screamed, fighting against Derek. He pinned her against the wall and put his hand over her mouth and she tried to bite him again. It was too close to feeding time. Lilith was still in a lust haze and with his body pressed against her, she couldn't help but moan. She hated herself for being turned on, but she was.

"And who the 'ell are ye callin' tae 'elp ye Lilith?" Derek's accent was much more pronounced. It became apparent when he was angry. And right now he was enraged.

Lilith successfully bit him and Derek snatched his hand back before striking her across the face. The impact sent her head reeling to the side and Lilith though she would pass out. But she still fought against him.

"Get off of me." She struggled, fading in and out of consciousness.

Derek hated the fact that his body reacted to her. He kept telling himself that it was the mating mark that made him aroused and so aware of her presence. She fit so perfectly against him. The gap of her top pulled dangerously to the sides, almost completely exposing her creamy breasts. As Lilith fought, her skirt hiked up more. Lilith clawed at Derek, determined to get away.

"Ye li'le bitch. I'm goin' tae kill ye like I should 'ave all those years ago." Derek wrapped one hand around her neck and Lilith still fought against him. He wanted it to be a slow and painful death.

A vampire couldn't be strangled to death because vampires didn't breathe, but the head trauma was taking its toll on Lilith and she felt herself slipping into unconsciousness again. Suddenly Rowan was pulling Derek back and yelling that they had to go. He had caught up with Casey, but she was in hysterics and had already called the cops. They were on their way.

Derek was not leaving without Lilith. He could end it fast right now. But he didn't want that. He wanted her to suffer. Derek punched Lilith across the face and knocked her unconscious and hauled her off with them. Casey had returned and was screaming at them to leave Lilith alone. Rowan looked worriedly at Casey, wanting to explain himself. But the sirens were getting louder and they had to leave. They ran back to where Derek's car was parked and placed Lilith in the back seat.

No one really paid attention to them, thinking Lilith was someone who passed out in the club. Seeing as Rowan caught a cab to the club, he hopped into the passenger's seat and Derek burned rubber as he pulled out of the parking lot and sped back to his penthouse.



Blood Moon Ch. 04



Seattle

2007

Rowan sat in the living room of his brother's penthouse, drinking his fourth glass of scotch. He felt a bit numb, but he needed that. So many of his senses had been screaming that what they were doing was wrong. Rowan needed to quiet down his worries.

"Did she wake up yet?" Rowan asked as Derek exited the room he locked Lilith in.

"No, she's still sleeping." Rowan turned around to see Derek holding the small strips of material Lilith had been wearing. "It'll be harder for her to run away if she's naked." Derek explained quickly.

Rowan merely quirked a brow and downed the rest of his drink. "I think ye need some time tae yerself if ye ken." Looking meaningfully at Derek's crotch area, Rowan let out a laugh at his brother's obvious aroused state.

"Go fuck yourself." Derek snapped as Rowan laughed and suggested his brother do the same.

Sobering, Rowan put his glass down and looked at his brother seriously. "What are ye going tae do whit her?"

"I don't know yet. But I am going to make that bitch suffer for everything she's put us through. Every loved one who died because of her, I will make her suffer ten times over." Derek threw Lilith's clothes to the side and went to take a cold shower.

Rowan watched as his brother stalked off and then he leaned back in his chair. This whole thing was foolish. Derek had loved Lilith too much to say there were no feelings between them anymore.

Derek stripped out of his clothing and stepped into the cold shower. Unfortunately, it did nothing to relieve his hard on. Grasping his hard cock in his hand, Derek looked down, disgusted with his reaction to having seen Lilith naked. She looked the same. He wiped that filthy makeup off her face, preferring her natural beauty. Not that he was looking at her that way, he tried to convince himself. But he'd have to be blind or gay not to react to seeing Lilith naked. And Derek was neither blind nor gay. He remembered the softness of her skin and his hand began to rub up and down his length.

"Screw it." Derek mumbled as he held his dick more firmly and began to stroke himself. He leaned his head against the tiled walls as his thumb rubbed light circles around his tip before his hand moved back up and down.

When Derek came, he was thinking about Lilith and that pissed him off. He growled at himself as the thought of her made him hard again. He got out of the shower and wiped himself dry as he willed his erection away. Derek quickly got dressed and went into the living room to see his brother watching the news.

Not surprising that they were on the news. Fortunately the only thing the authorities had going for them was the name Rowan and Roderick and a vague description of them. And Rowan had his first name legally changed to John and made middle name Rowan and Derek wasn't known as Roderick any more. Derek watched his brother's face as Casey came onto the TV, looking completely distraught. Rowan's face softened for a moment and Derek could only remember his brother looking at his late wife, Sara, like that. Derek shook off the uneasy feeling and went to see if Lilith had finally woken up.

He opened the door slowly, finding the bed empty. Before he could react, a vase was smashed against his face and Lilith was scrambling on shaky legs out the door. She still seemed in a daze as she ran naked around his penthouse, trying to find the exit. Rowan caught her and flew her over his shoulder as she thrashed weakly against him.

"Put me down. Let me go." Lilith shouted, feeling dizzy. She was thrown back onto the bed and vaguely heard Roderick and Rowan talking. She closed her eyes, everything was too bright and her head was throbbing painfully.

She heard the door shut and then footsteps walking her way. She was sure that Rowan had left and now Roderick was going to torture her or something.

"I hate you." Lilith spat, flicking her eyes open to glare at Derek. He seemed amused by her statement and that made Lilith angry.

"I don't see how you have any right to hate me." Derek held himself in check as he neared. He wanted to fuck her, but he also wanted to kill her. Neither of which he was going to do until he got some answers. "How is it that you've come to hate me?"

"Because you killed him!" Lilith shouted her head pounding.

Derek scrunched his brows in thought. She must be talking about William, Derek concluded. "You say that with such anger. As if you really loved him." Derek taunted. "I did the world a favor by getting rid of that monster."

Lilith's breath caught and the stinging of tears in her eyes threatened to fall. But she was stubborn and would not cry in front of Derek. "You're the monster. I loved him. I still love him."

With a snort, Derek reached for Lilith and she reached out to hit him. He grabbed her wrist and for the first time realized her scar. She tried to hit him with her other hand and he grabbed her again, looking at her other arm to see a twin scar. "How did you get those?" Derek was curious.

"Fuck you." Lilith replied, trying to pull her hands out of his grip. She screamed in pain as his hands tightened around her wrists, almost crushing her bones. "I don't owe you any explanation!" She seethed.

Derek released Lilith forcefully, flying her back onto the bed. "Fine, we'll skip that one for now. But when I'm through with you, I'm going to know you better than you know yourself. How is it that you can walk during the day?"

She was rubbing her sore wrists, refusing to look at him. Suddenly his hands were under her chin, forcing their gazes to meet. He held her chin firmly and Lilith felt herself growing wet as she stared into his angry eyes.

"I don't know." Lilith replied truthfully. Her head reeled back as Derek slapped her sharply across the cheek.

"Don't play games with me Lilith. We can do this the hard way or the easy way."

Lilith's head was spinning. "I told you! I don't know and even if I did, I wouldn't tell you! I hate you!"

With a sigh, Derek began to unbuckle his belt. "I'm pretty sure we covered the fact that you hate me for no apparent reason other than killing that bastard you say you're so in love with. We're going to have to do this the hard way then. Trust me Lilith, I've broken much tougher blood suckers than you."

He reached for Lilith and she tried to scramble away from him. Flipping Lilith onto her stomach, Derek held her down as he brought his leather belt down on her ass. He whipped her three times and each time Lilith cried out in pain. She had welts forming as she tried to wiggle away. She was dimly aware of Derek's erection under her and she was angry that he was getting aroused by beating her.

Brushing his fingers over her glowing ass, Derek resisted the urge to move his fingers lower to see if she was as aroused as he. Lilith calmed a bit and shivered a moment before Derek's hand came down on her bottom with punishing force.

"Get off of me!" Lilith screamed. She bit his arm, and pushed away from him, falling on her butt and cringing at the burning sensation. She tried to get up as Derek quickly stood and caught her.

"Whaur are ye goin' Lilith? I thought we're 'aving fun. Doona think ye be goin' any whaur any time soon." He hauled her back to the bed threw her down viciously. After much fighting, Derek had Lilith tied down. He debated gagging her, but enjoyed her cussing at him. He took calming breaths to regain his composure before speaking. "I see I'm going tae have a different approach at this." Derek leaned down to whisper in her ear. "I'm going to fuck you so good that you're going to have two pairs of loose lips when I'm through with you."

Lilith's breathing was getting heavy as Derek began to undress in front of her. She closed her eyes tightly, refusing to look at him. She could hear his clothes slipping to the floor and the squeak of the bed as he got on to the edge. She still refused to open her eyes. She felt him breathe against her neck. Over the spot he bit her so long ago. Over the spot William tried to replace ownership. Lilith knew when Derek realized it because he growled low in his throat before biting her hard in the same spot. She screamed out in erotic pain as Derek sank his teeth into that spot and shoved two fingers into her wet pussy.

Still Lilith kept her eyes squeezed shut as she thrashed against Derek, trying to get him off of her. She could feel his hard, hot cock against her thigh as he leaned into her. He was pulling back from his bite licking at the wound softly...almost gently. Lilith opened her eyes to look at Derek, wondering why he was being nice to her.

"Doona think I'm being kind 'bout this. Strengthening your mating mark makes ye more responsive." Derek punctuated his statement by pulling his fingers out of her and pushing them back in. Lilith arched to his hand, panting. She hated him so much. If he got close enough, she could tear out his jugular.

So she gritted her teeth and endured as his sensual fingers invaded her. He was working her to a climax by finger fucking her and Lilith tried her best to remain unfeeling. But her whole body was tingling. Then he pushed her knees apart and before Lilith could react, he was pushing inside of her. Lilith was arching her body to take more of him in. Derek's fingers went to play with her clit and he marveled at the tight coldness of her pussy. The contrast made him even harder.

"Stop it." Lilith begged. "No no no no." She moaned over and over again as he began to move in and out of her.

Lilith felt her canines elongate. She looked up to see Derek looking down at her, moving at that slow pace that drove her insane as he thrust in and out of her. Her climax was building up and she had the urge to bite him. Too ashamed with herself for wanting him, Lilith turned her head to the side to break eye contact and spotted his arm. Derek was holding himself up with one arm by her head as he pounded in and out of her and the other hand playing with Lilith's clit. Lilith leaned to the side just as she felt herself about to come and sank her teeth into his wrist.

Derek groaned as he pushed into Lilith roughly. Then suddenly he felt a sharp pain shoot up his arm, followed by hot prickles that spread throughout his whole body. He hadn't planned on coming inside of Lilith, but the moment she bit him, his body exploded into the hardest orgasm he had ever experience. He pulled out of her a little too late, cumming all over her pussy and lower abdomen. The sight of Lilith tied up and covered in his cum made Derek want to fuck her all over again. But he resisted the urge, remembering his original goal. Lilith by that point hated herself for having climaxed while he was inside her. She hated herself and couldn't help it when she began to cry.

Because she was tied up, Lilith couldn't hide her face. She was even more upset that Derek could see he had won over her. "I hate you." Lilith sobbed.

"I know." Was Derek's answer as he got out of the bed and got dressed. He untied Lilith, expecting her to fight, but she didn't. Instead she crawled into a ball and continued to sob. He didn't know why, but he suddenly felt like an ass. He had broken her and that was what he wanted. He reached for Lilith, but stopped. What the fuck was wrong with him? He needed to get away for a little bit. Without another word, Derek walked out of the room, remembering to lock the door.

When Lilith heard the door lock, she got out of the bed and rushed to the bathroom. Derek had already made sure to empty her cell of anything potentially dangerous. Lilith turned on the shower using just the hot water and sat under the spray. She cried some more as she clawed at her skin, feeling dirty. By the time her shower was done, Lilith had scrubbed herself raw. She was certain she had peeled off the skin of her lower abdomen, even though it already healed. After the hot water ran out, Lilith got out of the shower and dried off. She went back into the bedroom and sat on the floor. She didn't want to go back on that bed. Lilith almost forgot how exhausting crying could be as she felt herself drift and fall asleep in the fetal position on the floor.

Derek returned a little later, to find Lilith had cried herself to sleep. She was on the floor, wrapped in a towel. A part of him wanted to kill her already, but another part had so many things he wanted to ask her. He wanted to know about her life as a vampire. He knew she was off on her own and he wondered how she survived so long without being killed already. Her protectors were long dead. Before he killed William, Derek learned that Danny was dead. There could have been two dozen more vampires he killed who Lilith fucked, but that wasn't something he was going to dwell on.

Carefully, Derek moved the wet hair out of Lilith's face and she shifted in her sleep. He looked down at the scar on the insides of her arms and didn't realize he was stroking the spot softly with his fingers. Had she tried to kill herself? Derek wondered. But why would she do that? Again, there were so many questions buzzing in his head. 

Derek went to the bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. When he went back to the bedroom, Lilith was awake and staring at him. Her face was devoid of emotions and Derek almost wished she was hissing curses at him.

"What do you want to know?" Lilith asked quietly. "If you promise not to touch me...I'll answer whatever questions you have. I'd rather you kill me than rape me again." Lilith added softly.

The thought of Lilith remaining faithful to William, pissed Derek off. He went over to her and hauled her to stand. Her towel fell and Lilith didn't even bother covering up. She looked up and just stared at him. Derek raised his hand to hit her and Lilith didn't flinch. 

Staring back emotionlessly, Lilith waited for the impact. But instead, Derek dropped his hand and bent down to pick up the towel. He wrapped her in it and motioned for her to sit down in the chair beside the bed.

"Sit. I have a lot of questions." Derek took a seat also.

"Does that mean you accept my deal?" Lilith inwardly prayed he accepted.

With a snort, Derek replied. "We'll see. I'm not promising you anything. If you provide the right answers, I may not have to get physical again. Now, I don't think you're in the position to be offering me any deals."

Lilith looked down at her hands in her lap, telling herself not to cry. She didn't want him touching her again. She hated how she responded to him and she hated herself more for wanting him inside her. Nodding slowly, Lilith spoke up.

"Alright. I'll do my best to answer your questions."

Derek studied her for a moment before beginning with his interrogation. "I saw you at Starbucks the other morning. I'm sure you could have somewhat sensed me. Why can you walk during the day? Is it something all vampires can do now?"

"I thought that was you. I don't know why I can walk during the day. I'm not lying to you. William-" Lilith stopped when Derek growled. He quickly stopped and barked for her to continue. "Well...he told me once that every vampire comes into a new power upon their transformation. I didn't have any powers that I was aware of. Some had telekinesis, while others could teleport, and some could read people's minds.

"He said that all vampires had the gift of manipulation. They could make the weaker willed ones bend to do their bidding. My mind manipulation is mediocre at best. Only after so many years was I good enough to actually get someone to do what I wanted them to. One day I woke up in the sunlight. I had been warned to stay out of the sun, but I discovered that nothing had happened to me. I was perfectly fine. I assumed it was because I am mated to you which keeps me from being a true vampire." Lilith paused again. "I don't know how it is I can walk in the sun. As far as I know, I'm the only vampire capable of doing so."

It was almost a relief to hear that, but Derek didn't want Lilith to know that. He continued to ask her questions about groups of vampires and where they were located.

"You really are asking the wrong vampire. I don't associate with other vampires. I want to live a normal life. Last time I checked, which was about fifty years ago, the vampire numbers are quickly diminishing."

"How do you know about that? As far as I know, werewolves are practically extinct and there are shit loads more of blood suckers cavorting about."

Lilith glared at Derek and explained herself. "There's a virus going around that's killing all vampires. Only the true bloods are immune to it...and me. It started off as a cure for vampirism and mutated into what it is now. See, it was supposed to return being 'human' to those who were transformed into vampires. Instead it returned the aging process and since vampires are already dead, they rot. It can only be transferred through injections or blood transfusions."

Derek sat in awe about the news. "Why is it that none of the weres have heard about this?"

"Like I know. I'm not a were. You tell me why your lot is so uninformed." Lilith snapped. "I only know this because I got caught in the middle of one of the fights. Humans aren't as oblivious to us as you think. There is a secret organization who hunts both werewolves and vampires. Think of them as fanatics who believe we are abominations. 

" I was shot with a virus dart and nothing happened to me. Well maybe my powers are waning, but nothing serious like rotting to death within a few hours." Lilith paused. "I have a question for you." She faltered at his glare, but quickly composed herself. "I wanted to know what you go by now. Roderick seems like such a long time ago."

Derek narrowed his eyes, wondering why she wanted to know his identity now. Well it wasn't as though she'd be able to tell anyone. "Derek Elroy."

Lilith nodded slowly. "So, what other questions do you have?"

"That's all for now." Derek stood. "I need to talk to my brother."

"Yer shitting me." Rowan was just as surprised with the news. "I knew there were human hunters, but I dinna know about the 'anti-virus'. Are ye sure she's telling the truth? I mean, one moment she's screaming 'ow much she 'ates us and now she's a fountain of information?" Rowan looked at his brother intently. "What did ye do tae her?"

"None of your business," was Derek's clipped reply.

"Roderick!" Rowan shouted. "If our ma and da were here, you'd get the beating of a lifetime."

"Our ma's not here. And our da died because of that bitch!" Derek pointed at the locked door.

Rowan sighed. "Did ye even care tae ask 'er why she did whit she did?"

"It doesn't matter. It's in the past and I'm not going to be forgiving her for it." Derek had enough of his brother and before Rowan could say anything, Derek walked off. "I'm going to buy some things for dinner and make a call to Jake about this new piece of information. I'll have him look into whether there's any truth to what Lilith has said. If she hasn't lied to us, as I wouldn't put it pass her, I won't have to kill her right now. Make sure Lilith stays in that room."

Rowan sat down and watched some TV. He was trying to ignore the urge to go and talk to Lilith. After an hour, Rowan caved. He knocked on the door and heard things crashing on the other side. He quickly unlocked the door and peered in to see Lilith staring up at him innocently. There was no doubt in his mind that she had been up to something.

When Lilith realized it was Rowan, she pulled her towel over her tighter. Did Derek send his brother in her to do the same thing Derek had done to her. Rowan seemed to notice the fear in her eyes and laughed lightly.

"I'm not here tae 'arm ye Lilith. I can guarantee that I doona like ye much more than my brother, but unlike him I keep tae the values I've been raised with. I wanted tae ask ye something."

Lilith wasn't sure if she could trust Rowan. Sure, she always liked him growing up. He was the sweet and funny brother who treated her nicely whenever she'd go over to talk with Jenna. Her throat tightened as she thought of Jenna. While Lilith had been running through the village in search of Bran, she had seen how Jenna and the others had been slaughtered mercilessly. Lilith's eyes began to itch and she was sure she'd start crying.




Blood Moon Ch. 04



Syra was jerked awake by the door opening to the car and Dominic getting out. She rubbed a hand over her face and shook her head as she stepped out of the car, behind Dominic who was already walking up that stairs of the castle. Sighing, Syra pulled her bags from the trunk and headed up the stairs as well. The incident in the car made her weary of Dominic and she didn't want to do anything to set him off. She looked around as she entered the main hall and was a bit surprised to see it was brightly lit and had colors other then black. Though she did think the suits of armor was too much and very annoying.

She set her bags down on a chair and started looking around, entering the room she had seen Dominic go in and stopped. A tall and very well built woman with dark hair was kissing Dominic passionately and he wasn't resisting. Syra felt something inside her shatter and she couldn't help but growl. Dominic looked over his shoulder then returned to kissing the woman, running his hands over her backside. Syra started to shake but not with anger, instead she felt like someone had stolen the last person with meaning in her life. In truth it was very true.

As Syra turned and ran from the room, memories came streaming through her head. The first time she had met Dominic, training with him, him telling her she had done well on her first assignment with SEA. Dominic yelling at her for getting shot, Dominic smiling and laughing. All her memories came back, pushing her already tattered emotions and ripping them apart. Even if she had never had any real claim to him, she had hoped that one day he would look at her as a woman. She had thought that it had started to happened in the car, but with the woman he had been holding, Syra felt like nothing more then a child.

Syra didn't know where she was going, only that she had to get as far away from Dominic and the strange woman as she could. She took turn after turn, running by people, tears flowing down her cheeks, her chest burning as she rushed up flights of stairs and through hallways. Finally she entered a room and slammed the door behind her locking it tightly. Slumping against the door she tried to catch her breath and control her tears. Syra stayed against the door for several moments more, before a masculine voice had her spinning around.

"You shouldn't have run away like that. You are letting him know that what he is doing bothers you."

Syra saw Lucian and couldn't help running up to him and wrapping her arms around him as tears fell from her eyes. Lucian was a bit surprised but wrapped his arms around her, stroking her hair to calm her down. He had seen Dominic pull Lillith to him just before Syra had walked in and it angered him that his brother could be such a fool. Lucian had set out to find Syra after she had ran off, using hidden passages until he found her. Now she was crying and shaking, the hurt and anger she felt palpable in the air. 

Syra felt herself start to calm down and realized that Lucian was murmuring words of comfort to her. Even though thoughts were racing through her head, one stood out more then any of the others, she had to forget about Dominic and let him go.

"Lucian, have sex with me." She said in a low voice

Lucian looked down at the woman in his arms, stunned by what she had said. He had been reading her mind and knew she felt that she had to let go of her love for Dominic, but he hadn't thought she would turn to him. Lucian looked at her a moment more and lowered his mouth to hers kissing her deeply. He was surprised again when she kissed him back, trying to pull his shirt off. 

Syra didn't care about anything except getting Dominic off of her mind and losing her virginity which she had been saving for him. She didn't care who it was with, she would get rid of these feelings running through her. She pressed her tongue against Lucian's mouth trying to feel something, anything for this man. She ran her hand down and cupped his groin in her hand, squeezing it gently.

Lucian felt his eye nearly cross and sent a message to Dominic in his mind saying he needed help. When he heard Dominic's footsteps in the hall, he pressed Syra back against the wall slipping his hand into her pants to play with her clit. He nipped her neck and the smell of honey suddenly filled the room. Lucian had just fisted his hand in Syra's hair pulling her head to the side, when the door was smashed in.

Dominic smelled the scent of heady honey before he had even touched the door and felt rage fly through him. He kicked in the door, and saw Syra against the wall his brother's hands down her pants, sucking on her neck. Dominic saw red and flew at his brother jerking him away from Syra sending him sailing across the room to smash into the wall.

Syra gasped as the pleasurable assault stopped and her eyes popped open to see Dominic standing there looking like an avenging angel. She felt her womb clench and her scent intensified making. Her knees shook as the heat inside her doubled, her cream dripping down her thighs. Dominic's nostrils flared at the scent, a primal hungry shooting though his body. He glared at Lucian snarling.

"She is mine. Do not try and touch her again!" He snarled

Dominic spun around when Syra started to inch across the way and she froze. She had never seen the look in his eyes that was now there. It scared her but at the same time it turned her on more then it should have. She trembled when he walked over to her and pinned her against the wall with his hips, holding her in place.

"You are mine." He growled his mouth coming down on hers in a punishing kiss

Syra arched up against him, a moan ripping from her throat at his intoxicating kiss. His right hand raced down her body, slipping into her pants, rubbing her clit quickly making her rock her hips against his hand. His left hand slipped under her shirt to cup her breast, squeezing the nipple gently. Syra lost herself in the sensations as her body caught fire. She felt his tongue run over her lips and parted them sucking on his tongue as it snaked in.

Dominic groaned in his throat his mind and body heated, the most basic of urges spiraling inside him. He felt his eyes cross under his closed lids when her hand, slid into his pants running her palm over his erection. He slid on finger down and slipped it inside her, loving how wet she was, and started to move it in and out of her. 

Syra rolled her hips against his hand and wrapped her fingers around his throbbing organ, not even able to close her fist around it. She marveled at the feel of him in her hand, her body bucking against his hand. She felt her knees give out as her orgasm ripped through her, her body going slake against Dominic.

Dominic wasn't done with her yet; he lifted her up against the wall wrapping her kegs around his waist and pulled himself from his pants. He slid it into her dripping core, covering her cry as he broke through the proof of her innocence. He wanted to stop, wanted to go slowly, but the feel of her wrapped around him and her scent pushed him over the edge. 

Syra start to moan louder, her nails digging into his back leaving red welts. The friction her created as he stroked in and out of her had arching up against him, her body spiraling to an even greater pleasure. She jerked against him as her body got ready to shatter and leaned her head back against the wall eyes closed.

Dominic grabbed her hair and pulled her head forward watching as her eyes popped open.

"Look into my eyes when you come...scream my name."

He demanded as he shoved into her harder. Syra dug her hands into his hair and arched up as her body broke apart.

"Dominic!!" She cried out

"Yes that's it."

Dominic groaned as he felt her convulse around him, setting of his own release. When he was done he held Syra gently, his forehead resting against hers. When he could finally move he looked down at her, and smiled his mouth showing his fangs.

"You are mine. Do not ever turn to another man again. Do you understand me?"

Syra nodded and leaned her head on Dominic's shoulder shutting her eyes and falling into a satisfied sleep. Dominic carried her easily down the hall and set her in his bed, crawling under the covers with her and holding her tightly. As he lay next to her he made the one decision he could, he would keep her as his until he found her a suitable mate. For now he would teach her everything he could about making love and giving pleasure while receiving it.



Blood Moon Ch. 04



"Please," Lilith begged. "I have nothing to say to you." Lilith knew she couldn't lie to Rowan. He had honest and kind eyes and having to look into those eyes while she had to lie to him wasn't something she could do. It wasn't as though she had lied to Derek. But she had a feeling Rowan wanted to ask something much more personal than what Derek asked her.

Rowan took the seat beside Lilith and studied her for a bit. "Why did ye betray yer own clan tae the vampires?"

Six hundred years ago, Lilith wouldn't have had any clue what Rowan was talking about. "Rowan..." Lilith began, unable to look at him. "I've always respected you and you're the one person I can't lie to. And for you to ask me to open old wounds likes this...I can't. Please don't make me remember." She had spent so many years burying those memories. Now he was asking her to chip away at her strong hold that kept her together.

"After the attack on the village, Roderick pushed himself tae become stronger.. 'e was stubborn and wouldna stay in bed and rest. Everyday 'e would be outside training. 'e promised tae avenge everyone's deaths. Many later died from their wounds. Our village numbered near seventy. And only six survived. Roderick began the body count on the vampires. No fear of death. That's whit made 'im invincible. Killing blood suckers had been 'is obsession." Rowan swallowed and continued.

"Sara's father died during one of the vampire raids. Roderick loved ye Lilith. 'e was waiting for ye tae come back. I wedded Sara in Roderick's place. And I really did love 'er. She was my whole life. And when she told me she was with babe, I doona think I could 'ave been 'appier. Sara birthed me two beautiful babes. One was a boy and the other a girl. The war was escalating. I dinna want Sara and our children involved so I sent them away. By then our children were about five. I got a message that they were 'urt, so I rushed back to them. Only I ended up leading a group of vampires who followed me tae them." Rowan stopped, unable to continue.

Lilith sat in silence, lost for words. "Why are you telling me this?"

With a sad smile, Rowan looked at Lilith. "I know what it is like tae hide painful memories. My wife and children were kidnapped. In exchange for them back, they wanted Roderick. There wasn't any 'esitation in Roderick's compliance. We did get him back...but he was never the same. When my wife Sara and children, Haden and Jenna, were returned-" He stopped when he saw Lilith's confusion.

"Sara had wanted tae name our children in 'onor of my siblings passed. We promised each other that we'd 'ave at least enough children tae name after each of my siblings. Well, when I got them back, they had turned our daughter into a vamp. And they cut out Sara's uterus and punctured Haden's ear drums." Lilith had gasped and Rowan paused again.

He remembered it like it was all just yesterday. His beautiful wife and daughter had come back so sick and his son never made a sound since then. Haden had always been so loud and full of life. When he was returned, Haden was silent and docile. Rowan wouldn't have been able to keep it together if it wasn't for Sara. She held their family together and kept him sane.

"There were many nice people who allowed Jenna tae drink from them. But as the years passed, Jenna didn't want tae drink from anyone and despised the fact that she couldn't go out in the sun. She grew tae 'ate 'erself. Imagine being a fourteen-year-old trapped in a five-year-old's body." It took Rowan a moment to continue.

"Please Rowan. No more." Lilith said desperately. 

" I want ye tae understand that yer not the only one who suffered! Jenna 'ad starved herself and attacked Sara one night. Sara was my mated, I could feel her dying. I was off 'unting and tae far away tae get back in time. I found Haden 'olding Jenna's little corpse in a puddle of Sara's blood. 'e tried tae stop Jenna but she was so small and Haden just 'it puberty. 'is powers were new tae 'im. 'e accidentally killed Jenna. The next day, I found my son had committed suicide." Rowan bent his head down and hid his face from Lilith.

Lilith was crying. She knew the pain of having lost a child. Rowan had lost both his children and his wife within a couple days. He was so strong to keep living.

"Yer not allowed tae cry, Lilith." He said softly, his voice was a rasp. "Now, will ye put that wall down and tell me why?"

Tears were falling and Lilith nodded. "Yes," she whispered brokenly. "I-I'll tell you. You would understand why I did what I did."

Rowan passed Lilith some tissue. She accepted it and wiped her eyes then blew her nose.

"The night Roderick's engagement was announced, I went to see him." Lilith felt her face heat. "I spent the night. When I woke up, I realized that he could never be mine. He was betrothed. I ran away, it was because I couldn't stand having to see Roderick with another woman. So I went to a distant village and lived with my aunt Isla. It wasn't until a few months later that I realized I was with child." Rowan looked stunned and Lilith nodded again. "I named him Bran Roderick in honor of my father...and the father of my child."

"Whit 'appen tae Bran Roderick? All these years and ye kept Roderick from 'is son?" Rowan demanded.

"No!" Lilith shouted. "A few years later, Danny found us. He had made a pact with vampires to destroy Roderick and the clan. They took Bran and threatened to kill him unless I cooperated. So I did everything they said. When I finished my part of the deal, I went crazy looking for Bran." Lilith swallowed against the tears. "And when I found Bran, your brother was standing over him with a sword. The moment Roderick's sword fell, I wanted to die as well. Danny told me how he taunted Roderick that Bran was our child and Roderick killed Bran to get back at me."

"Are ye really that stupid? Ye believed that?" Rowan had jumped out of his seat.

"Of course not! But I began to doubt everything. William, the vampire Danny made the deal with, sealed my memories and it wasn't until much later I even knew what happened. When I was turned, I ran away. My aunt and child had been killed. I had no family. I couldn't trust anyone. Do you see now why I did what I did? I ken full well why Roderick hates me, but why did he have tae kill Bran?" She demanded.

Frowning, Rowan tried to remember that night. As if it could be forgotten. There was a toddler who was of were blood. That couldn't have been Bran could it? "The only boy I can think of is the one who 'ad been attacked by a vampire and was bleeding tae death. Roderick did a mercy killing. And Roderick dug that boy's grave 'imself and cried over 'is little corpse. It near broke Roderick tae put the poor child out of 'is misery."

"You're lying." Lilith cried. "All this time?" She sobbed. She had harbored such deep hate and bitterness only to find out six hundred years later that it was unwarranted.

"I need a drink." Rowan stood and then left.

Lilith sat crying. She heard the door click, but realized that Rowan hadn't locked it. Opening the door quietly, Lilith snuck out. She stole one of the coats hanging by the door and left. Afraid, that she'd bump into Derek by waiting around for the elevator, Lilith took the stairs.

She wrapped the large coat around her tightly as she made her way outside. Lilith hailed a taxi and gave the driver directions to her apartment. She could pay him when she got to her place. Right now Lilith needed to think where she could go. Lilith needed to get out of the state if not the country. The thought of Casey being in danger struck Lilith. She gave the driver new directions.

Derek got home after meeting with Jake. He was the leader of one of the ally were clans. The meeting was tense and Jake sent out some members to search into the newly gained information. Since Derek had promised to cook dinner, he stopped by the market to buy some ingredients. Rowan insisted that they have home cooked meals as much as possible. He wandered through the store, picking up this and that. It wasn't until he paid for his items that he realized he bought the ingredients to make stew. Lilith's favorite dish.

"Fucking coincidence." Derek muttered as he got into his car and tossed the food onto the passenger's seat. He drove back to his apartment and sat in the silence of his car for a few minutes before heading to his penthouse. When he got home, he immediately sensed something was wrong. Rowan was just coming out of the kitchen with a drink. A coat, Derek could have sworn he left on the coat hanger was missing. He rushed to the bedroom and yanked the door open with such force it almost came off at the hinges.

"Rowan!" Derek roared as his brother quickly came to stand beside him.

The room was empty. No sign of Lilith. Derek threw open the closet and raided the bathroom. Lilith wasn't anywhere to be seen. Where the hell would have she gotten off to? She wouldn't be so stupid as to return to her place. She might go to her friend's place though.

"We need to find her. Now. What's the name of her friend that night? Tracy?"

"Casey." Rowan said. "I didn't catch her last name, but I'm sure I can pull it from an article about Lilith getting kidnapped. From that I can get her address."

"Find it." Derek growled as he stalked back to the foyer and grabbed his keys. "Call me when you get it. I'm going out to look for that bitch."

"Roderick!" Rowan called after his brother. "There's something I need to tell you about Lilith."

"Later." Derek snapped and he was gone before his brother could say anything else.

"Stubborn bastard." Rowan growled as he hopped onto the computer and began pulling up files. Within two minutes he had Makalani Casey Pukui's information. He text messaged the information to his brother. Should he really leave his brother to deal with the situation alone? Probably not.

Rowan got up and grabbed a coat and his set of keys. He went down to the lobby and hailed a cab. He gave the driver the directions and told him he'd pay him double if he could get him there in twenty minutes.

Lilith felt sick. She walked up to the second floor of the modest apartment complex to Casey's residence. She had begged the cab driver to give her time to get her friend who could pay for the ride. Lilith knocked on the door frantically.

Casey was drinking hot chocolate, on the phone with her mother. Her mother wanted her to go back to Hawaii until the whole kidnapping thing blew over.

"I'm fine, mom. Please, I can't run away from this. I'll be fine. If anything else happens, I promise I'll come back home. I have to go now and make myself some dinner. Aloha nui loa." Casey hung up the phone just as the frantic knocking on her door started.

She really hoped it wasn't the police again. She just got rid of them. Looking through the peep hole, Casey gasped and she pulled the door open.

"Lilith! Come in. What happened? I have so many questions. You don't look well, sit down." Casey tried to usher Lilith into a chair, noticing that under the coat Lilith was naked. Questions ran rampant in her head and anger and bewilderment grew as Casey began to draw her own conclusions.

"I'm so sorry to come over here like this. Could you please pay my cab driver downstairs? I promise to pay you back." Lilith stumbled inside and took the nearest seat.

"Of course, I'll be right back." Casey snatched her wallet and bolted down the stairs. She quickly paid the driver who was looking pissed and he sped off. As she reached her apartment, she had a sinking feeling that her world was going to be turned upside down.



Blood Moon Ch. 05



Over the Pacific Ocean

2007

Casey looked out the windows of the private jet as questions whirled around in her pounding head. From the moment Lilith had stepped into Casey's apartment everything was a blur. The conversation went from going somewhere safe to packing Casey's necessities to Lilith making a call and then suddenly they were boarding a private jet. All Casey recalled was saying she wasn't going anywhere and then things got blurry and she woke up in a plush leather seat.

Lilith gave Casey a hesitant smile as Casey tried to focus her view on Lilith's face. She already knew the first question Casey would ask. Now whether or not to tell Casey that she had used mind manipulation on her was something Lilith was debating. She supposed if Casey asked a specific enough question, Lilith would be forced to reveal more than she'd want to.

"Um...how did we get here?" Casey wasn't sure if she was missing something. She didn't want to sound forgetful, but at the moment, she had no idea what was going on.

"We took a cab from your place to the airport and then boarded this plane." So far, so good, Lilith thought as she tried to remain as vague as possible.

"Well I mean...why is it that I can't remember how we got here? I remember we were at my apartment and you said it wasn't safe. Then I lent you some clothes since you were naked. After that you went crazy and started stuffing my things into my suitcases while calling some woman named Elizabeth. Next thing I know, I'm here. What is going on? Where are we going?" Casey began to massage her temples as her head pounded painfully.

Lilith downed her Vodka and offered a shot to Casey. Turning down the alcohol in fear of making her headache worse, Casey blinked expectantly at Lilith. It took another drink until Lilith finally spoke.

"We are going to Kauai. I recall you saying you're from there. I am going to drop you off with your family. Um...we're on the run from my crazy ex who was once known as Roderick McElroy and is now known as Derek Elroy-" Casey cut Lilith off with a choke.

"Derek Elroy? Multi-billionaire, playboy, Derek Elroy who just expanded his company to Seattle? He's your ex-boyfriend?"

"Uh...sure." Lilith said uncertainly. "Multi-billionaire you say? How do you know about him and I don't?"

"Wait, just so we're talking about the right guy. He's about 6' 2", dark brown hair, chocolate eyes, sexy crooked smile, barely a hint of a Scottish accent, and this dangerous, arrogant air about him?"

Lilith blinked a couple times, shocked that Casey knew him. "That sounds like him. But it's an Irish accent although there isn't much difference since it's a Northern Ireland accent. Normally there is a difference between a Scottish accent and an Irish one. He lived with his mother's brother in Ireland for ten years since he was three. How do you know him?"

"I saw a thing on MTV about the hottest bachelors. Wow...so Derek Elroy. Why is he so psychotic? I don't understand why a man who can have and throw away any woman he wants would chase after one in particular. Unless!" Casey gasped. "Did you steal from him or something? I hear men with egos like his don't like to be made a fool of."

"Casey!" Lilith shouted to get her attention. She swallowed a couple times before she decided to tell Casey the truth. Lilith was well aware that Elizabeth would maim her.

"I will tell you something that is forbidden among my kind to tell mortals. And I'm only doing this so you know better to protect yourself. And when you are safe, I will erase all this knowledge from you so you can live your normal life. I will explain everything I know to you and you will not ask me a single question nor utter a single comment until I am finished. Are we clear?" Lilith looked into Casey's eyes, pleading for understanding.

With a slow nod, Casey accepted the terms. Lilith drank more Vodka before she began her explanation. It wasn't as though the alcohol affected her any, but it made her feel better.

"I am a vampire. Derek is a werewolf." Lilith saw Casey about to say something. "Please, let me explain. I have been a vampire for nearly 600 years as Derek has been a werewolf his whole life. Derek and I have a very long history together. I fell in love with him when he saved me from drowning. Back then he was known as Roderick McElroy, firstborn son of the village leader. I was known as Lilith Caldwell, the blacksmith's daughter." Lilith took another sip of Vodka.

"I confessed and he rejected me. When I was about twenty-one, he became engaged to a neighboring clan's daughter. I went to him and we had a one night stand. I ran away the next morning because I couldn't stand the thought of him marrying another." Lilith was quiet for a moment as if she reminisced over the things Rowan told her. She shook herself out of her thoughts and continued.

"A son resulted from the one night stand. Vampires and a scorned suitor of mine were in a league to kill Roderick and the villagers. To save my son, I betrayed Roderick and nearly his entire clan was slaughtered. My son, Bran Roderick, was among those killed that night. For the longest time I believed Roderick had killed my son as retribution to what I had done to his clan. But that was not true. He wants me dead. Any questions?" Lilith sat back and waited for Casey to gather her thoughts and speak.

Casey looked down at the notepad she scribbled some things onto. When Lilith first started, Casey thought it was a little story to relieve some tension...but currently, she was thinking Lilith was a bit crazy. But seeing as she was on a plane going to who really knew where, Casey was not going to be calling Lilith a liar anytime soon. So Casey played along. True, she grew up with stories about Pele, the Goddess of Volcanoes and Papa (Earth Mother) and Wākea (Sky Father) as well as many other tales of Hawaiian mythology.

Casey was a very superstitious person when it came to her Hawaiian heritage. She never stole lava rocks nor entered sacred areas when she was menstruating. Camping once, Casey swore she came across menehune who would have killed her had she not thrown herself face down on the dirt and lie absolutely still until the beating of their drums and pitter-patter of their small feet faded into the distance.

So why was it difficult for Casey to believe Lilith's story? Although Casey had always respected and believed in her Hawaiian heritage, her rational way of thinking prevented her from accepting what Lilith was saying. None the less, Casey was planning on playing along until she was safely off the plane.

She cleared her throat. "Well...I guess my first question would be...knowing what you now know about Derek. Do you still love him?"

Lilith was surprised with that question. She had flitted in and out of Casey's mind as Casey tried to think of the best way to deal with a crazy person; that crazy person being Lilith. She was expecting Casey to humor her, but the question completely caught Lilith off guard.

"I don't know. I believe a part of me will always love Roderick. Derek is not him. He is so much different from the Roderick I once knew. And I think Derek's hatred for me is too deep to simply clear away with a confession. He doesn't know why I betrayed him...although Rowan might have told him by now."

"So...was that a yes or a no?" Casey was sure her wellbeing was connected to the conversation, so she was doing her damnest at keeping it alive.

"A yes and a no, I guess."

"If he forgave you, do you think you could fall in love with Derek?" Casey thought she may as well try to have a bit of melodramatic fun with it.

"No." Lilith said after much thinking. "There's too much history between the two of us. When he's with me, all he will think about is his clan being slaughtered because of me and the fact that I failed to protect our son. Not to mention...the thing he did to me...I would not have thought he was the type of man to have done what he did. I don't know what else he would be capable of."

Casey sighed. She really liked Lilith and a part of her wanted to believe Lilith's crazy story. Casey was sure that if she had a little more proof, she could be convinced. It was such an intriguing notion.

"Do you drink blood on a daily basis? Can I see your fangs? Do you like live victims or do you drink from blood bags?"

"I try not to drink blood on a daily basis. Maybe once every three or four days. My body cannot digest solids, but I do love my liquids. I will drink from blood bags if I have no other choice, but I prefer live feeding...it's much more...stimulating and fulfilling. As for my fangs," Lilith allowed her canines to elongate and she flashed Casey a huge smile.

"Oh. My. God." Casey said slowly, realizing Lilith was the one going around and biting people. Casey leaned forward and looked at Lilith's teeth. Why hadn't she noticed those before?

Lilith closed her mouth and then smiled again, her fangs gone. She stared at Casey for a minute. "You still don't believe me do you?"

Lilith picked up the Vodka bottle and smashed it against the edge of the table. She stabbed it into her arm as Casey screamed and reached for her.

"Are you insane? What are you doing?" Casey held Lilith's arm, watching as the wounds healed up around the shards of glass. "Impossible," Casey breathed.

Plucking out the glass, Lilith cleaned her arm and returned them to Casey's grasp for more inspection. Casey traced the scars on the insides of Lilith's arms and looked up with questions in her eyes.

"I tried to kill myself. That was the night I was turned into a vampire. Failed attempt at suicide and I'm left with these two scars. Any other wounds inflicted after my transformation heal without scars. I usually cover them with makeup." Lilith explained.

"Okay, I believe you." Casey said more to herself than to Lilith. "I'm just in shock right now. Don't mind me, I'll be freaking out soon enough. So...about vampires not being able to go into the sunlight, is that a myth?"

"No, it isn't. Because we are dead, our body will rot much quicker out in the sun. Our mutated cells will combust out in the sunlight. Other than that, our cells are made to regenerate to the time of when we died. I am a defect vampire and am able to go out into the sunlight."

"If you're dead...does that mean you don't have a heartbeat?" Casey's interest overrode her panic.

"I'm not supposed to have a heartbeat, but sometimes I feel as though I have one. There are moments I swear I can feel my heart beating. And as soon as I try to focus on that feeling, it's gone. I'm a bit scared what it would mean if my heart started to beat again." Lilith admitted.

"Can I, um, listen?" Casey stood and walked around the table to Lilith when Lilith nodded her head okay.

She placed her ear on top Lilith's left breast and held her breath. After twenty seconds, Casey took a deep breath and stared up at Lilith in amazement. She hadn't heard one sound. And Lilith felt so cold; it was almost frightening how real things were.

"That is really weird. I think I'm going to have to lie down for a bit." Casey got up and moved back to her seat. "Um...Lilith?" Lilith pulled her gaze from her glass of Vodka to look at Casey. "How is it that a reporter can afford this private jet?"

Lilith laughed humorlessly. "I would say a friend lent it to me, but calling Elizabeth a friend would be an insult to her. She's a vampire acquaintance of mine. And believe me, Elizabeth never forgets a favor." Lilith sighed as she checked the time on the screen behind Casey's head. "I think we should both take a short nap. We still have four hours of this flight and I think we both need some rest. One of the crew members will wake us an hour before landing."

The lights flicked off as Lilith finished her sentence and dim lights went on in the dark cabin. Lilith listened as Casey's breathing slowed. When she was certain Casey had fallen asleep, Lilith allowed herself some sleep as well.

Derek and Rowan hated flying. They both considered themselves wild animals. To be caged and not even in contact with the ground was frightening. When they had nearly busted down Casey's door, they both discovered that the two women had left in a hurry. Casey's belongings were thrown about the place as if she had hastily packed.

Neither had any idea where Lilith and Casey would have gone from that point. It wasn't until Rowan bumped into Casey's next door neighbor had they gained valuable information. The woman had said that she overheard Casey and Lilith saying they would head somewhere that Casey was comfortable with. Since the woman was on her way out to buy groceries, she wasn't paying much attention to Casey and Lilith's conversation. She provided the information that Casey said if she could choose anywhere to go, it would be back home to Hawaii.

Having read up on Casey, Rowan was pretty sure she'd choose to go to her home island, Kauai. So Derek had called Thomas, their personal pilot, and demanded he get his ass to the airport. Derek was in a sour mood when they arrived at the airport before Thomas and his mood worsened when he had to wait about an hour until his jet was prepared for takeoff. His irritation gave way to anxiety as the plane took off. As the ground got farther and farther away, Derek had to bite down on his base instincts to growl and snap until he was safely back down. He knew Rowan was feeling the same by the way his brother kept his eyes shut tightly as his lips moved quickly in silent prayers.

Derek watched his brother for a moment and recalled the numerous times Rowan was trying to tell him something. If it wasn't for the fact that neither of them was feeling so well, Derek would have asked what it was that Rowan wanted to say. But since opening his mouth made Derek feel like throwing up, that particular conversation would have to wait.

So Derek closed his eyes and began to contemplate why he did such a spontaneous thing as follow Lilith to some rock in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. He kept telling himself it was because he needed to shut her up, but with technology now-a-days (as his brother would put it), chasing after Lilith to keep her quiet was a moot point. Although she said that she did not involve herself with vampires in the last fifty years, Derek highly doubted she didn't know how to contact some important few in the network of vampires. And if he could get Lilith to divulge the whereabouts of a few vampires he had been hunting for awhile, Derek wouldn't mind making her death quick and painless.

 With a light shake to her shoulder, Lilith got up instantly, scaring the co-pilot that had gone to wake her up. Lilith looked around the cabin worriedly before she remembered what had happened. She gave the pilot an apologetic smile as she thanked him and he returned to the cockpit. Casey was still dozing when Lilith reached over and shook her gently.

"I had the weirdest dream..." Casey trailed off as she opened her eyes and realized it wasn't a dream. "Never mind." Casey quickly said as she saw Lilith looking at her with a rueful smile.

"We'll be landing in about forty-five minutes. This is my first time in Hawaii. I always wanted to go, but I'm sensitive to sunlight. Although I don't burst into a ball of flames, I get sunburned easily."

"I'm going to have to make the best of this. Oh, there's a bunch of places I'll have to show you when we get there then. Um...would it be safe for me to stay with my family?"

"Aye. It would actually be better if we stay with your family. Derek wouldn't want to cause a scene. And I don't think he'd try anything when your family is involved. He knows what it's like to lose loved ones...so he wouldn't do anything to you or your family. He wants me and until everything is resolved, I hope you don't mind that I'll be sticking around." Lilith looked out the window in vain hopes of spotting something, but it was still dark out.

"That's the first time I've heard you sound remotely Scottish." Casey laughed. "You know, the 'aye' part. Why isn't your accent as strong as Derek's or Rowan's?"

Lilith smiled again. "Because I've had near 550 years to learn different languages and curb my accent. I recall a vampire once saying I sound like a stuck up British trying to sound American. Though I have lived in England for about a hundred years until traveling to Asia and the Middle East for the next hundred before I took a ship from France to America and I've been in between Canada and America ever since. Of course, both had just been newly named such by the time I arrived there."

When the plane landed, Casey practically fell over herself getting out and stretching. She had breathed in deeply, making noises of contentment over being home. Lilith watched with mild amusement as she wondered what it would be like to go back home to Scotland. She wished she knew where Bran Roderick was buried. The only two people who she knew would know would be Derek and Rowan. Seeing as she was planning on avoiding those two for the rest of her long life, she didn't think she'd learn about her son's burial place in her lifetime.

Lilith had warned Casey about using any of her credit or debit cards. Instead, Lilith handed Casey a small bag filled with money, adding another tick to the list of favors she owed Elizabeth. Lilith had insisted on taking a cab, but Casey made a quick call on the payphone to her brother. So the two women made their way to the front of the small airport and sat down on the wooden benches out front. It was a bit chilly in consideration that it was 11 PM. Lilith was jet lagged and surprisingly Casey was not. She was talking a mile a minute about growing up on Kauai and the pranks she would pull on her older brother. The stories caused Lilith to smile as well as think back on her own childhood. The thoughts saddened Lilith, so she tried to concentrate on Casey's light hearted tales as an alternative.

By the time Casey's brother arrived to pick them up, it was near midnight. He grumbled as he pulled up to the curb. Lilith was afraid that he would be angry, but when he got out of his truck and spotted Casey, his frown broke out into a huge smile as he picked her up in a big hug. Lilith was standing to the side, admiring his common, but attractive features. He was maybe 6 feet with tanned skin and a toned, surfer-body. When he turned his hazel eyes at Lilith, his gaze turned quizzical.

"You wake me up at 11PM and you don't even tell me to expect a guest." He laughed at Casey.

Casey punched her brother's arm as she made introductions. "I bet you were at a party, don't act as though you were actually sleeping before 1AM. Lilith, this is my annoying brother Keola. We call him Keo for short. Keo, this is my friend Lilith. She'll be staying with us for awhile."

Keo rubbed his arm before extending a hand to Lilith. "Nice to meet you Lilith. Casey has told me many things about you in her emails to me. Mostly about the way your boss treats the two of you. Now correct me if I'm wrong...but didn't you send me an email saying Lilith was kidnapped a few nights ago?"

Lilith shook Keo's hand as her eyes shot to look at Casey. Keo was looking at his sister, waiting for an answer.

"Well, yes. And she's back now and we both decided we needed a vacation from all that so we decided to board the next plane here."

Keo decided not to push the whole kidnap subject, if that was even true. For all he knew, they could have come up with it to skip out on their shitty jobs. "A little warning would have been nice." Keo loaded the two bags into the back of his truck. "So are we headed to mom and dad's or are you two staying with me?"

Casey looked at her watch and shook her head. "I think it would be better for us to stay with you while we're here. I'll go visit mom and dad later."

Lilith and Casey got into the truck as Keo got into the driver's seat. He lowered the volume on the station playing local music as he and Casey caught up. He asked Lilith a couple questions here and there to keep her involved in the conversation, but Lilith wouldn't have minded if she was excluded completely. She laid her head on the cool glass window and closed her eyes as she listened to Keo and Casey talk about the family gossip.




Blood Moon Ch. 05



Syra woke slowly her brain fogged over, and cuddled into the warmth that was beside her. It took her a moment to realize she was cuddled with a body and looked up to see Dominic's sleeping face. She smiled to herself as she remembered the night before and kissed his chest, loving the feel of him next to her. She traced the line of his jaw, placing small kisses along it. Crawling on top of him she slid down his chest and belly leaving hot kisses behind in her wake. When she reached her prize it was only semi hard and even then she marveled at it. She ran a fingertip down the side of it and it grew harder. Syra looked up quickly and noted that he was still sleeping, and went back to what she was doing.

Syra squeezed it gently, watching as it grew fully harder and had the sudden urge to taste it. Running her tongue gently over the head she was thrilled at the taste of salt and man. Syra slowly took the tip in her mouth, loving the feel of the silky skin and hard muscle on her tongue. She moved her head down further, engulfing it slowly in the warm recesses of her mouth, gagging a bit then taking more. She started when Dominic's hand found her hair and she looked up to see his eyes open and watching her, the brown turning closer to black with the hunger swimming in them. Smiling to herself she started to bob her head up and down on him. 

Dominic groaned low in his throat as he watched Syra swallow his whole staff then come back up and go down again. He had thought the sensation was just a dream, but when he had opened his eyes he felt more then just pleasure, but happiness at what she was doing. When her hand gently squeezed his balls he arched up his body bowing backwards. 

Syra felt a thrill run through her at his body tightening and the sounds she drew from him. She came back off of it just a bit, flicking her tongue back and forth, when she was suddenly jerked up by her shoulders and rolled over. Syra felt a thrill through her at Dominic's now black eyes glinting down at her, his sin sliding over hers.

"It is not nice to tease Syra. Shall I show you what it feels like?"

Without waiting for her answer Dominic slid down her body, his teeth nipping her flesh as he did. When he lay between her thighs he smiled a full hungry smiles, his fangs fully elongated. Syra had a puzzled look on her face until his tongue snaked out and slid through her folds flicking her clit. She didn't have time to think before he dived between her thighs, his mouth sucking on her, and his tongue driving her crazy as it danced over her. 

Syra threw her head back, her mouth open as a long moan escaped her. The sensations were to wild, to much for her to understand. Her hand tangled in his hair pulling his head harder against her and she screamed as her orgasm rocked through her, shattering her soul.

Dominic didn't give her time to come down, but moved back up her body and kissed as he slid into her body. He loved how tight and wet she was, the way her hips naturally moved and the way her body accepted him easily. He pulled himself out, leaving only the head, before pressing back in quickly and roughly. 

Syra cried out her body responding immediately to the invasion. Her legs flew around his waist locking at the ankle, arching her hips rolling them around. Her nails dug into his back leaving scratches, some seeping blood.

Dominic groaned started to thrust in and out of her quickly, the velvet heat of her squeezing and pulsing around him. He felt his incisors lengthen to their full length and when she leaned back her head he had to fight to urge to bit into her neck and taste her blood. He lost the battle when he felt her ripple around him then clamp hard, and he buried his fangs into her vein.

Syra screamed as she came apart hard, the feel of him sucking the blood from her intensifying her orgasm. She heard Dominic roar as he emptied himself inside her and then collapsed on top of her. It was several minutes before either of them could speak, Dominic being the on who spoke first, though more to himself then to her.

"I can't believe I did that." He muttered to himself

Syra rolled onto her stomach and looked at him, instinctually knowing he wasn't talking about the sex. When he didn't say any more she decided to ask him.

"Can't believe you did what?" She asked softly still trying to recover her breath.

"I marked you." He answered his voice just above a whisper

"What is wrong with that? I liked that you bit me."

"You don't know what that means Syra, what all comes with the mark. It means I am claiming you as my mate."

Syra looked at Dominic for a moment before she launched herself at him, closing her arms around his neck. Happiness swirled through her and she laughed raining kisses down on his face and neck, her gold and green eyes shinning with pleasure that he was finally giving in. When Dominic pulled her back by her arms she thought that he was going kiss her, until she saw his face. His eyes looked dull and dead, his face cold as a statue's. 

"Dominic, what's wrong?" She asked an odd feeling of dread spreading through her.

"I cannot have you as a mate Syra. I already have a mate...one my father choose years ago. I cannot hold to the promise that mark means...even if I wanted to. And I don't like made vampires, I am sorry."

Dominic had put his pants on and walked out of the room leaving Syra sitting on the bed her mind in chaos. He was already mated...yet he had just slept with her. How could he sleep with her if he was mated to another woman?

Syra lay back on the bed, her eyes swimming with tears, her stomach rolling at what she had just done. She couldn't believe that the man she had loved for five years, the person who had marked her, already belonged to another. A loud sob broke from her throat as she curled into a ball, uncaring of her naked state and caring less if someone walked in on her now. Her breathing was fast and choked as she tried to breath through her tears, finally giving in and wailing as her crushed heart demanded she did. The hurt inside her echoing through her mind. 

Dominic could hear her from down the hall and slammed his fist into the wall, leaving a large hole in the plaster. He was caught in his thoughts so deeply that he swung on Lucian when he touched his shoulder.

Lucian caught the fist flying at him and through it aside as he looked at Dominic, his green eyes flashing with anger. Lucian had never felt this much rage in his life, and hoped that he never did again. He had felt when Dominic had claimed her and was filled with happiness that his brother had finally stopped fighting Fate, and then Syra's pain had ripped through his mind like a dull knife. He had run as quickly as he could to reach the door but had stopped when he saw Dominic standing there his fist in the wall, his head down. Snarling at Dominic, Lucian shoved his brother against the wall none to gently. 

"What the hell did you do to her?" he snarled his fangs close to Dominic's face

"I told her that I already had a mate, and that I didn't like made vampires." Dominic said calmly

"Did you tell her that your mate was dead?" Lucian snarled

Dominic simply shook his head and Lucian snarled again. His anger grew even more at his brother's idiocy.

"I bet you didn't tell her that the reason you don't like made vampires is because you turned your mate and she went crazy and had to be killed."

Dominic shook his head again and Lucian shoved him against the wall causing plaster to fall around them. Dominic did nothing but stare at his brother, he could understand why Lucian was mad. If Lucian would have done this to a woman, he himself would have wanted to rip him apart. When Lucian bared his fangs at Dominic he only tilted his head, silently daring Lucian to rip his throat out.

Lucian backed away from his brother, knowing if he stayed close to him to much longer he would hurt Dominic. He couldn't feel anything from him, Dominic had out up his shields, but Syra's pain was eating at him. It made his stomach cramp with each tear that fell and each harsh breath she took. Lucian looked at Dominic trying to figure out what his brother was feeling.

"Are you going to tell her any of this and try to make things work, or are you just going to let her think that it is just her that you have a problem with?" Lucian asked

"I am going to let her think it is her. I can't take the chance of loving her and going through the same thing as before." Dominic said honestly.

Lucian glared at Dominic, a quick decision coming to his mind. One that he would make Dominic agree to no matter what.

"You bit her didn't you?" Lucian asked

Dominic nodded again.

"No you didn't Dominic. I bit her, I claimed her as my mate not you. You will know nothing of this until I mention it at the dinner ball tonight. I will find a way to get Syra to agree and we will find a story to go along with how this happened so quickly. But you will have nothing to do with her until you can learn to stop hurting her, we will put off the ceremony as ling as we can. You better get your head out of your ass."

The whole time Lucian spoke Dominic simply looked at his brother as if what he was saying made no sense. Lucian heaved a sigh and glanced back over at his brother.

"Is this expectable to you?" Lucian asked

"Yes, it is fine with me." Dominic said

Lucian walked towards Syra's door, leaving Dominic standing there, not noticing how his hands had clenched into tight fists. Lucian tapped on the door but when his only answer was a sob, he pushed it open. 

Syra was curled up in the corner of the bed her body shaking as she cried. She heard the door open but didn't pay any attention to it. She had never known this much pain, even when she had been going through the Change and she hated being this weak. She felt the bed dip under her and she looked up to see Lucian sitting beside her. She blinked at him, tears still clouding her vision.

Lucian pulled Syra into his arm, holding her gently as she continued to cry against his chest. He rocked her, pulling a sheet over her to cover her nakedness. Finally Syra looked up at him and Lucian knew what was coming, and he also knew he couldn't lie to her.

"Why...why didn't he tell me he had a mate before? How can he sleep with me and have a mate and hate me?" She cried

"Syra...it is not you. His mate has been dead for two hundred years." He said slowly

Syra looked at him clearly not understanding, so Lucian swallowed and went on with the tail. 

"Our father chose the human girl for him, and Dominic turned her to become one of us. Her mind was weak and she ended up becoming demented, attacking and killing for pleasure. Dominic had to watch her be executed for her crimes. He is scared you will become like her and doesn't want to risk coming to like you."

Lucian watched emotions pass over Syra's face before a strange look settled over it. It was a mix between anger and happiness and he could see the wheels turning in her head. He sat patently waiting for her to speak and was rewarded quickly. 

"Lucian I have something I need you to help me with." She said

"What is that?"

"Tonight at the dinner ball, there is going to be an orgy afterwards correct?"

"Yes there is why?"

"I want you to touch me. Tonight dance with only me, say you love me, and then at the orgy make love to me. Do this all right in front of or next to Dominic. If what you said is true, then I should be able to win him over by making him jealous. If he is jealous then he cares, and with that I can work towards getting what I want." She said calmly

Lucian stared at her a moment before bursting out into laughter that vibrated in the room. He liked this girl and would love to have her as his sister. 

"I will do as you say, because I think you are right. Let us try this tonight."

Syra and Lucian began to plan what they were going to do, while Dominic sat in his room alone, never suspecting the plot being spun around him. None of them suspecting the darker plot being woven around them all. 



Blood Moon Ch. 05



 Derek and Rowan had practically fought the other to be first off the plane. If they had been on a longer flight, they might have thrown themselves on the ground and kiss the dirt. Luckily it wasn't that long. Even when they had gone from England to America, they opted to land in New York and drive to San Francisco. They even preferred to drive between their company headquarters in Washington and California. Flights were avoided unless absolutely necessary.

Derek was eyeing another private jet nearby as Rowan greedily gulped down the air beside him. Derek had made a few calls and learned that no flight booked under Lilith Angela or Casey Pukui had been made to Hawaii. He assumed that neither was so prepared as to have false IDs. Lilith perhaps, but not Casey. Before he hung up on his informant, he was told that a private jet in Seattle under a Miss Elizabeth Whiteley had set a course directly to Kauai. Derek wondered if Lilith either had some connections or Elizabeth Whiteley was another one of her aliases.

A black car came out to pick the both of them up. Derek and Rowan loaded into the car so they could be taken to Princeville in Hanalei. First he had to figure out if Lilith was on Kauai before he made his presence on the island known. He asked the driver about the private jet beside his.

"Well there were two women who got off the plane. Both very attractive. One looked like a local girl and the other looked like a foreigner. I couldn't really tell, I was far away." The driver answered.

"Thank you." Derek responded as he raised the separation glass between them.

Rowan was laying down on the chair across of Derek in the limo. Feeling his brother's eyes on him, Rowan turned his gaze to Derek and raised his eyebrows in question.

"Whit are ye staring at me for?"

"I recall you saying there was something you wanted to tell me. But we were too much in a rush to discuss it. What is it?" Derek was skimming through his phone for the number of his assistant partner to take care of the Seattle branch until his return.

"Do ye promise not tae kill me?"

Derek rolled his eyes at his brother's melodrama. He called his assistant partner and discussed his temporary take over of the Seattle branch. Derek had forgotten the early hour it was in San Francisco, but luckily for him, George was an early riser. They said their goodbyes as Derek turned his attention back to Rowan.

"I grant you immunity. What was it that you wanted to tell me? You forgot to lock the door and that's how Lilith escaped? Or you purposely left the door unlock so she could escape? What?"

Rowan gave a guilty look as he sat up. "In addition tae me talking tae Lilith when ye told me not tae and also forgetting tae lock the door, well I know why Lilith betrayed us."

Derek groaned. "I don't even want to hear the rest of what you have to say. Please, I'm sorry I asked. I'm tired. So I really can't bother myself by trying to wrap my head around anymore of her lies."

"But," Rowan tried to explain. "I would have done the same was I in her position."

"I ken." Derek sighed, surprising his brother. "Such deep and blind love. Willing to do anything for that person. Even ruin the lives of others. Sometimes I wonder if love is an evil thing."

"A parent's love for his child is not evil." Rowan shot back.

"What are you talking about? I'm talking about Lilith and William, or Daniel, whichever one it was she loved. And I'm sure you could relate since you loved Sara so whole-heartedly." Derek leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "Why the hell did you bring up children all of a sudden?"

Rowan watched as understanding dawned on Derek.

"Did Lilith have a child with Daniel?" Derek asked, unsure as to why he felt like he just swallowed acid.

"Are ye daft? Lilith did have a child, but the boy's da was not Daniel. It was ye." Rowan shouted.

Derek choked on air. The shocked look on his face would have been funny had it appeared under any other circumstance. He glowered at his brother for a sign of his announcement being a joke. But Rowan's face only reflected burning sincerity.

"What lies has she told you?" Derek demanded.

"She wasn't lying tae me. I judge a person within two minutes of meeting them and I'm always right. So when she told me she betrayed our clan tae keep her, yer son safe, I knew she wasn't lying. Daniel and William kidnapped her son and promised tae give him back safely had Lilith done as she was instructed." Rowan glanced at his brother's shocked expression.

Several minutes passed before Derek could say anything. Anger pulsed off of him in crushing waves, warning anyone with half a brain not to approach. With short breaths, Derek composed himself somewhat.

"Why?"

"Think about it, after ye claimed Lilith as your mate, there'd been no way she could have another's child. And she was a maiden when ye lain with her was she not?" Rowan was again surprised as a flush worked up his brother's face. "Och now, it's no time tae be embarrassed. That happened almost 600 years ago."

"I'm not embarrassed." Derek snapped. "I'm fucking pissed as 'ell right now. And whit the 'ell happened tae my son?"

Rowan swallowed. "He died when he was naught but a babe."

Growling low, Derek had to control himself from kicking down the car door and screaming his agony into the dark night.

"How?"

With a sigh, Rowan retold the story. When he was done, he held Derek's gaze. "Remember the lad who smelled of shifter blood that night?"

Derek looked up sharply as he began to understand what his brother was implying. "The one who was injured and drowning in his own blood?"

Rowan nodded. "That was Bran Roderick. Lilith arrived in the village when she saw the mercy kill. Except, she didn't know it was a mercy blow. Daniel got intae her head and made her believe that ye thought Bran Roderick was Daniel and Lilith's babe and that ye killed him out of revenge."

"Stop." Derek whispered. "Stop this fucking car! I want out of this car now!" He bellowed, banging against the glass divider so hard it shattered.

The car swerved to the right as the driver pulled on the side in a forceful stop. Derek nearly kicked the door open before the driver had a chance to get the door. The driver was used to demanding clients, but this was the first time he had to deal with such a temper.

The road was deserted at that time of night. Even though it was a main road, there wasn't much around. Just tall grass and the mountains surrounded them as Derek began to run away from the car. He ran away from civilization. Like a wild animal, he needed the comfort that only mother Earth could provide. His footsteps tore up the soft ground beneath him. Nature seemed to understand Derek's hurt as the wind picked up violently, throwing the long grass from the left to the right with vicious force.

Derek ran until he felt as though his lungs would burst. He ran until he stumbled and fell upon his knees. With a blurred view, Derek looked up at the full moon and cried out into the deafening silence of the night. He cursed Lilith and her naiveté. He cursed William and Daniel's immortal souls to roast in hell for all of eternity. He cursed the gods for robbing him of his son he would never know. And he cursed himself the most of all.

After a long while, Derek stood. He had cried tears he thought had long since dried up. Not bothering to fix his appearance, Derek began to walk back towards the car. Rowan was standing in the exact same spot, looking at Derek with a quiet understanding. In a way, Derek was grateful that his brother could sympathize with the feeling of losing a child. Rowan had lost both his children and his mate all at once. And Rowan had never spoken to Derek about it.

Both men got into the car without a word to the other. They didn't have to speak and were both grateful when the driver just continued to drive them to their hotel. The drive lasted an hour. A long and quiet hour. Luckily the driver took care of all the preparations and the only think Derek had to do was hand over his credit card and sign the charge slip. They went to their adjoining suites in silence and Rowan didn't utter a word as his brother locked himself in his room with all the alcohol he found at the mini-bar.

 Lilith sat in the dark room and looked out the window. It was a guest room in Keo's house. Since it was late or rather early in the morning, Keo and Casey had left her to sleep. But the moment Lilith was left alone, she felt restless. There was the fact that she needed to feed soon, however that wasn't quite the feeling. Her heart was aching. It felt like someone had their hand around her heart and was squeezing. Lilith rubbed her hand over her chest as if to soothe the ache, but it didn't help.

The squeezing seemed to get tighter until Lilith gasped from the pain. She fell to the floor on her knees until she curled up in the fetal position. There was a knock on her door and she heard Casey on the other side asking if everything was alright. Slowly the door opened and Casey gasped as she saw Lilith on the floor. She switched on the lights and closed the door behind her quickly. Dropping to her knees beside Lilith, Casey reached for her.

"I was just on my way to bed and I heard something fall. What's wrong?" Casey asked worriedly.

"My heart." Lilith gasped out. "It hurts. It feels like it's being crushed."

"Vampires can't have heart attacks right? Bad blood maybe? Heart burn?" Casey didn't know what to do. She felt useless.

Lilith tried to smile. "No we don't have heart attacks or heart burn." Lilith bit down on a moan of pain. The pressure on her heart seemed to lighten, only to return a second later.

"When was the last time you ate?"

"At the club." Lilith ground out as the pain in her chest would lighten then return every other second.

"Here." Casey held out her wrist. "That was almost six days ago. Please drink from me for now. Maybe it's because you haven't eaten anything for so long."

The pain was becoming tolerable. Lilith realized that now her stomach was cramping. Maybe she really was starving. She reached for Casey's wrist and opened her mouth, but something felt wrong. Concentrating, Lilith sat there with Casey's wrist in her grasp.

"Is something the matter?" Casey asked.

With her heart beating in her ears and sweat dampening her forehead, Lilith answered. "I don't have my fangs anymore."

Derek unlocked the door to his room and stepped into the living room of the suite. Rowan was sitting on the couch in front of the television, eating room service food and watching the news. It had been a few days since they'd seen each other. Derek had gotten hammered and spent the better part of the second day with a mean hangover. By the third day he had gotten himself presentable with just a touch of a headache left.

They looked at each other and Rowan held up his plate of steak and offered it to his brother. Derek hesitantly took the plate and sat down beside his brother. His stomach growled and the both of them laughed. It had been a few days since Derek had eaten.

"How are ye feeling?" Rowan asked.

Derek swallowed the big chunk of steak he was chewing on. "Like shit. But what else is new. Say...have you found out about Lilith's whereabouts yet?"

"I have." Rowan answered slowly. "Are we going tae visit her today? Because I'd suggest we go maybe tomorrow when you're looking and feeling better."

"I wasn't planning on seeing her today. After much drunken reflection...I don't know what I'd say to her. I didn't exactly leave a good impression last time I saw her." Derek ate another bite.

"That's true. Well in case you're wondering. She's staying in Koloa with Casey and Casey's older brother, Keola. They live about an hour and a half drive from this place...maybe longer depending on the traffic and the weather."

Derek nodded as he finished eating and put the plate down. "I suppose tomorrow is a good time as any. Well, I have to call George. He called me a dozen times."

Rowan watched as Derek stood and went to grab his cell. He returned with his phone and laptop. Lowering the volume on the television, Rowan decided to take a nap while Derek caught up on his work.

 Lilith was terrified. She stared down at the band-aid on her finger and blinked blankly a couple more times. What was happening to her? A couple nights ago, Casey had offered to feed her, but Lilith couldn't get her canines to elongate. Then she had begun to sweat...something that she surely had never done after she was turned. To make matters even scarier, her heart had started beating. Her heart beat was irregular for the first two days, sometimes beating too fast and other times impossibly slow. But after a couple days, it started to have a steady beat. One that Casey had put her ear to and listened. Color began to return to Lilith's pale skin, something that Keo had commented on and Lilith had told him it must be the sun.

Casey had tucked Lilith into bed that early morning after the failed feeding and slept beside her on the bed. When Lilith woke up to the smell of coffee, her stomach was cramping painfully. They had gone downstairs to see that Keo had cooked breakfast. Seeing the bacon, Portuguese sausages, scrambled eggs, toast, hash-browns, and rice Lilith's stomach grumbled. She had wondered if it meant she could eat. So she took a small bite of the bacon and her stomach begged for more food.

Before she knew it, she was shoveling down the food. Of course she had gotten sick, but her body hadn't rejected the food. She just lay in bed for the rest of the day with a stomach ache. So Lilith had worriedly called Elizabeth that night only to be sharply told that she was quite bothersome.

It had been three days since Lilith's heart had begun beating again. Since she now ate solids, it also meant she would be using the toilet for more than peeing. All of the changes that practically made her human were fascinating. Her senses were still honed.

When Lilith volunteered to help with dinner being made for Keo and Casey's parents, she accidentally cut herself. She didn't think anything of it and waved Keo off, telling him she was fine. But when the bleeding hadn't stopped, she realized just how human she really had become. So there she sat, looking down at the band-aid on her finger, wondering what it all meant.

Casey watched Lilith sitting out on the porch for a moment. Then she saw a car pull up into the driveway and a big smile spread across her face.

"Lilith! It's my parents. They're here! Quick, help me set the table for dinner." Casey rushed up to Lilith and they went back into the house to get the table set.

Keo brought out the food and placed it on the table. Lilith hadn't met Casey and Keo's parents since she was sick in bed when they first visited. Casey and Keo's parents were two very friendly people. They both had infectious laughs and were the sort of people to give hugs to strangers.

The night was spent telling funny stories about Casey and Keo growing up. Lilith learned that Casey's first name was Makalani, but since many people in Seattle couldn't remember that name, she had everyone call her by her middle name, Casey. By the time Mr. and Mrs. Pukui left, it was almost midnight. As Casey and Lilith washed dishes, they laughed about Keo having a crush and making a proposal to his teacher in second grade.

 The phone rang. Interrupting their laughter, Keo answered and said it was for Lilith. Nervously, Lilith wiped her hands dry and accepted the phone.

"Hello?"

"For goodness sake, don't sound as though I'm the grim-reaper." Came a clipped British voice.

"Elizabeth." Lilith sighed in relief. "What is it?"

"Oh don't 'what is it' me. I've finished up my business here in California. I'll be there in a couple days. I thought I aught to warn you."

Before Lilith could answer, Elizabeth had hung up. Casey touched Lilith's arm, causing Lilith to jump.

"I'm sorry. I was just wondering if everything is alright." Casey whispered low.

Her brother was grumbling in the background since Casey had forced him into washing the rest of the dishes. Lilith gave Keo an apologetic smile, knowing Casey had put Keo on dishes duty so Casey could talk to her.

"Well Elizabeth will be coming here in a couple days." Lilith swallowed.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Casey asked quietly.

Lilith looked Casey straight in the eyes. "I honestly don't know."

 Back in California, a beautiful, willowy blonde stood at the bottom steps of a huge mansion. She looked over her shoulder once more at the large estate that had been her home for sixty years, although she alternated between her loft in San Francisco and her mansion in a more rural part north of the City. With a delicate flick of her wrist, her bags were loaded into the car that would bring her to the airport. She had waited twenty-eight hundred years for this moment. For so long she had spent time and money on finding a cure. The closest her research had gotten her was a deadly mutation that killed nearly a fourth of her kind. But now she would get the cure. Lilith was the answer.

The blonde got into the car. The door shut and the driver began to pull away from the curb. Lilith had called, sounding frightened with a new discovery. It was exactly a year since Lilith was injected with the anti-virus. Her body had been undergoing changes within the past year. Subtle changes that Lilith wouldn't know about until exactly a year later when the anti-virus was matured. Lilith was so far the only survivor.

The blonde looked at her PDA for her flight information and snorted in disgust. Of all things, she was riding in a commercial airplane. Forget the fact that she was riding in first class, it still didn't negate that she would have to be sharing a plane. She tossed her PDA next to her fake ID in her $4000 Gucci bag and crossed her long legs.

Staring out the window, she thought of her foolish uncle and father. It had been a curse that ruined them. But with science, she would find a way to be normal again. She had already found a way to walk into the sunlight with science. It was just a temporary fix since her skin had to constantly be replaced. The procedure cost her hundreds of thousands of dollars per surgery, but she couldn't quite complain since it meant she could be a day dweller. Drumming her perfectly manicured nails against the leather armrest, she addressed the driver.

"No one is to know that I'll be in Hawaii, understood?"

The driver nodded. "Yes, Ms. Elizabeth."

Keo left early in the morning to go surfing. Seeing as he lived a ten minute drive from the beach, he decided to ride his bike down, holding his surfboard under one arm as he went. Lilith had been curious at what he was doing so early in the morning. Her sensitive hearing had woken her up when she heard rustling below her window. She watched from her window as Keo balanced himself on his bike, picked up his surfboard and peddled off.

Lilith had gone back to bed for a couple more hours. She didn't wake up until Casey knocked on her door and asked if she wanted pancakes for breakfast. They were preparing breakfast, waiting for the last pancake to cook, when the doorbell rang.

Casey knew her brother's surfing schedule and it was too early for him to be back. If she recalled correctly, he would still be out for at least another three hours. She wiped her hand on the dish clothe as she told Lilith she'd get the door. Shooting Casey a pleading look, Lilith glanced back at the pancakes on the stove.

"Noooo." Lilith half-laughed. "The food is going to burn if you leave it with me. Come on, I haven't cooked in like a century. I'll go get the door." But Casey was already gone.

The pancake was a nice golden color when Lilith flipped it, so she assumed it could be taken off the pan. Lilith carefully transferred the pancake to a plate and turned off the stove. She stood there admiring the fact that the pancake wasn't burnt when she heard the door open and Casey screamed.




Blood Moon Ch. 05



Lilith dashed out of the kitchen with a knife and looked at the front door where Derek and Rowan were standing. Casey ran to the phone and Rowan quickly tore the line out of the wall. Lilith quickly made her way to the three.

"We didn't come here to harm either of you. I promise." Derek spoke quickly, raising his hands in surrender as Lilith approached with her knife raised high.

"As if I can count on any of your promises." Lilith sneered, pointing the knife at him.

"And what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Derek asked, still standing at the threshold.

Lilith ignored him and turned her attention to Rowan. "Rowan, if you promise me Casey's safety and that no harm will ever come to her, I will leave with the both of you willingly."

"You take his word, but not mine?" Derek demanded.

Lilith tossed him a scathing glare. "I take the word of a man and any man who rapes a woman is not a man in my eyes!"

Casey gasped and all eyes fell on Derek. He remained silent, but it was obvious he was torn between guilt and anger. Derek looked at Rowan and barked an order.

"Well, take her damn deal. But I only came here to talk." Derek growled low.

Still keeping the knife pointed at Derek, Lilith spoke to Rowan. "Promise that neither you nor your brother will seek me or Casey out again. And neither will Casey nor hers get involved with whatever either of you have planned for me. As well as neither of us will come into harm since you two are just 'here to talk'."

"On my children's graves." Rowan promised.

Lilith lowered her knife as Casey moved up next to her. Handing the knife to Casey, Lilith tried to ignore the way Derek was looking at her. She moved out of the way and motioned for them to enter the living room.

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Lilith asked suspiciously.

Derek scrunched his brows in thought. "You're different."

A nervous bubble built up inside of Lilith. Would he take advantage of her weakness? Lilith didn't want to find out, so instead she lifted her chin and ignored him.

"I'm thirsty." Casey said, breaking the tension. "You." She pointed at Rowan with the knife. "Come with me to the kitchen. I'm not leaving the both of you here to overpower Lilith while I'm gone."

Rowan stood from the couch and followed Casey to the kitchen. He may as well give Derek and Lilith some time to talk. It was hard for him not to laugh when Casey handed the knife back to Lilith before bouncing off to the kitchen.

Lilith waited until Casey and Rowan was gone before she looked back at Derek. She narrowed her eyes at him, waiting for him to speak. He just sat there, looking down at his hands with a guilty expression. Growing impatient, Lilith huffed.

"Are you going to say anything or just sit there?" Lilith put the knife down on the table beside her and crossed her arms.

Derek finally looked up. He stared at Lilith who took his stare as a challenge so she stared right back. Questions kept popping up about how she dealt with Bran Roderick's death, how she got along in the world being all alone. Obviously she was still alone...well maybe not anymore since she found Casey. Then he wondered if Casey knew about the world of vampires and werewolves.

"I heard about Bran Roderick." Derek cleared his throat. "Half of me wants to choke you because you ran away. If you hadn't run, we could have been happy. Our son would have still been alive."

Lilith shot to her feet in disbelief. "Are you blaming this on me?" She cried. "If I hadn't done this, if I had done that instead, our son would still be alive? Oh yes, if I hadn't snuck into your tent that night and forced you to have sex with me, we wouldn't be in this predicament would we? Let me just tell you this. I am not saying that I am at all innocent, but don't you dare place all the blame on me!"

"That's not what I meant." Derek began. "Damnit. I planned out what I was going to say, and this isn't it." He raked a hand through his hair and motioned for Lilith to sit. "I'm trying to explain. Please sit."

With another glare, Lilith took her seat and waited for Derek to continue.

 Casey was peeking around the corner when she finally turned back to the kitchen. She bumped straight into Rowan, who grabbed her upper arms to steady her. Practically slapping his hands away, Casey steadied herself and walked briskly into the kitchen.

"Your brother is a prick." Casey said, going to the refrigerator for some passion orange juice.

"I beg yer pardon?" Rowan said, getting defensive for his brother.

"You heard me. I said your brother is a P-R-I-C-K." She took a sip of her juice before picking at a pancake.

Casey pulled herself onto a counter for a seat. She was grateful her brother wasn't there; otherwise she'd be getting in trouble. According to him, the counter was not for butts. Something she constantly rolled her eyes about. She once caught him with a now ex-girlfriend getting hot and heavy on the counter when he thought she was staying at their parent's house. So much for no butts on the counter.

Casey glanced at Rowan, wondering why he was being so quiet. She hated the way her body would just react to him. When she thought about him, her body began to heat up and she'd grow moist.

Shifting uncomfortably, Casey realized that Rowan was watching her. As if he knew she was aroused, he gave her a slow smile. Gods, could the man be any sexier? Casey hoped not because if he was, she might be close to tearing her clothes off and begging him to take her. Casey snorted, almost choking on her juice when she thought of him 'taking her'.

Rowan made his way to the counter with a napkin and he handed it to Casey. She plucked the napkin out of his hand as if she was afraid to touch him and coughed a couple times to clear her throat. Just then, Casey realized how un-sexy she was in a big shirt and sleeping shorts. She would be groaning at herself right now had she been interested in Rowan...which she wasn't. Casey shifted on the counter again as she could almost feel his body heat radiating off of him. Unintentionally, Casey's body swayed closer to him. Nope, not attracted to him at all.

"Casey?" Rowan said as he leaned towards her.

"Hmm?" Casey murmured as he leaned even closer. She tilted her head up, loving the fact that he was so tall.

"Would it be alright if I got a cup of water?" Rowan motioned to the rows of cups behind her head.

Casey frowned and moved out of the way. "Whatever."

A smile broke across Rowan's face as Casey frowned even more. It looked almost as if he was trying not to laugh. Casey crossed her arms under her small breasts and pouted.

"What's so funny?"

"Ye." Rowan answered. "I'm sorry, but I purposely got closer tae test out a theory I had."

"A theory?" Casey tried to ask nonchalant.

"I wanted tae see if ye'd mind me kissing ye."

Casey's breath caught. "Really?" Ack, did her voice just go up an octave? So much for being casual.

Rowan nodded.

"And?" Casey pressed.

"And what?" Rowan teased, knowing she wanted to hear the conclusion to his theory.

She glared at him until Rowan smiled again, even laughing a bit.

Rowan leaned forward so his lips just barely touched her ear and he whispered. "I doona think ye'd mind if I kissed ye."

"That's the most conceited thing I have ever heard!" Casey said as she pulled away from him, her skin flushed.

Just to prove his point, Rowan reached for her. He slid one hand into her soft hair and the other to her hip. Turning her face towards him, he whispered against her lips.

"Then tell me tae stop." He murmured.

Casey streamed her fingers in his thick hair and pulled his head down. "Later."

The moment their lips made contact, Casey felt as if there was an earthquake. She felt light headed and off balance. He licked and sucked, coaxing her to open her mouth. When she did, Casey moaned as his tongue deftly played with her. There was a sensual promise to the strokes of his tongue on hers. Promise that he knew how to use his tongue in more ways than just kissing.

Rowan forced his way between her thighs as their kissing got heavier. Dragging his lips off of hers, he kissed and sucked her neck as one hand moved to her thigh. Casey threw her head back as her hands moved to the hem of his shirt. She wanted to touch his skin. Slipping her hand under his shirt, she slid her fingers over the taut skin on his back an abdomen as he groaned against her neck. Rowan traced his fingers up to Casey's left breast and pinched her nipple. Moaning, Casey pushed herself against Rowan, her fingernails biting into his flesh softly. Unable to take it, Rowan bent his head and suck on Casey's nipple through her hideously oversized shirt. Casey rubbed herself against him shamelessly, biting down on her moans.

Suddenly there was shouting coming from the living room. Rowan and Casey broke apart instantly and stared at each other while breathing harshly. He gave her another slow smile and Casey felt her face flush as she hopped off the counter and made her way to the living room.

When Casey reached the living room, there was a gorgeous blonde standing there looking at a seemingly stunned Derek and Lilith. The blonde didn't seem to notice Casey and Rowan as she continued to talk.

 Elizabeth had arrived on Kauai on the most horrible flight ever. She had to sit next to the most disgusting man who kept leering at her like some starving fat kid looking at cake. Throughout the whole flight she had to hold down her gag reflexes whenever she caught him staring at her. She was overjoyed to be off the plane.

Seeing as she shouldn't waste any time, Elizabeth checked into her hotel then went directly to where Lilith was staying. She had gotten the address from the phone number connected to it.

Upon her arrival, Elizabeth was well aware that there were two lycans on the premises. She invited herself in, since the door was unlocked and there was a welcome mat out. She found Lilith in a heated argument with Derek. When she entered, Derek must have sensed her because his nostrils flared and his head snapped in her direction. Elizabeth looked at him blandly before looking over at Lilith.

Perfect, she thought to herself. Lilith seemed almost human by now. Derek tried to stand, but it was as if his body was glued to the chair. Elizabeth gave him an amused look and although a dozen words came to mind that he wanted to say, nothing could come out of his mouth. Elizabeth smirked at his helplessness.

"Ahh, the gifts I received upon becoming a vampire are rather helpful in such a situation as this. You must be Roderick McElroy, Lilith's mated. This is quite perfect timing. I don't think I could have planned this all better myself."

Elizabeth took a seat and began to explain, whether or not Lilith and Derek wanted an explanation. Both were stuck in their seats, unable to speak.

"When I first met Lilith in London about four hundred years ago, I thought, 'how strange. This vampire chit smells of lycan.' And I later found out she's mated to one. So I began to devise a plan. If we could get lycan and vampire DNA to mix, the curse would be over. See, most believe that if one race is extinct, then that means that the curse will end. When really we just need to make the two races become one. Seeing as vampires are infertile, that would be quite impossible." Elizabeth let out an irritated sigh.

"I had to wait until technology was advance enough to make such a thing possible. And I couldn't be trying prototypes on Lilith. I tried everything from injecting lycan with vampire DNA and vampires with lycan DNA, but the differences just cannot be bridged and the subjects all died within hours after tampering with their genetic material. Mind you, I also found out that only males carry the lycan genes. And the damnest thing is that they're infertile unless with their mated.

" With a common ground like human DNA, it could work. But after my last blunder and killing off nearly a fourth of my kind, I suppose I did not have time for more trials and errors." Elizabeth paused to inspect her fingernails. It was as if she had practiced the speech many times and had grown bored reciting it again. In fact, the Vampire Nation council had wanted to kill her for that last mistake, but the fault of the incomplete serum being distributed throughout the Sanctuaries hadn't been her fault. That blame rested on an agent from the VPA, Vampire Protections Association, sent by the Council. She continued.

"Lilith was already interesting in the fact that she is a day walker. You are a miracle you know that Lilith? It was prophesized that you would come to us when you did. The first step of salvation. You carry the vampire and human gene. For you, the vampire and human gene merged so you were still able to walk during the day. If we can bridge the vampire-human gene with a lycan gene, then we would create one race. Where upon the curse should be lifted." Elizabeth dusted lint off of her chic, white pants.

"So I injected you with the anti-virus. Although you carry a mutation of a vampire and human gene, it would be impossible for you to have children if your body was still dead. But the anti-virus suppresses your vampire gene, being successful only in you because your cells are still partially human. Be the key to break the curse, yaddah yaddah," Elizabeth waved her hand around in a bored fashion. "In other words, have a baby with Roderick. Bridge our two races and we can all be human again."

Elizabeth released her powers over Derek and Lilith, only to have the both of them shouting at the same time. She covered her ears with her slender fingers as she cringed beautifully. Rolling her clear green-blue eyes, Elizabeth silenced them again. She noticed a young woman and another lycan walk into the living room, but ignored them as she summed everything up.

"Lilith, stop being so selfish. Think of the greater good. I've planned this all out since I first learned you were mated to a lycan. So, you will have Derek's child, that child must be a boy and he will be the salvation to both lycans and vampires."



Blood Moon Ch. 06



Koloa, Kauai

2007

Rowan stepped in. "That's a bunch of bull!"

A delicate eyebrow shot up as Elizabeth turned her head to look at Rowan. She gave him an appreciative once over. Casey narrowed her eyes at Elizabeth, wondering who the hell she was and how the hell she got into the house.

Elizabeth's reply was practically a purr. "Such vehemence. How do you know this won't work?"

"Because if that was true. This curse would have ended five-hundred-eighty-four years ago when my daughter was turned into a blood-sucker." Rowan spat.

Casey's head shot up and she stared at the intense look Rowan was giving Elizabeth. She was extremely curious about Rowan's wife and children. Casey almost hit herself thinking she should have asked about his family sooner. She wasn't so sure about mentioning his children since she knew they were dead when Rowan mentioned swearing on his children's graves.

But nothing said indicated that Rowan wasn't still with Sara. Just her luck Rowan was still married and fooling around on Sara, his-Casey just then recalled Lilith's story on the jet. Then her gaze shifted to Elizabeth who didn't look surprised at the news. In fact, Elizabeth smiled.

"I suppose you missed the bit that explained that. Women don't carry the lycan gene. Tell me, have you ever met a female who could morph into an animal state?" She answered for him. "No. Neither does a woman of lycan lineage have lycan sons. The lycan DNA is connected to males and can only be passed through males. Therefore, only a father can give his sons lycan DNA. Simply put, lycan gene is connected to the Y chromosome."

Her eyes flicked over Lilith and Derek. Within a blink, her hold over them disappeared. Lilith drew her brows together as she assessed Elizabeth. When Lilith had first met Elizabeth she had a feeling Elizabeth was powerful, but only now was she grasping just how powerful.

"Hush your thoughts human." Elizabeth cut a glance at Casey. "I am the Elizabeth who so graciously lent you my jet. For which I had to severely pay the consequence of riding a commercial plane." Elizabeth visibly shuddered. "And your door was wide open, I just invited myself in. You know, loop holes and all."

Casey gasped and moved closer to Rowan. Tension began to grow. With a perpetual fake smile, Elizabeth stood and looked around the living room.

"Lilith and I are the only day walking vampires I know of. Though there were others who could walk during the day, I know for a fact that they are dead. Human, cease bombarding me with your questions. I'm not purposely reading your mind. You're directing your thoughts at me." Elizabeth shot her eyes to the front door that was visible from the living room.

Everyone followed her gaze to see a man standing in the doorway. It was Keola. He was still slightly wet with a dusting of sand over his body. He moved his wet bangs out of his eyes and gave the room full of people a curious smile.

"I saw a Mustang and a cab outside. A party going on while I was out?" He grabbed the towel he had placed near the front door just before leaving to go surf.

Keo walked into the room and stopped near the phone. "So...someone want to explain what happened to the phone jack?"

Casey quickly spoke. "Sorry, my fault. I um...tripped."

"Doing what? Sliding between the table and the wall?" Keo bent down and inspected the wire. "That must have been a nasty fall. The jack is ripped clean out. Are you alright?"

Casey nodded swiftly. "Oh you know me, Ms. Clumsy and Indestructible. Well um...we have guests."

Keo leaned towards his sister. "Clumsy is right. I think you spilt something on your shirt. Your whole-" Keo stopped and motioned a circle around his nipple. "-is wet."

Looking down quickly, Casey felt her face grow hot. She crossed her arms over her chest as she heard Elizabeth laughing in the background. Casey narrowed her eyes again as she turned to introduce the people in the room to her brother.

"Keo, these are people we know from Seattle. Derek and Rowan Elroy." She pointed at the two brothers. "And this is-"

Elizabeth cut in. "Elizabeth Christensen. We talked on the phone a few nights ago."

Keo looked down at her offered hand and took it. He felt a weird tingle as they made contact. It was almost as if his life flashed in front of his eyes. When he released her hand, she was staring at him oddly. Then she shrugged off her look that appeared slightly embarrassed and pasted on a smile.

"So what are we all doing right now?" Keo asked.

"Sorry to bother you. My brother and I just came to speak with Lilith. We'll return at a more convenient time. Good day." Derek and Rowan exited quickly.

"I should be leaving also. So much unpacking to do and what not. Not to mention, it's so humid, I need to find some better sun-screen. I burn rather easily. I'll call some other time. Tata, dear." Elizabeth went to kiss Lilith on the cheek and pulled back with a hiss as their skin made contact. "That bastard!"

Before the other three could question her, Elizabeth stomped out of the living room and paused by the open door.

"Oh, and Casey, you may want to remove the 'Welcome' mat from your front door...it tends to give the wrong impression with unwanted visitors and all." With that, she slammed the front door close behind her.

"I didn't ruin the party or anything, did I?" Keo asked in confusion to the cleared out living room.

"Nope. But can you get rid of the welcome mat at your front door and put a less...uh...welcoming mat out?" Casey asked her slightly confused brother.

But Keo just went and did what his sister asked. He returned shortly after and asked what the three of them were going to do now.

"Nothing, but maybe we can finally get to our cold breakfast. Lilith, you okay? You've been really quiet."

Lilith nodded. "I'm fine. Just a lot to think about."

Knowing what Lilith meant, Casey didn't say anything else as the three of them made their way to the kitchen.

 "Derek Elroy!" Elizabeth shouted as she treaded heavily towards the brothers. "You idiot!"

Derek was rooted to the spot, unable to move. Elizabeth jabbed a pale finger into his chest. Rowan took a step back, knowing not to involve himself.

"You have ruined my plans! How will Lilith consent to having you in her bed when you raped her last?"

"How do you know that?" Derek demanded.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Making skin to skin contact allows me to see bits and pieces of their life. I inadvertently saw what happened to Lilith this last week. I know that she believed you killed the son you two had together. But she obviously wasn't in the right state of mind at the time and I clearly saw it as a mercy kill. That would have been easy to get Lilith to forgive you for. But rape? You've also fucked the rest of us over as well."

Elizabeth waved her hand angrily and began to walk away. Derek reached for her and grabbed her upper arm. With a strangled hiss, Elizabeth tore her arm from his grasp. She cradled her arm as she regarded Derek.

"Even though all that had happened to you, it does not justify rape. I understand the horrors you endured under torture, but are you alive to be more of a monster than those who tortured you?" Elizabeth looked at Derek in the eyes until he turned away guiltily.

"Neither Lilith nor I want to go through with this." Derek spoke softly.

"Are you honestly going to flat out lie to me? You've masturbated to the thought of Lilith more than a teenage boy got off with a Playboy magazine. And I find it extremely selfish of you to not want to end this curse. I'd suggest taking semen samples, but unless you came inside of Lilith, it wouldn't be worth it. Pity. But by all the gods, this union and the conception of a son will happen." Elizabeth got into the cab she paid to wait for her. Heaven forbid she actually had to drive herself around and get lost.

The Elroy brothers watched as Elizabeth's cab drove out of the driveway and down the road before either of them spoke.

"She's weird." Rowan stated.

"Eccentric." Derek agreed.

They got into their rented Mustang and drove back to the other side of the island.

 It was late at night and Lilith needed to go for a walk. After Derek had left, Lilith had gone shopping with Casey. Usually shopping relaxed Lilith and she was able to make sound decisions after shopping. But obviously shopping therapy wasn't working because Lilith was still confused. That had been a couple days ago. Derek hadn't attempted to contact her again, but Rowan had called and left the number to their suite at Princeville.

On one hand she wanted to end the war between the lycan and vrykolakas. Yet, did that mean she would be using her child? It didn't mean Lilith would love her baby any more or less than she normally would. If only she could have Derek's baby without having sex with him. She didn't want that intimacy crossed.

Lilith had changed into the running gear she bought and decided to go for a jog. Seeing as she ate like a pig, she had to start exercising. Being so caught up in her thoughts, Lilith ended up getting lost. She was at the end of a road that seemed to have a continuing dirt road behind a large metal gate. Lilith peered to the left and saw a large house at the end of a long driveway.

Maybe she could borrow their phone and call Casey's cell. Her phone had been dead so she left it on the charger, thinking she'd just go for a short jog. Lost in her thoughts, a horn made Lilith jump as she quickly turned to be blinded by headlights.

Focusing her view, Lilith realized it was Keo and Casey. Immediately, Keo rolled down his window and apologized for surprising her while his sister hopped out of the truck and walked over to Lilith.

"I was so worried after the second hour. I'm glad to see you're okay. Keo kept telling me I shouldn't have worried since this is after all Hawaii and not New York City or anything, but still. Come on, let's go back."

Lilith nodded and followed Casey back to the truck. "Thanks for always watching out for me."

Casey gave her a wide smile. "That's what friends are for. Hurry up, because I suggest you take a shower ASAP. Now that you sweat and all." Casey had lowered her voice at the last part so Keo didn't hear.

Both girls laughed and got into the truck. Lilith watched as Keo complained about something Casey did and she punched his arm. Mortality was such a beautiful thing. And right then, Lilith made up her mind.

 Derek was lying in bed thinking about the odd morning he had a couple days ago when his room phone rang. At first he was confused, remembering he had told the front desk not to bother him. He answered the phone knowing it must be an emergency.

"Hello?" His voice was gruff from disuse. He hadn't spoken much since he and Rowan got back to Princeville.

Rowan had seemed distracted and excused himself to go swimming. Derek had spent the better part of his afternoon and evening staring at the ceiling of his room. He checked the clock and it read near half pass ten. It was then that Derek realized how long his brother had been missing.

"Hello? Rowan, is that you?" There was a note of panic in his voice.

"Oh no. This is Lilith. Did something happen to Rowan?" She sounded worried.

"No, I'm sure he's fine. How did you know how to contact me?"

Lilith bit her lip. "Rowan gave me your number. Um...can I see you? We need to talk."

"Don't worry Lilith. We don't have to do it. I just wanted to apologize for the way I treated you when we last met. I know just saying sorry doesn't change anything. But after I found out about Bran...I'm just really sorry. And that was what I meant to say...I don't know why I said the things I said that morning. It wasn't what I went there to say." Derek waited for Lilith to say something.

"Actually I wanted to see you because I think I want to go through with it. Our kind has been fighting for so long. I just want to put an end to all the fighting already." There was no reply. "Derek? Are you still there?"

"Aye." He didn't say anything else. He didn't know what to say.

"Is that an 'aye' for doing this?"

"It was an 'aye' that I'm here. You're right. We need to meet and talk face to face. Where are you?" Derek got up from bed. He didn't know Kauai but he highly doubted he'd get lost. It was a small island that had only one main road.

"I'm at Keo's house, but you're not going to come over right now are you?" Lilith sounded surprised.

"Well before we both start second guessing and doubting, I think we should set something up and solidify whatever decision we come to. Do you want me to pick you up at Keo's place or do you want to meet elsewhere?"

"I suppose you can just pick me up at Keo's." Lilith was a bit relieved that Casey was sleeping already. She wanted to talk to Derek alone.

"That will be fine. I'll see you in an hour."

"See you then."

Lilith was the first to hang up. Derek returned the phone to the holder and stood in shock for a moment. He couldn't even comprehend how much courage and forgiveness it took for Lilith to agree to such intimacy after he brutally raped her. Another wave of sickening guilt and regret assailed him. Gritting his teeth against the familiar emotion, Derek made his way out of his room.

Rowan was just getting back, looking as solemn as he had when he left. Noticing something was up, Rowan asked what was going on.

"I'm going to go see Lilith. She wants to talk about going through with Elizabeth's plan. Casey might to be there if you want to come along."

Rowan's brows scrunched as if he was thinking hard about it. He shook his head in a negative response. "I think I need to stay away from her."

Cocking a brow, Derek didn't comment on it. "Alright...I'll be going then."

Derek called valet to get his car out. He headed down to the lobby to find the valet just pulling up with his car. Tipping the man, Derek got into the car and drove off to something he was both anticipating and fearing.

 When Derek arrived an hour and twenty minutes later, it had begun to rain. Lilith ran out to the car and got in quickly. Looking around in the car, it was obvious that Lilith had been expecting Rowan to be there. She would have felt safer that way.

Derek gave her an apologetic expression. "He was really tired."

Lilith shifted uncomfortably in the passenger's seat as Derek began to drive onto the road. He peered over at Lilith.

"Know anywhere we can get good food at this time?"

"Its half pass eleven on a Sunday night. I recall Keo and Casey talking about a bar near the bowling alley in town that has good steak. But they said they haven't been there in awhile to its possible the food has fallen down."

"Lilith," Derek said softly. Even though his voice was barely above a whisper, it sounded abnormally loud in the car. Lilith had jumped in her seat at her name. "Would you mind driving all the way into town for food?"

Lilith shook her head quickly. She didn't trust herself to speak. Instead, Derek drove in silence, turning up the radio. Neither spoke during the twenty minutes it took to reach the bar. Luckily the place was open, but whether the food tasted good was yet to be tasted.

Sliding into a booth, Lilith tried to ignore the few stares she was getting at some of the men in the bar. One table was filled with what seemed like a bunch of college boys visiting from the continental states. They were elbowing each other in drunken play as they talked about Lilith. A guy even raised his bottle in toast at Derek. Derek was smart enough to ignore the man as he took a seat in the booth across of Lilith.

A waiter came by with two cups of water and asked if anyone wanted drinks. The both of them ordered soft drinks and checked out the menu. Lilith ordered an appetizer as her meal while Derek decided on a steak. When the waiter got back with their drinks, they ordered their food and settled back into awkward silence.

"Thank the gods neither Rowan nor Casey is here. I doubt we'd be able to talk at all." Derek mentioned.

Lilith stiffened somewhat at his words. "I like Casey."

"I like her well enough also. But you have to admit, she can be a bit overbearing."

"Understandably so. We pretty much dragged her into all this and I can't just ditch her after telling her so much about us." Lilith pointed out.

Derek was tempted to also point out that he wasn't the one who dragged Casey into anything. But seeing as trying to place the blame of other things didn't end so well, he wasn't going to say anything. With a simple nod, Derek agreed. Yes, it was easier to agree, he decided.

"True. So, what are we going to talk about first?"

"Sex." Lilith said. "We may as well get right into it."

"Right now?" Derek asked.

Lilith missed the playful tone in his question. "Yes, right now. It all comes down to sex."

"I don't know how the patrons would take to me bending you over this table." Derek tried to joke.

His joke only caused Lilith to stiffen even more. "You're not taking this seriously are you?" She didn't allow him to answer before she continued. "I really am trying here. Do you know how hard it has been for me to decide this? I keep trying to talk myself out of this decision, but I know if I don't do this, I'd hate myself even more than I do now. I want this war to end. And if that means you and I have to have a son together, then that's what will have to happen."

It was Derek's turn to get angry. "You're portraying yourself as a martyr. You say all of this like someone is forcing you to do this. Like having a child with me would be a punishment worse than death. Mayhap we shouldn't have another child together seeing how well you took care of Bran."

Snapping his mouth shut, Derek instantly regretted his words. What the hell possessed him to say that? The look of hurt and surprise on Lilith's face added another huge tick to his growing list of remorse. "Shit, Lilith. I'm sorry. I didn't mean that."

Lilith got out of the booth. "Yes you did!" She hissed. "We both fucking know you meant that. I'll catch a taxi back to Keo's. My mistake trying to talk to you." Lilith rushed towards the exit.

Throwing money on the counter, Derek quickly followed after Lilith. She was standing at the other side of the parking lot under the building to avoid the rain. At Derek's approach, Lilith stopped dialing the cab number she had memorized.

"You blame me for Bran's death, don't you?" She spoke loudly so he could hear her over the rain. It was a question that was buzzing around Lilith's head for the past few days.

"Lilith-" Derek began, only to have Lilith cut him short.

"Answer the question! Do you blame me for Bran's death?"

Derek growled low. "I don't blame you for his death. Lilith-"

"Then why do you keep doing that, Roderick? Every single time you make me feel like I'm responsible for our baby's death. I loved him more than my own life. How dare you imply I didn't do my damnest to keep him safe!" Lilith shouted, refusing to cry.

"I doona blame ye for his death!" Derek roared. "I blame me fucking self! I shoulda been there for ye and our son!"

Lilith's fierce expression softened. "It's not your fault Roderick."

"I ken that." He said, now sounding defeated. Derek sat on the curb that was still luckily under the building enough to keep him dry. "I tell me self over and over that it isn't me fault. But I still feel guilty."

Lilith took a seat beside Derek. She remained quiet for a couple minutes. "Remember when you asked me about the scars on the inside of my wrists?"

Another wave of guilt and regret as Derek thought of what happened after his 'interrogation'. "Aye."

Swallowing, Lilith wondered why she was telling him what she was about to tell him. "I tried to kill myself. William sealed my memories and when I got them back, I tried to commit suicide. While I was dying, I saw Bran. And I was so happy. But he was crying and it broke my heart all over again. He kept telling me to go home and all I wanted was to stay with him. When I woke up, I was a vampire. I knew I couldn't kill myself. It would have been a slap in the face to our son. Whereas I was alive, Bran had his life robbed from him. Who was I to take my own life like that? No matter how meaningless my life had felt from that point on, I just couldn't do it again."




Blood Moon Ch. 06



The laughter and music coming from below the stairs almost made Syra giddy with pleasure. She was waiting for Lucian to come to her room and get her so that he could escort her down stairs. Doing a last check in the mirror Syra giggled. Her outfit was one that Lucian had helped pick out for her, assuring her that it would catch Dominic's attention and every other man's in the room. 

Her skirt was made of layers of thin wispy cloth that without it being double five times would have hidden nothing. It was tight to her body with slits ending at mid thigh, the color of the midnight sky. Black fishnets were under the skirt, as well was a black leather cuff with buckles on her left thigh just under where the slit started. Her shoes were dark blue and had strings like ballet shoes that wrapped around and tied at the middle of her claves, the heel at least four inches.

Her top was like a corset tight yet she could still breath. It matched both her skirt and shoes, scooping low in the front, making her breasts look as if they were ready to spill out. The sleeves were sheer and fell down belling out over her hands. Her hair had been left lose with black ribbons braided in a few strands, a slight shimmer powder dusted through it, the tips curling over her hips. 

A black leather collar graced her throat, a heart shaped blood vile in the center of it, another silver necklace hung to the cleavage of her breasts, the pendent a pentacle with fangs. She had four pairs of earrings in each ear and a silver hoop in the cartilage of her right ear. She had a small stud in her nose and one in the left side of her lip.

Her eyes were lined darkly with heavy liner and her lips were done black. She was, in her own mind very sexy and looked ready to kill. She gave a last smile in the mirror when a knock at the door sounded and she hurried over to open it. Lucian stood there wearing tight black trousers and a button down crisp midnight shirt that matched her outfit. She smiled at him and laughed, sounding much like a young school girl. 

"Are you ready Lady Syra?"

Syra nodded her head and Lucian held out his arm which she took. She moved gracefully beside Lucian, making hardly a noise as they moved down the marble staircase. The bright dresses made her squint a bit, she was the only one there wearing dark colors, but it made her stand out and she knew it would draw attention. Even though she was excited she was also very nervous. 

Syra had never tried to stand out before yet here she was doing this to try and get the man she loved to admit that he loved her too. She hoped Dominic would admit it, if not she had a feeling that she would have to kill someone. At least she had Lucian to help her with this, otherwise she would have no strength to carry through with her plan. Granted they had revised it, no sex, both Lucian and her looked at each other like future brother and sister, so sex was no able to happen. But that didn't mean that anything else wasn't going to happen.

Syra glanced over the crowd her heart slamming in her chest. Dominic was dancing with the woman from before, the woman's red dress fell around her gently, the back cut out. Syra looked at Lucian and he smiled leading her onto the dance floor as the music turned to a more modern twist. It was what was considered techno, yet it had a hard rock beat. The music was perfect for dancing however one wished, and ballroom dancing was not what she had in mind.

Lucian looked down at the head of his hopeful future sister as she started to dance and in a way he wished he would have met her before Dominic did. He was sure that if he had then it would be him she tried to impress, but he was glad it was his brother too. Dominic had to forget about the past and Lucian knew this woman would be the one to do it.

Dominic had noticed Syra as soon as she had entered the room, so had every other man there. Her outfit was dark yet it suited her features in a way that the bright gowns never did with the other woman. When Lucian had led her onto the dance floor and she had started swaying to the music, he felt his stomach clench. She looked like a dark muse, her body moving perfectly to the music speeding and slowing on cue. She made ever man in here have a fantasy that set his vampire half on edge. His dance partner Tonya smiled at him and leaned close to whisper to him.

"Why do you watch her so close? One so young can never do for you what I can, forget the little one and stay with me."

Lucian held Syra closer as he felt the anger lance through her. In turn he leaned and whispered into her ear.

"Don't let her get to you. Feel the music; let it become your blood and breath. Let it take over you, don't be stiff." He said

Syra nodded her head and closed her eyes, focusing on only the music, letting the rhythm and beats flood her. Even as the song melded into another her body and mind followed it. She felt power run through her, and she allowed her body to speak for itself. She felt Lucian's hands on her hips as he moved with her, the dance moving from stiff to relaxed and sultry. She opened her eyes and met Dominic's stunned brown ones and she smiled lazily.

Dominic felt a jolt run through his body as he watched his brother talk to Syra. Immediately he noticed the shift in her, instead of being blatantly sexy, her movements were free and open, making them all the hotter. He knew the other men were watching her and like them, he no longer cared for his dance partner but wanted to dance with Syra.

When her eyelids flicked open he felt as if he had been punched in the gut. Her eyes held a sleepy, sexy, bedroom look that made him want to take her there on the floor. But he couldn't, he would not risk caring for her and having her turn crazy. Yet the way she moved her hips against Lucian made Dominic grind his teeth. The look on his brother's face was close to pleasure and his fangs were lengthening telling him just what Syra's dancing did to him.

Dominic watched his brother's head lower and held his breath when Lucian's fangs grazed her neck. He silently and unknowingly beg Syra to not tilt her, not to let his brother bite her right over his mark.

Syra saw the look in Dominic's eyes but didn't care. The music ran through her, her blood thrummed and her body was over heating. When she felt Lucian's fangs against her neck she tilted it unable to stop herself. His tongue ran over her pulse and she felt the tips slowly sink into her neck. Her eyes rolled back in her head and her knees went weak as he sucked gently on her neck, her blood welling out into his mouth.

Lucian had seen his brother's look and know if this didn't make Dominic lose control nothing would. When he tasted Syra's blood he lost his head and started sucking at her neck bringing out more and was pleased when she moaned. He started to draw on the wounds again when he suddenly was thrown backwards, slamming into the food table. 

Dominic stood in front of Syra his breathing heavy. He had seen the look of pleasure that had crossed her face had sent him into a rage. He knew that even if he tried to fight it there was no way he could let someone else have her. The only way to ensure that no one else tried to approach her was for him to claim her here. Even now he could feel all eyes on him and he made the final decision. 

"You are mine Syra. I can't fight it any more, and I won't. I want you to be mine."

With those words his mouth crushed against hers and Syra felt happiness surge through her. She had won; Dominic said he wanted her and that he wouldn't fight any more. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, putting every fiber of her being into the kiss. She would never let him walk away from her again, even if she died. 

It was several minutes before they stopped kissing and even once they did, Dominic swept her up in his arms. He walked to the thrown where his brother the king was sitting and kneeled in front of him.

"Malachi, my brother and king, I ask that you allow me to take this woman as my mate. " He said

Malachi looked at Dominic and smiled. Even he thought it was about time that his brother got over the incident so many years ago and was proud that his brother had chosen this woman. 

"You have my permission and I excuse you from the ball tonight. You may go."

Dominic smiled and stood carrying Syra out of the ballroom and up the stairs to his own bedroom. It was time for him to claim his mate.



Blood Moon Ch. 06



Derek turned his head to the side to study Lilith. She avoided looking at him and for some reason he was glad. Uncertain with the other, they both remained silent. Finally, Derek spoke up.

"How about we start clean?" Derek put his hand out for a shake.

Lilith's head snapped to the side to look at Derek. She peered down at his offered hand and furrowed her brows in serious thought. Slowly, she reached forward and took his hand.

"Okay." Lilith whispered.

Their skin made contact and they both gasped. Hot prickles ran up their arms and Lilith shivered. Derek gritted his teeth against the sensation.

"What was that?" Lilith asked, slightly out of breath and for some reason extremely aroused.

"It's because we're mated and didn't complete the ceremony. Our bodies are insisting we do. Probably now and not before because you weren't human a week ago. For wolves, biting is a sign of ownership. When I bit you, it was kind of like claiming you as mine. Even though you probably don't notice it, you carry my scent on your skin that wards away other weres. To finish the ceremony, we have to bite each other at the same time while I'm inside of you. It means you acknowledge and accept me as your mate."

"So...do I grow fangs or something?"

Derek shook his head with a slight smile. "Just bite me when I bite you. It's more like a ritual. I think you should also know that if we were to fully mate, you're the only one I'd be able to get hard for, but that isn't true for the female. She can still have sex with whomever she wants, but can only get pregnant by her mate. And another thing-"

"There's more?" Lilith asked.

"Aye. A were can sense when a female is ovulating and that is what we'd call going into heat. Her pheromones are potent to all males, especially weres and even more so her mated and it would make it impossible for me to keep my hands off of you. When mated, a female will have an uncontrollable urge to couple during the time she's fertile. It usually lasts for three to five days and the male most often has them locked in a bedroom together during that time." Derek wanted to smile at Lilith's shocked expression.

"Three to five days straight of sex? You're kidding."

"I most certainly am not. When we were separated before your transformation, didn't you ever feel extremely...horny once a month?"

Remembering the days she had literally ached to have sex during the months before Lilith's transformation, she blushed. No wonder William had stayed away from her during that time. She would have demanded for more than he was willing to give.

 Lilith was a bit embarrassed when she answered. "Now that you mention it...I assumed that was normal for all women. After my transformation, I didn't get them anymore so I didn't think so much about it. So it stopped because I was sterile. Wait, so what about you?"

Derek shrugged. "What about me?"

"Even though we were far away from each other, could you tell when I went into 'heat'?"

A pause. "Aye. Before the attack, I had Rowan tie me down during those three days in the month. My beast demanded I mate and since you weren't around, I would have rutted any female near."

"I'm sorry." Lilith didn't know why she was apologizing. But Derek just shrugged again.

A thought struck Lilith. "Did you have any other children?"

Derek looked at Lilith a long time before answering. "Impossible. I claimed you as my mate, therefore you're the only one who is capable of bearing my children. A were can only have children with his mated. And once mated, the female can only have children with her mated. Unless I come inside of you, I am sterile and so are you."

An image of Derek deep inside of her as he came assailed Lilith. She felt her nipples harden as moisture began to collect between her legs. Derek's nosed twitched and Lilith flushed, knowing he could sense her arousal.

"I'm assuming that I can once again have children means I'll be going into heat every month." Lilith sounded a bit breathless.

Derek looked down at her clouded, green eyes as she swayed closer. "Most likely."

They were drawn to each other by a force they couldn't explain. Lilith tried to recall the last time they kissed...it was the night of the attack. He had been so happy to see her again and she had his village slaughtered. Derek recognized the pained look in Lilith's eyes and he touched her soft cheek.

"Clean slate remember?" Derek leaned closer as he continued to stroke her cheek.

Lilith nodded and reached for Derek's hand. She held his hand to her cheek and looked at him, her guilt and pain slowly fading, replaced with lust and arousal once again. Neither knew who initiated the kiss, but the moment their lips touched, both knew they didn't want to be the one to end it.

It started off as brushing of the lips. Then Derek had sucked Lilith's lower lip into his mouth, causing Lilith to gasp. She in turn nibbled on his bottom lip. When she felt his tongue trace her lower lip, Lilith opened her mouth and touched her tongue to his. Suddenly she was in his lap as they kept kissing. Derek groaned when Lilith's ass made contact with his groin. She rubbed against him as their kissing deepened. Then they realized they had an audience.

The drunken college boys were shouting encouragement and some crude comments. Lilith pulled away from Derek and embarrassingly buried her face in his neck. She inhaled his spicy scent and the throbbing in her body intensified. Unable to help herself, Lilith nibbled on his neck, causing Derek to groan as he tried to send their audience away.

Settling on the fact that the college boys would stay there and taunt them, Derek got to his feet and helped Lilith stand. They both made their way back to Derek's car, running so they only got slightly wet. When they got in, Derek's cell went off.

"Hello?" Derek answered uncertainly, not recognizing the number.

"You bastard! Where is Lilith?" Came an irate voice. "If you did anything to her, I will chop off your balls! And after I do that I'm going to-"

Derek handed the phone to Lilith. "It's for you. Casey."

Lilith took the phone as Derek started the car up. "Casey?"

"Oh my god, Lilith! Are you okay? Where are you? Did Derek do anything to you? If he did, so help me-" Casey said angrily.

"I'm okay! I'm okay!" Lilith quickly assured her friend. "How did you get Derek's number?"

There was a pause.

"Casey?"

"I woke up to check on you and then I realized you were gone. I called the suite number Rowan left. And he picked up the phone. Then I demanded to speak with Derek. Since Derek wasn't in, I had Rowan give me Derek's cell number. Are you sure you're okay?" Casey sounded very worried.

"I really am fine. I just needed to talk to Derek alone and face-to-face. I should have told you, but I kind of knew you would insist on coming along or talk me out of it. So I had to leave when you were sleeping. I'm so sorry to have worried you. Derek is bringing me back right now." Lilith said, realizing Derek had been driving back to Koloa as Lilith spoke.

"Good." With a sigh of relief Casey didn't let up that easily. "Stay on the phone with me until you get here."

Lilith cast a glance at Derek. "Okay."

 Derek was amazed that Casey had talked to Lilith the entire way to Koloa. Not that Derek didn't want to hear Lilith talk; in fact he kind of enjoyed hearing her voice. Then Derek wondered if Lilith still sang. As he recalled, she used to sing all the time.

They pulled into the driveway to see Casey out on the porch. And she didn't look too happy. Derek was tempted to drive away with Lilith still in the car just to see Casey run out into the rain to chase after them.

"I'll be there shortly. I still have to talk to Derek." Lilith said into the phone.

Derek saw Casey nod her head and then both women hung up. Lilith handed Derek back his phone and he placed it in the cup holder between them. There was a silence before Lilith spoke.

She stared down at her hands. "I'm not trying to be a martyr. I really do want to end this war. And although my earlier actions may contradict what I'm about to say, this is how I truly feel. I can't have sex with you. Not right now. So please, give me some time. But I do want to go through with it."

Derek reached over and put his hand over Lilith's and they both felt tingles running up their arms. "I'm sorry for the way I treated you. I'll admit that when I thought you betrayed me, I wanted to hurt you. But even though at the time, I knew I should have hated you, I still wanted you. So I justified what I did as being punishment when in truth I just wanted to be inside you."

Lilith felt her body heat up. "I must be sick because since we're being honest, I'll admit that truthfully, I keep telling myself that I should hate you for it, but I don't."

"Thank you, Lilith. If you're sure you want to do this, then I can wait until you're ready. Until then, I'm going to do my hardest to earn back your trust."

There was a knocking on Derek's window that made the both of them jump. Casey was standing out in the rain with a murderous gleam in her eyes as water sluiced down her charmingly angry face. With a flick on the button, Derek rolled down his window, uncaring that he would get wet in the process.

"Time's up. I bet you were intimidating her in here. Lilith, let's go. And Derek, if you hurt her-"

"I ken. You'll chop off my balls and then some." Derek interrupted.

Lilith opened her door and gave Derek a small smile. "Good night."

Derek glanced at the digital clock on the dashboard and returned Lilith's smile. "Good morning. Sweet dreams."

Casey walked over to Lilith and both women ran for cover. Derek waited until both women were safely inside before he drove back to his hotel, feeling better than he had in centuries.

A week passed since that incident. Surprisingly Derek hadn't contacted Lilith since then. As the days passed, Lilith began to wonder why Derek left so suddenly. After two days, Casey had called Rowan, which she embarrassingly admitted to getting his cell number, and asked what happened to Derek. Seemingly, something happened in San Francisco that his brother had to take care of. He would be gone for about a week.

In a way, Lilith was relieved she wouldn't have to face Derek for a little bit. The time allowed her to think things rationally. Because whenever she was around Derek, rational thought fled her mind. Casey on the other hand found Derek's absence annoying. Lilith had told her about her decision to have a child with Derek and Casey reluctantly accepted the idea demanding Derek play a more active role in wooing Lilith.

Elizabeth however wanted Lilith and Derek to hurry up and start procreating. She had visited every other day, getting on both Casey and Lilith's nerves. Since Keo had returned to work, he was rarely at home during the times Elizabeth visited. If Lilith wasn't so certain that Elizabeth didn't give a damn about what people thought, she'd suspect Elizabeth was avoiding Keo.

"Have you talked to Roderick today?" Elizabeth lounged on the couch, playing with the stray kitten she found outside the house.

Casey looked over at Elizabeth and bit her tongue again. She had told Elizabeth to leave the dirty cat outside and they could all talk outside. But Elizabeth strolled into the house with a dismissive flick of her wrist and ordered Casey to get the kitten something to eat. Casey begrudgingly got the kitten a can of tuna.

"No." Lilith answered the same answer for the pass week. She didn't want to admit that she wanted to talk to him either.

Lilith reached toward the kitten to pet him, only to receive a hiss. Elizabeth laughed and sat up with the kitten in her lap. She scratched the kitten behind his ears and he purred.

"Slim here doesn't like the way you smell." Elizabeth explained.

"Slim?" Casey asked under her breath at the name of the kitten, knowing Elizabeth would ignore her like always.

"The way I smell?" Lilith subtly tired to smell herself.

"You smell like a dog." Elizabeth explained.

"A dog?" Lilith asked, slightly embarrassed if that was how she really smelled.

"You know, a were. You smell like a wolf...Roderick."

Lilith felt better. "Oh. Well you made me think I smelled like garbage or something."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "Well, I need to be leaving." She picked up the kitten and put it in her huge expensive bag, leaving the top open so Slim could stick his head out.

When Elizabeth was finally gone, Casey broke out into her curses, causing Lilith to smile.

"I don't know why she doesn't like me. I didn't do shit to her. One day I'm going to rip out her perfect blond hair out of her perfect blond head." Casey growled.

Lilith laughed. "Elizabeth is an acquired taste, I guess. Knowing her for so long, I've grown immune to her attitude. It just takes time."

"Ewwwah, hopefully I don't have to spend so much time with that bitch that I grow immune to her." Casey shuddered at the thought, rousing another laugh from Lilith.

The phone rang and Casey got up to get it. "Hello? Oh it's you. So one week of no contact and then you call like nothing's wrong. What do you mean 'just give the phone to Lilith'? Gods, you're as annoying as Elizabeth! Hm...well that's true. Okay, maybe not as annoying. Fine, fine." Casey handed the phone to Lilith. "It's Derek."

Lilith wiped her suddenly sweaty hands on her shirt and took the phone. "Hello, Derek."

"Hello, Lilith." The rumble in his tired voice heated Lilith up. He sounded as though he was on speakerphone. "How have you been?"

"I've been good. Casey has been taking me around to all the island's secret restaurants and we went to a cute bead boutique called Bead A Licious today. How have you been?" Geeze, this sounded so formal, Lilith thought.

"I've been better, but I'm alive so I can't complain. Just a bit tired." Derek paused. "Can I see you tonight? I got back a couple hours ago and there's some news I think would make you really happy. And I would like to tell you in person."

Lilith swallowed. "Well, I guess that would be alright. Where and when do you want to meet?"

Another pause. "I was actually wondering if we could make it a date. Dinner at seven. The restaurant at the hotel I'm staying at isn't half bad. You may bring Casey along if you'd feel better with her being there. I can send my driver to pick you both up."

Thinking about whether or not to invite Casey, Lilith bit her lip in indecision. On one hand she wanted Casey there since Derek was staying on the other side of the island, but if Derek wished to tell Lilith something important, Lilith wasn't sure if she wanted Casey feeling like a fifth wheel.

Almost as though he read her mind, Derek continued. "We can throw her on Rowan. They seem to like each other well enough."

Lilith laughed softly, missing the sharp inhale coming from Derek. When she stopped laughing, she heard Rowan in the back noise saying he wasn't going to dinner with Casey. There was a feminine gasp that Lilith recognized as Casey.

"Well I don't want to go to dinner with you either!" Casey shouted into the phone, slamming down the receiver from the kitchen phone she had used to eavesdrop.

"I suppose Casey was listening in." Derek stated, a curse coming from Rowan in the back.

"And I suppose your brother heard Casey's reply to that." Lilith tried not to laugh. It was obvious there was something between Rowan and Casey. But the both of them were fighting it.

"You've supposed correctly." There was a light laughing tone in Derek's reply that relaxed Lilith. At least she wasn't the only one finding Rowan and Casey funny.

"I have to go make sure Casey is alright. So, I will see you at seven for dinner."

"Thank you, Lilith. I'll see you then. Hector will pick you up at five-thirty. The drive is long." Derek hung up the phone after they exchanged goodbyes.

Rowan was sulking in the corner. "Bloody hell, ye ken well enough I doona want tae get involved with Casey. And 'tis not a laughing matter so stop smilin'."

Derek shrugged. "I'm not smiling because of your dilemma."

With narrowed eyes, Rowan asked. "Then why are ye smilin'? Because Lilith agreed tae dine with ye? Doona be thinkin' it'll lead tae more than a meal. I can bet ye'd be sorely disappointed if ye did."

The small smile disappeared completely and Derek glared at his brother. "Don't be making me feel like shit just because you made a fool of yourself and hurt Casey's feelings. It's already three. I'm sending Hector to pick Lilith up in an hour. You can go with him and apologize to Casey."

As much as Rowan didn't want to see Casey, he did owe her an apology. So he simply nodded at his brother's suggestion. He knew Casey wouldn't pick up any of his calls.

 At five-thirty sharp, Hector pulled into the drive way. Keo had returned from work at four to see his sister wasn't in a very good mood, but Lilith seemed to be. She was staring down at a fitted black dress and a floral dress. When Lilith had asked Casey for help, Casey just grumbled a reply. So Lilith had turned to Keo with the two dresses and asked which would be more appropriate for dining at Princeville. Keo immediately went with the black dress, saying it was simple, but sophisticated enough for the high end hotel.

"So who are you going out with tonight?" Keo asked as Lilith rushed around, looking for her purse.

"Um...Derek Elroy. You met him a week ago." Lilith explained, hopping around as she tried to put on her heels.

"I remember." Keo nodded his head as if he was envisioning Derek. "Well have fun tonight. If anything happens, don't hesitate to call us."

 Casey piped in. "Yeah, if that slimy bastard tries anything, I'll give him a swift kick where it counts."

Keo laughed. "What is your obsession with Derek Elroy's balls? Last I heard you were going to cut them off, now you're going to kick them? If Lilith is willingly going out with him, as a friend, you should support her. Unless he did something completely unforgivable like I don't know, rape or something."

Lilith laughed nervously to cover the awkward silence. "Of course not! I promise I'll call if anything happens."

There was a knock and Keo opened the door with Lilith beside him. "Unless I got confused, you're Rowan Elroy, not Derek Elroy."

Rowan cleared his throat a bit uncertainly. "Good evening. No, I'm Rowan. I just needed tae speak with your sister if she's here. Hello, Lilith. Hector will be taking ye tae Princeville. I just bummed a ride. I'll catch a ride back when Hector brings ye home after dinner."

"Casey!" Keo shouted for his sister who had gone upstairs. "Your crush wants to talk to you!"

Lilith bit back a smile at the blush that bloomed across Rowan's face. Keo gave her a wink, saying it was a big brother's duty to torment his little sister.

"Do you have any younger sisters, Rowan?" Keo asked.

Guilt washed over Lilith and Rowan put a hand on Lilith's shoulder and gave her a reassuring squeeze. "I used tae have a younger sister. She and my younger brothers died."

Keo's face fell. He loved his sister, Casey, dearly. And even though he constantly caused her trouble, he'd be devastated if anything were to happen to her. "I'm sorry-"

Rowan shook his head. "You didn't know. Please don't apologize for saying it."

"I was going to apologize for your loss." Keo explained and Rowan accepted it with a gruff thank you.

"Hector is waiting, Lilith. Don't keep Derek waiting." There was a depth to his words that went unnoticed to Keo.

Lilith nodded and hurried to the waiting car. Hector opened the door for her. Making sure Lilith was situated comfortably, he drove off.

 Keo invited Rowan into the house and offered him a seat. "I'll go check where Casey is."

Leaving to investigate why his sister hadn't responded, Keo left Rowan alone in the living room. Rowan took the opportunity to look at the pictures around the living room. It was obvious that Keo and Casey were close. She was a cute kid, Rowan decided. Casey was a deal more tanned as a youth, but her enchanting smile was the same as well as always having been small.




Blood Moon Ch. 06



"Did Lilith already leave?" Casey said aloud as she rushed out of the bathroom from down the hall.

Keo had assumed his sister was upstairs in her room. But Casey, aka Ms. Clumsy and Indestructible, had accidentally spilled juice on herself earlier when she was watching Lilith get ready. So she had taken a quick shower, hoping not to miss Lilith's departure. She stood there in a small, white towel, staring in shock at Rowan. Water was still running down her body as her long, wet hair soaked the towel, causing it to mold against her figure.

"Gods, Casey." Rowan breathed.

He went over to her, Casey's dark eyes growing bigger and her mouth falling open a little. Clutching the towel to her tighter, Casey wasn't sure if she wanted to scream or moan when Rowan pulled her against his body and lowered his head.

 "Lilith." Derek almost couldn't speak when he saw her.

Lilith's once too skinny frame was filled out to what it was before her transformation. Derek had assumed as much, but it wasn't so evident until he witnessed her standing at the entrance of the restaurant in that clingy, black dress. The dress was simple, molding her pert breasts, pinched waist, and rounded hips to a length just above her knees. The straps were slim, exposing her smooth collarbones and shoulders. The back of the dress dipped tastefully to show Lilith's slightly toned back. Now that Lilith was human, she wasn't going to let physical appearance suffer. And for some reason, having Derek look at her naked wanted Lilith to make sure she looked her best.

"Derek." Lilith smiled as he got up and offered her a seat.

She hadn't worn too much makeup, just lipstick and mascara. Lilith had blushed when she realized people were staring at her. At first Lilith had her hair up in a sophisticated bun, but on her ride over, let her unruly hair fall free around her shoulders and down her back. Trying to focus on Derek and not on the admiring looks she was receiving, Lilith cleared her throat.

"I guess I can't convince you to tell me the big news right now, can I?" Lilith gave Derek one of her most charming smiles.

Derek returned her smile. "No. If I told you right now, there'd be no reason for you to stay."

Lilith pouted prettily before settling down and taking the menu offered by the waiter. Derek ordered appetizers as Lilith pondered what she wanted for dinner. She ordered the ono in a coconut sauce and wasn't surprised when Derek ordered a steak as rare as possible.

They chatted for a bit as they ate. Derek was pleased he got Lilith to laugh at some of the things he said. When dinner came, neither talked much. They commented on the food being good, but did not say more than that.

"So this big news." Lilith hedged as the waiter cleared away their plates.

Derek suddenly got serious as he looked over at Lilith. "Well, I don't know if you're aware. But I own quite a bit of property in Scotland. I did some research and I was able to find our son's burial spot. I wanted to ask you if you would like to visit his grave with me. I'm having a headstone made...but I wanted to ask you, since I didn't know...his birthday."

Lilith felt tears stinging in her eyes. "He was born February 3rd."

"A few days before your birthday." Derek commented.

"You remember my birthday?" Lilith asked, feeling the urge to cry even more.

Unaware what effect he was having on Lilith, Derek laughed lightly. "I fear when it comes to you, Lilith Caldwell, there isn't a single detail I could forget."

"I don't know if that's a good thing." Lilith tried to laugh, choking on a sob. "Since becoming mortal," Lilith whispered, "my emotions have been all over the place. Elizabeth tells me it's because I'm producing estrogen again."

Derek's nosed twitched. "Would it be bad of me to tell you that your estrogen spiked because by morning you'll be ovulating?"

With a flush face, Lilith shook her head. "I kind of figured that out. As before all the other times I went into 'heat' all my senses got really sensitive. And that happened for the last two days."

"So..." Derek started.

"So..." Lilith repeated. She bit her lip. "Do you think we can talk back at your room? I don't like all these people staring at us."

Derek broke out into another smile. "I can't blame the men for being enamored with your beauty. I must admit that my masculine pride is blowing up, being the envy of all the men here."

This time, Lilith snorted. "Well women are looking at you. And if anything, it's probably because all these people here know who you are and wondering what you're doing here."

Derek stood and held a hand out to Lilith. "So let's go back to my room for a drink and to talk."

Lilith nodded and took hold of Derek's hand. They both shivered at the contact. Another blush heated up Lilith's face as she unconsciously clenched her thighs together. Before they made a scene, they released each other's hands. Derek had the dinner charged to his room and they both made their way up to his suite.

Casey leaned towards Rowan to apologize again. He merely growled and Casey narrowed her eyes in irritation. In the living room when Rowan had leaned down to kiss her, Casey had freaked out and looked away, hitting her head against his nose. With Rowan's shout of pain, Casey's brother had rushed back to find his little sister looking guilty.

If that wasn't enough, their parents had come through the front door, not bothering with knocking since they were always welcomed. Casey's mom had eyed Rowan with feminine appreciation while her father angrily commented on Casey's state of undress. Not knowing what to say, Casey blurted out that Rowan was friend visiting from Seattle that she invited over to dinner. Then she ran off to get dressed, leaving Rowan to the mercy of her father's evil looks.

When Casey finished dressing and went downstairs, Rowan was seated at the dinner table, looking very uncomfortable. Rowan had been forced to have dinner with them and was currently sitting between Casey and her upset father. Keo did his best not to laugh, but his obvious smile had Casey glaring at him all throughout dinner. Thankfully, after much strained conversation, dinner was over.

 Casey and Keo hugged and kissed their parents goodbye. Rowan was caught by surprised when Casey's mother gave him a hug too and bid him a goodnight. She had swatted her husband's arm and he too mumbled a goodnight to Rowan. Casey closed the door quickly when her mother started shouting about cute grandchildren out the car window as they drove off.

With her face flushed, she turned to Rowan. "I am so sorry about my parents. My dad is a bit over protective and my mom loves children. She keeps trying to get Keo to give her some grandbabies, but he's pretty much a hardcore bachelor."

"Damn straight." Keo said behind them, now dressed in black slacks and a white collared shirt. "Now get over there and do the dishes. I have to meet up with Jennie."

"What?" Casey demanded. "What happened to Kim? I thought she was nice."

Keo shrugged. "We were dating all of a week and she was already telling me what she wanted to name our children. So goodbye Kim, hello Jennie."

"You are a man-whore!" Casey accused, going to the dining room to help him pick up the dishes.

Rowan intervened and carried the dishes for Casey. She ignored Rowan to scold her brother more. While Casey was shouting about her brother being a slut, Rowan had started on the dishes, carefully staying out of that sibling argument.

"Just have Rowan help you. I'm sure you're not all that upset about me leaving the both of you alone." Keo grinned as his sister tried to splutter a reply.

Casey was still at a loss of what to say when her brother breezed out the door and warned them not to make a mess. The only satisfaction she got was seeing her brother run to his car as it started to down pour. Stomping over to the sink, Casey grabbed the plate out of Rowan's hands.

"Please don't do that. You're a guest. Just...I don't know, grab a beer, sit down, and watch some tv. Funny that we both agreed not to have dinner together and that's what happened."

"Casey..." Rowan started, taking a step back from the sink when she nudged him out of the way. "I wanted tae apologize about what I said about not wanting tae have dinner with ye. It's just-" He stopped.

Casey turned off the water after washing her hands and looked at Rowan. "It's just what? You and I both agree nothing could come of us getting involved with each other. I mean, you're a totally different species for one. And prior to becoming involved with Lilith, I did enjoy my normal life. Getting involved would just make things even more un-normal than they already are."

Rowan nodded stiffly. "Yer right. I just...I'm sorry if I hurt yer feelings."

Waving him off, Casey went to drying off the dishes. "Just my pride hurt. Women like me should be used to rejection, but even so we don't like hearing men reject us so...strongly."

"What do ye mean 'women like me'?" He repeated his question when Casey just shrugged.

"Plain girls. I mean, I always thought I was passably attractive for a 'local girl' until I went to college on the mainland. Women there are all like 5' 10" with legs that go on forever, they all have big breasts and cute, small butts, flat stomachs, toned backs and, and-why are you laughing?" Casey asked in annoyed confusion.

"Ye always make me laugh." Rowan grinned. "Casey, yer so beautiful, I doona know why ye feel self-conscious around those women. Their looks are common. Ye said it yerself that all the women look the same. I think the only thing yer suffering from isn't lack of good looks more so than lack of confidence."

"Yeah right. I saw the way you looked at Elizabeth. She's the epitome of what I'm talking about." Casey grumbled, realizing why she disliked Elizabeth so much.

"Oh, she's beautiful tae be sure. Perfection." Rowan said as Casey scowled. "But that woman is crazy!" Casey felt a smile tug at her lips at that. "I would never be attracted tae someone like that. She's calculating and fake. I'm much more attracted tae ye. With yer soft curves, innocent smile, and sincerity."

When Rowan pulled Casey into his arms, she didn't fight him. "Yeah, well my brother says that the only thing ugly girls can have going for them are redeeming personalities."

She liked the rumble in his chest against her cheek when he laughingly said she was beautiful inside and out. Rowan just held Casey close to him as she embraced him back. It was an intimate moment that deep down scarred the both of them. Casey didn't want to fall for someone as different as Rowan and a part of Rowan felt guilty for having tender feelings towards Casey when he swore Sara was his first and only love. Casey felt Rowan tense and she looked up into his eyes to ask what was wrong. But when she looked into those troubled, green eyes of his, she could do nothing but close her eyes and tilt her face up for a kiss.

Unable to resist the invitation, Rowan leaned down and covered her lips with his. Their lips barely brushed when the storm outside grew even worse and wind began to whip outside. They both ignored the storm as they continued to kiss slowly almost as if it was both of their first kiss. It was the sudden lightning and thunder that made them jump. But it didn't cause them to separate as Casey snuggled closer a moment before the lights went off. Casey pulled away with a groan.

"Great, a black out." Casey pulled the drawers open, trying to remember where the flashlights where.

Her cell was buzzing on the counter top, the light almost offensively bright in the dark kitchen. She saw that her brother text to say he would be staying with Jennie for the night since the storm didn't seem like it would be letting up any time soon. He also told her where to find the flashlights as well as condoms if she needed them.

"Is something wrong?" Rowan asked behind her.

Casey jumped again. "No, no. Just my brother saying he's staying over at his girlfriend's since the storm is so bad. Well, it is hurricane season."

Pulling out a small flashlight from the drawer, Casey tried to look for another to hand to Rowan.

"I'm sorry, there's only one flashlight."

"It's alright. I don't need one." Rowan assured her.

"Are you sure?" Casey asked, still rummaging through the drawer. She found matches.

"I'm sure. I can see just fine. And I think I should warn you that you're going-" Rowan stopped as Casey yelped in surprise when her head hit the open cabinet she had just put the dried dishes in. She heard a light chuckle as Rowan moved up beside her and closed the cabinet door.

 Casey tried to forget that embarrassing moment. She cleared her throat. "Anyways, I found matches and there are candles in my room. I'll be right back."

She dashed off before Rowan could say anything. Casey only hoped he didn't follow her to her bedroom. When she got to her room, she scanned around, looking for the ornamental candles she placed all over. Gathering about eight candles, Casey made her way back downstairs. Rowan was just getting off his cell when she spotted him in the living room.

"I made a call tae Hector. I doona want him tae feel obligated tae come get me if Lilith decides tae wait out the storm in Princeville." He explained, tucking his phone into his pocket.

Casey sighed, knowing there was no way Lilith would be making it back. With such a bad storm, the small bridge used going to and coming from Princeville would be flooded and most likely closed. She may as well offer a room for Rowan. Although there were about four hotels down the road, Casey couldn't bring herself to be so unkind as to insist he leave in such a storm when he had no vehicle. And the thought of driving him anywhere wasn't that appealing either. She liked staying indoors, warm and dry, during such a storm.

"You can stay here if you'd like. There's a bunch of guestrooms."

Rowan paused, watching Casey light the candles she placed on the coffee table. "Thank you."

"Okay, I'll show you to a room. Come on." Casey motioned Rowan to follow her, warning him to watch his step as they walked up the stairs.

But it was Rowan who caught Casey a couple times when she stumbled.

"I would swear you can see better than I can and I have a flashlight."

"Of course, I can see better than you can in the dark. I'm part animal remember?"

Casey tensed, recalling that he was part animal and already stating that she didn't want to be involved with someone so different. Going down the hall, opposite from her bedroom, Casey led Rowan to one of the guestrooms.

Placing down four candles she took with her, Casey lit the candles. The soft light flooded the room with its golden glow. It made Rowan look even more tempting than he already was. And Casey wasn't sure if that was such a good thing. The sooner she got away from him, the better. Just as she turned to leave, Rowan caught her upper arm and turned her around.

"I'm sorry if I make ye uncomfortable. As soon as the storm lightens up, I'll be gone. I promise."

Casey nodded, pulling her arm out of his grasp. His words made her heart ache. They both knew when he would go, he would stay gone. She stood there and chewed on her lower lip. The mood was just too perfect. The lighting almost made it seem as if she was dreaming. When the storm was over, Rowan would go away and Casey wouldn't have to see him again. And that was what she wanted, right?

Swallowing, Casey knew that if this would be the last time she saw Rowan, she would make it count.

"Make love to me." She whispered, her pounding heartbeat in her ears drowning out her words that she wasn't sure if he had heard her.

But Rowan did. His eyes softened when he looked at her. And for some reason Casey wanted to cry. He looked at her with so much longing that Casey felt like the most desirable woman alive. But that look was mixed with something else. Almost as if he was afraid. A minute passed before he said anything.

"Are ye sure?"

Casey nodded her head quickly, anticipation and dread coiling in her stomach. She was fearful of what his answer would be. He looked at her for another long moment.

"I-I understand that we won't see each other again. But it's obvious that we're attracted to each other. So I thought, why not just get each other out of our systems." Casey stuttered. She wasn't sure if she had hurt his feelings, but the soft look in his eyes was gone.

"As ye wish." Rowan reached her in a second.

His violent kisses made Casey whimpered. A dark thrill went through her, but the moment he heard her whimper, his kisses grew tender. Rowan's tongue found hers with hot, wet urgency. Casey's hands immediately went to link around his neck as she pushed herself against him.

Rowan pulled away from their kiss. "Get on the bed."

His brogue was becoming even more pronounced and a wisp of satisfaction uncurled in Casey's belly when she realized she affected him so. Pulling away, Casey got onto the edge of the bed nervously. A small gasp escaped from Casey as Rowan dropped to his knees in front of her. Slowly, his fingers traced up to the band of her shorts. But his hands continue a little higher until he grasped the hem of her shirt.

Pulling the shirt up, Rowan kissed each inch of skin exposed. By the time Casey's shirt was finally off, she was breathless. As Rowan directed, Casey moved higher up the bed. A moan built up in Casey as one of Rowan's hands slipped under her bra to pinch her nipple. His other hand unhooked her bra. Embarrassed, Casey covered her breasts. With a half-groan, half-chuckle, Rowan pulled Casey's arms away and bent his head down to capture a nipple.

Cupping both breasts, Rowan sucked at one nipple then the other as Casey squirmed beneath him. Her toes curled as soft gasps escaped her mouth each time he tugged. He shifted his thigh between her legs, rubbing against Casey's swollen clit. Casey almost cried when he pulled away only to return two seconds later after divesting his shirt.

She pulled his head down to her lips and they kissed passionately while his fingers went back to the waistband of her shorts. Rowan's fingers peeled down her shorts along with her panties, leaving Casey completely bare. He sat up for a moment so he could look at her. Casey blushed as his eyes roved over her body.

"Yer beautiful." He whispered almost as if saying a prayer.

Her body was soft and although Casey thought her breasts were small, Rowan found them perfect. Gods how he wanted to lick and nibble on every inch of her.

Trying to get over her embarrassment, Casey smiled sweetly. "And you're still dressed."

Rowan laughed. "Aye. Guess I should remedy that."

Casey nodded as seriously as she could. But that only lasted a few seconds until she cracked and giggled.

"That's better. I like it when ye laugh." His mouth descended, catching Casey with her mouth open to his talented tongue.

She moaned again as her body arched against his. Her beaded nipples made contact with his hard chest and she shivered at the contact. While they kissed, Rowan worked his pants off, kicking them to the side to join his shirt. He pulled back from their kissing again and moved beside Casey. She turned towards him so they faced each other, both on their sides. His fingers traced over her hip and cupped a breast. Her eyes fluttered close as Rowan rolled a nipple between his fingers. Then Casey's eyes flew open as she realized she was once again on her back and Rowan was kissing a trail down her navel to her wet pussy.

Rowan spread Casey's legs and put his face against her curls and inhaled. Another wave of embarrassment took Casey, but she tried not to push his head away like she so desperately wanted. Those thoughts were forgotten when his hot tongue flicked against her clitoris.




Blood Moon Ch. 07



Dominic pushed his bedroom door open with his foot, still holding Syra in his arms. For some reason as soon as he decided he would mate with her, all fear seemed to leave him. He had been around her for five years, had seen her grow up and become more sure of herself. He had seen her stay to herself and try to be cold, but he had also seen the way peoples words and actions had hurt her. Maybe now he could take that away. 

Syra wrapped her arms around Dominic's neck. She was very surprised that he had asked his brother to mate with her. The plan she had set up with Lucian had served its purpose well. Now she would have the man she dreamed of each night since she had first seen him. 

Dominic laid Syra down on the bed and kissed her gently. She tasted sweet to him and he couldn't wait to get more from her. Running his hand slowly down her back he undid the ties on her top pulling it off of her. Her skirt followed next landing in a pile on the floor. He looked down at her clad in nothing but fishnets and heels and felt his fangs elongate. Pulling his shirt free from his pants he tossed it aside his bottoms following.

Syra looked up at Dominic who loomed over her and licked her lips at the sight of his naked body. She wanted to lick every inch of him, to feel him trembling under her as she brought him to the edge. She watched his eyes darken as if he could read her thoughts and when his lips touched her she felt electricity run through her. She sucked his tongue into her mouth, her nails digging into his back leaving red welts.

Dominic groaned into her mouth a gripped her hair tightly with his right hand, the left running down her body to play with her clit. He felt her grow damp and slowly slid two fingers into her, loving how she gasped and arched against him. He felt her hand snaked down his body and his manhood jerked when she stroked it. The feel of her cupping, squeezing and stroking him brought him to the edge and he couldn't hold back any longer.

Syra moaned as Dominic thrust inside her, her body welcoming him readily. Her cries of pleasure became louder as she felt herself rapidly coming to her peak. Dominic felt her body start tightening around him and he quickened his thrusts wanting to come as she did. Syra arched up against him her mouth open in a long scream as she came hard, her fangs sinking into his neck. Dominic growled loudly as he started coming, his fangs sliding into her neck triggering another orgasm for her. Dominic finally released his seed inside her with a long gush.

It was several minutes before either of them said anything, Syra the one breaking the silence. 

"Dominic, I love you." She said softly hoping he would not pull away.

To her surprise Dominic pulled her closer to him and kissed her on the forehead smiling as he did.

"I love you too. Though I am going to say, using my brother was a bad idea, I still want to beat him." He said

Syra giggled and cuddled into him, raising her lips up for another kiss. Dominic laid his lips on hers and ran his tongue over the edges of her mouth. When she opened it he groaned and slid his tongue inside her warm wet recesses. Syra snaked her hand down between there bodies and wrapped her hand around his slowly softening staff bring it back to life instantly. He growled again and pulled her tighter against him, pressing her onto her back again.

"You are a temptress." He said his voice a deep rumbling in his chest

Syra opened her mouth to speak, but was pulled into a soul consuming kiss. Heat swept through her body again and the smell of honey poured from her skin, suddenly joined with the scent of sage. She pulled back from the kiss and looked at Dominic who had a smile spread across his face. 

"Is...is that you?" She asked unsure.

Dominic nodded and almost laughed at the confusion that swept over her features. 

"When a person recognizes their mate, their body has a natural scent that is released when they are aroused." He said

"Then...why did I already have a scent when I first met you?" She asked confusion sweeping through her

"Apparently you already saw me as your mate before I did."

Syra wasn't sure of that was true, but she would accept it for now, especially since she wanted to have some more fun. She rolled her hips against him and the scent of sage intensified again. A smile spread across her face as she watched Dominic's eyes darken to almost black. 

Dominic licked his lips as he lowered his head to his mate's neck, licking it gently before letting his fangs scrap across the vein. He rubbed himself over her slick core, slowly pressing into her as he bit a little harder into her neck. Syra moaned and scratched at his back, her breathing coming in pants from the teasing and was ready to beg him to put it in when a knock sounded out the door. 

Dominic had turned his head to shout for who ever it was to come back later when the door slammed open. Tonya stood in the doorway, her eyes flashing with rage, her fangs showing, her lips pulled into a snarl. Dominic moved to try and place Syra further behind him fearing what the enraged thousand year old vampress would do. 

"What do you want Tonya?" He asked

"Why the hell would you mate with that girl? She is a made vampire, a pathetic creature that used to be human, a weakling among our kind." Tonya snarled

Dominic had started to answer, but Syra's hand on his arm had him turning to look over at her. He found that her normal green and gold eyes now should nothing but black, tiny red flames seeming to dance within them. He didn't move when she moved past him and faced Tonya naked, a smirk on her lips.

"You dare try and face me you weakling?" Tonya snarled

Syra simply smiled and watched as Tonya's face moved from anger to shock then down right fear. The woman clutched her chest her eyes wild as she looked at Syra not understanding what was happening.

"One thing that would be best for you to remember Tonya, even though I appear weak, I have been trained by Dominic and I have something other then position worth protecting."

Syra's voice seemed to echo in the room and Dominic felt a glowing pride grow in him. Even if she was shorter and lighter then the woman in front of her, Syra looked at Tonya as if she was the lowest life form in the planet. But he also knew his old mistress wouldn't give up that easily. Before Dominic had time to move in front of Syra, Tonya had launched herself at the smaller woman knocking her to the ground. 

Syra brought her arm up in time to keep Tonya's fangs from her throat and she blocked the pain from her mind as she felt herself shift into a kill or be killed mind frame. She knew the older vampress was after her life and she wouldn't allow that to happen. Syra jammed her arm harder against the other woman's mouth, letting her fangs dig into her bone.

Tonya sat up as pain lanced through her gums from hitting the bone to hard. Syra took the moment to slam the palm of her hand into Tonya's nose watching the woman scream as it broke. When she was no longer pinned, Syra rolled to her feet going into a crouch as Tonya charged her again, this time; she swung her leg forward into Tonya's stomach. Once she was doubled over from the pain, Syra leapt at her, pinning Tonya to the floor her own fangs sinking deep into Tonya's neck.

It was several moments before Tonya stopped fighting her and simply laid there breathing heavily. Syra became aware of several of Dominic's brothers in the room, including Malachi and Lucian. Moving quickly she pulled her fangs from Tonya and jumped back to stand beside Dominic.

Through the whole thing all the men had stood frozen in place as the watched the youngest vampire in the castle take down on as old as them. They stayed that way until Tonya started to sit up after Syra had moved away from her, Dominic moving between his mate and Tonya.

"Lucian could you please take this woman from my chamber?" He asked

Lucian stepped forward and lifted Tonya into his arms nodding with respect to his new sister before leaving the room. Two of Dominic's younger brothers left leaving only the oldest ones in the room. Malachi turned to Dominic trying hard not to laugh.

"You have one hell of a mate there Dominic. Do you think you can handle her?" He asked

"I do believe so yes brother." Dominic answered.

Syra stood there watching the two brothers laughing then turn her attention to the other six men in the room. She had seen them vaguely at the ball but had paid no mind, now she wanted to know what they were doing in here. Looking them over she drew herself to her full height uncaring of her nudity and faced them.

"Who the hell are all of you?" She asked

One of the men looked over at Dominic as though waiting for an introduction which Dominic did quickly.

"Syra these are some more of my brothers; Rayland, Markus, Lavern, Ashley, Lauren, and Bennett." He said

Syra looked at Dominic, her eyes wide.

"Just how many damn siblings do you have?" she asked

"I have sixteen brothers and thirteen sisters, though not all of them are here right now."

Syra looked at Dominic and shook her head before facing all of Dominic's brothers including Malachi.

"If you gentlemen don't mind I would like to finish what I started with my husband." She said

The men nodded and left the room and Syra turned to Dominic smiling. Dominic walked to Syra and wrapped her in his arms kissing her deeply, pulling her hard against him.

"I love you Syra, now and for the rest of eternity." He said

"And I love you, now and for the rest of eternity."

The two of them fell back onto the bed, making love all through the night before falling into a satisfied sleep as the first rays of dawn peeked over the mountains.



Blood Moon Ch. 07



Lihue, Kauai

2007

Elizabeth tried not to cringe as two little brats ran past her, almost knocking her over. The non-apologetic mother shouted for her hellions to stop running around, but then went right back to her conversation with her friend. With her stack of books, Elizabeth renewed her energy to get to the registers ASAP. Be it this island only had one respectable bookstore and even at that, it was a poor excuse of a Borders bookstore in her opinion. The sooner she could pay for her books and get out of there, the better.

She thought she heard someone calling her name, but that was impossible. She did not know anyone on this tiny, boring island. Of course to prove her wrong, the Fates threw in someone who did happen to know her. Pasting on a smile, Elizabeth turned towards the person. The smile fell off her lips as she recognized that delicious human she wanted to take a bite out of for the past few weeks.

"I thought that was you. Whoa, lots of books you have there. Here let me help. Heading towards check out?" Keo took a step forward to help Elizabeth with her books. She immediately pulled away from him and ended up bumping into the table behind her and dropping everything in her arms. "Damn, sorry." He apologized and bent down to help her pick up her books.

Scanning the cover of one of the books, surprise claimed his features when Elizabeth snapped it out of his hands. He expected one of two faces when he looked up at her. There were two expressions he knew her to wear; one of polite reserve and the other of indifference. Honestly, he didn't find anything wrong with books on sexual positions. Women who wanted to try new things were fucking hot in his opinion. However, he held his hands up in mock surrender as she collected her books. He glanced at her face and she wore an expression which intrigued him. She actually looked a bit embarrassed.

He decided not to comment and instead caught a few more titles. Some were about the best positions for conception and diets that would increase fertility. Now curiosity stirred and curiosity always got him into fun filled trouble. As far as he knew, she wasn't in Hawaii with anyone. Then again maybe she and her significant other just did their own thing during the day.

It happened to be afternoon now, but with the grey clouds not looking to be lightening up anytime soon, it could have been anyone's guess as to whether it was seven AM or five PM. Keo remained silent as Elizabeth straightened and without a word started to walk off. She did pause to murmur an apology and a couple words of thanks before she continued on to the registers.

Keo would have to ask his sister what was up with her friend's friend. As it was, Casey refused to acknowledge Elizabeth as her friend, but referred to the woman as Lilith's friend. He'd bother his baby sister later though. He told her that he would be home later that evening, since he assumed Rowan stayed over. Keo figured the two wanted some privacy. And with the short text reply he got back from Casey, he could only assume she was...busy.

Lilith was so exhausted that she almost didn't register Derek behind her. He was pushing up against her, her bottom rubbing against his erection. If she wasn't so tired, she would have mumbled 'not again'. Too late. His hand reached over her hip and skimmed down her stomach to between her legs. She shifted slightly with a sigh as he started to play with her clit. Her body woke up even though she could sleep for a week.

"Derek..." Lilith trailed off as he dipped his head and started to nibble on her neck. Her body ached just from the shifting she did so he had better access. He murmured a guiltless 'hm?' against her neck as he continued with his lazy strokes.

His cock hot and hard against her butt, tempted Lilith to wiggle just a little. Although Derek was also exhausted, the moment his mind became aware of Lilith beside him, he wanted her, needed her.

When he kicked Kat out the day before, she had furiously slammed on his door until finally giving up. The woman still had her pride to think about. Not that Derek had listened two seconds to her cussing and threats. The moment he kicked Kat out, Derek pulled Lilith into his arms and they tore at each other's clothes. Hell, they had been ripping clothes off each other in the hallway where Katarina found them dry humping. He had taken the opportunity to rush back into the suite and shut the door in Katarina's face.

When undressed, he suddenly remembered his scars. It wasn't something that he went out of his way to cover up, but neither did he want Lilith to feel guilty. Back in Seattle, she had kept her eyes shut the whole time so didn't notice all the old wounds that covered Derek's body. She touched the whip lashes and carved skin on his back so gently before she kissed each spot her fingers trailed over. When he turned to face her, her eyes watered when she saw more scars and burn marks on his front.

Derek had pulled Lilith into his arms and tried to joke that the gruesome sight must turn her off. He hadn't expected her to scold him for saying such a thing. Her lips trembled as she looked into his eyes and told him that he would always be the most beautiful man to her. The sincerity branded him and he couldn't help himself any longer. He snatched her up and headed to the bedroom.

He lost count how many times he found bliss in Lilith's tight body and how many times she came with that adorable gasp as if he stole her breath away. They tried to rest, but closing their eyes for only an hour, Derek couldn't help himself as he slipped his fingers into her slickness after teasing her little nub. Her legs parted slightly and Derek pushed two fingers into her, loving the way her body welcomed him. This was a good angle to hit Lilith's g-spot as Derek had found out the day before.

"That's it baby. Just feel." He whispered against her ear before biting the lobe gently. "No, not yet." He told her and eased up the pressure, getting a small mewl of disappointment from Lilith.

She was rocking to his fingers now, so sensitive from her previous orgasms. He was still deciding how he wanted her to come...riding his fingers hard and fast, or letting a climax wash over her and fill her. They experimented with all sorts of ways after the first several fucks. Fucks would be rather appropriate to call those since there was no tenderness involved, just a desperate, all consuming need to reach satisfaction.

The tenderness came later when they were both so well sated that they wanted to take their time exploring each other's bodies. He learned so much about Lilith's likes and dislikes. She was a goner when it came to oral sex and Derek learned that anytime he should ask something of her, he should do it with his face between her legs. She was much more agreeable that way.

Lilith's body hummed and even though she wanted to sleep, she found herself riding Derek's fingers, gasping and moaning when he hit that spot inside of her that made her whole body tingle. "Roderick, oh gods...yes, right there." She moaned, her body clenching down on his fingers. "Please," she whispered as she knew he would have backed off again until she settled down only to build her back up.

Thankfully he was merciful this time and moved his fingers even faster. Lilith lifted her leg and bent her knee so Derek could move his fingers in and out of her with ease. Reaching up, Lilith threaded her fingers through Derek's hair and tugged as that pressure started to grow in her. She rolled her hips and moaned loudly. When she snapped, she swore her vision blurred a bit. Her heart pouned in her ears and Lilith faintly heard Derek chuckle for her to breathe. Not realizing she had been holding her breath, Lilith inhaled deeply, pleasure just flooding through her all over again.

"You are going to kill me." She managed to gasp out. If she had the energy, she would have smacked Derek for his laughing reply that he hoped not.

Lilith felt that slickness between her legs when he removed his fingers and brought them to her mouth. Opening her mouth, Lilith sucked her juices off his fingers and mustered up the energy to turn to her side so she faced him. As she tilted her face for a kiss, he was already lowering his head and pulling her leg over his hip.

Moaning into their kiss when he thrust into her, Lilith dug her nails into his arm as he started to move in her with long, delicious strokes. Soon her movements matched his and Derek rolled onto his back, holding Lilith close so he was still deep inside of her. She blinked down at him as she found herself on top in a straddle position.

She thought about making him beg, but his body was so tense and those groans of his were enough payment...ohhh and not to mention his fingers now on her breasts, kneading the mounds and pinching at her nipples. Lilith placed both hands on his abdomen as she tucked her legs under her. Her head fell back as she lifted off of him and quickly sank back down. They both shared a pleasured filled groan before she did it again, over and over until they were both crying out in a shared orgasm. Damn, it was going to be a long three days, but she wasn't going to complain one bit.

Several days later...

Casey flipped the page in the illustrated edition of sexual positions and frowned. How in the hell did that work? She tilted her head subtly in case someone walked in on her and figured out she couldn't make heads or tails of the position. Pun intended. With her head slightly tilted to the right, suddenly the picture made sense. She jumped and slammed the book shut when her brother walked into living room.

"Geeze, you're like a ninja." She told her brother who laughed that she was just oblivious. Her brother looked at the book in her lap curiously. "Elizabeth dropped it off along with a bunch of other books. All the books are for Lilith." She quickly explained.

Casey hadn't seen Lilith in five days. They communicated through scant texts sent and received at all hours of the day and night until Lilith's cell died. Then Lilith would call from the hotel phone. As it happened to be, Casey was well aware that Lilith was having the time of her life and that Lilith and Derek probably made sex an Olympic sport by now.

Elizabeth had been almost giddy when she stopped by a couple days ago to say she had books for Lilith, only to find out Lilith and Derek were holed up at his hotel room for the past two days already. Casey never got how Elizabeth knew to stop by when Keo wasn't around. Her brother had no idea about this supernatural/paranormal stuff and Casey kind of wished she didn't know either.

Rowan left the morning after that failure of a night, as soon as the rain let up. She hadn't heard any car pull in so she figured he walked. Where he walked off to, she didn't know and told herself that she didn't care. Surely he planned to stay away from the suite he shared with his brother seeing as a sex marathon was going on over there. Still frustrated with the whole thing, she grew even more irritated with herself for being upset in the first place.

She had replayed their last encounter so many times that it was stamped into her memory. Sometimes she'd change it up. Sometimes in the replay she recalled she didn't tell him she about her virginity and they made love. He would be too gone in his desire to notice. Casey couldn't tell if she was more annoyed with him or herself.

Letting out a frustrated breath, she looked up to find her brother looking over at her. "What?" She snapped and instantly regretted that. Not only did her brother not deserve that tone, but now he would pester her about what had her in such a bad mood. "Sorry, Keo. It's not you...I've been in feeling bitchy for the past several days. I'm sure I'm going to get over it soon."

Keo was shocked at Casey being all touchy just because he stared at her. "A broken heart takes awhile to get over, baby sis." He gave her a small smile as her grimace softened into a sad pout. Opening him arms, Keo motioned for her to join him on the loveseat. He hugged her close and kissed the top of her head. "I haven't seen Rowan around in days so I knew something was up." He whispered against her hair. "It's okay, Casey. You'll get over him, time heals."

Casey sighed deeply and nodded. "I know it does. I didn't even know him that long. I think it's just my ego talking. Rejection is a hard pill to swallow." She replied sadly and cuddled to her brother. They were pretty close and she had to admit she had a cool brother. He gave sound advice and wasn't the type to get all overbearing and protective like their father when she had boyfriends. Then again, Rowan wasn't even a boyfriend.

"I am taking it that those books aren't helping either." He teased lightly and indicated at the book she had been perusing. Chuckling when she jabbed him, Keo quickly apologized. "Sorry, sorry. Though that answers some questions and brings up double as many." He muttered.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Casey asked as she pulled back and peered at her brother curiously.

Keo paused and figured he may as well tell Casey. Since she was in a bad mood when he got home several nights ago, he decided not to bring up Elizabeth just then. The last thing Casey would have wanted to hear would be something about Elizabeth. That would have put his sister on tilt no doubt.

"Well, I went to Starbucks a few days ago...the one connected to Borders, not the one at the mall...anyways, I bumped into Elizabeth there. She was buying all these books and I was curious what they were for. That was answered when all those books ended up here for Lilith. Now I'm curious why she's buying Lilith these books." Keo answered as nonchalantly as he knew how. If he sounded too interested, Casey would pick up on it.

Casey shrugged. "I told you. She's a crazy ass bitch. Further proof the woman is nuts." She said half-serious. "Let's leave it at Elizabeth is helping Lilith and Derek have a baby. The way things are going, I'd be shocked she isn't pregnant by now." Casey said a bit glumly at the thought of anyone having a way better time than her.

"Whoa, hold up. Derek that was here about two weeks ago and there was that weird moment where everyone stopped talking when I walked in? He and Lilith went on a date several nights ago and now they're trying to have a baby?" He laughed a little. "You always made interesting friends." He told his sister, almost choking on his laughter.

"There is a lot of history between those two. I guess they decided to reconnect." Casey shrugged as she tried to play it off as a minor thing.

She spoke to Lilith about having a child with Derek to make sure that was what Lilith wanted. Lilith said at first she wanted nothing to do with Elizabeth's theoretical experiment. Then from observing Keo and Casey, Lilith had decided that the beauty of life was the possibility of death. Those little moments were important because of the frailty of life. So many suffered already and Lilith wanted to put an end to it. Casey suspected that Lilith's son had a great deal to do with Lilith's decision. Lilith thought life was precious and the ridiculous on-going war between the vampires and the werewolves involved unnecessary bloodshed.

"Well there was definitely a lot of tension between the two." Keo agreed as he released Casey and she pulled her knees to her chest and stayed seated beside him. "Should we expect to see her sometime soon?" He grinned at Casey who reluctantly grinned back as she replied she doubted it.

Hanalei

Pushing away from her desk, Elizabeth pulled off her safety glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose. Although vampires rarely succumb to those ailments that troubled humans, she found herself prone to headaches. She glanced back down at the hand she had been dissecting to study the wound that had been healing before the person died of a heart attack.

The more she could link vampire, werewolf, and human genetics, the closer she got at finding a cure for both species. Try as she might on the dissection, her mind was elsewhere...like that stupid curse. The curse was so old and distorted that Elizabeth had no idea if her theory would work, but it was worth trying than wondering. She believed in a nice balance between science and superstition. The ancient prophecy told to her by her father and uncle dictated that there would be two brothers who were to fulfill the second part of the divination. Even a damned 'sorceress' predicted Lilith's coming.

The ambiguity of the lore worried her. She wasn't sure if the curse would be lifted the moment a boy was conceived or born. She didn't know if the child had to reach puberty or if the key to unlocking a cure was in his DNA and she had to do further research. It was all just so vague and Elizabeth hated not knowing what to expect.

"I need a break." She muttered and stood. After putting things away, Elizabeth climbed the stairs and opened the door that led from her temporary lab to the hallway of the house she purchased. She had refused to live in a hotel for the duration of her stay.

It was after 2AM. Elizabeth didn't even make a sound as she glided over the koa wood floor boards. Flicking the bathroom light on, Elizabeth stood in front of the mirror and looked at her tired reflection. She hadn't fed in awhile and it was beginning to show. She also needed another skin graphing soon. This Hawaiian sun damaged her new skin faster than it could repair.

As she looked at her reflection, Elizabeth started running data through her head.

There was a scientific explanation why they never aged. Autophagy, which was a type of programmed cell death, was suppressed by the vampire virus. This led to why vampires drank blood and why from the neck. The virus was fueled by oxygen and the oxygen in one's body did not come solely from breathing. Oxygen was absorbed through what one ate and drank. Since the lungs no longer worked properly, breathing wasn't even an option of nourishment. The body focused so much on the repression of programmed cell death that not even one's digestive track worked very well. Digesting food became more of a stomachache than sustenance as well. The least painful way for a vampire to get his dose of oxygen came from liquids. Nothing was as oxygen rich as blood taken from the neck where oxygenated blood went from the heart to the rest of the body.

She had yet to understand the body's amazing way to heal so quickly. So far she likened it to the healing abilities sharks possessed...but faster...much faster. It did explain why she could be out and about after an entire skin graph in just a week. And that brought up another point that the gases trapped in the skin made vampires so flammable. Then there were those psychic gifts she possessed that had no definite scientific explanation yet. Maybe something linked her brainwaves with another...

She stopped, uncertain as to why she ran all the data in her head. The facts weren't very reassuring. It all just supported her reasoning that a cure for vampirism would be found in the genetic makeup of this miracle child of Lilith and Derek. What she hadn't figured out was how this 'curse' came to be and why vampires and werewolves seemed connected. Perhaps something in werewolf DNA cancelled out the vampire virus.

Not being as knowledgeable about lycan DNA came from lack of resources to study more than anything. Both vampires and werewolves did well to hide in their secret societies and to blend with the humans. Most of them didn't even want to be involved in the war.

A painful tightening in her stomach pulled Elizabeth from her thoughts. She ran out of the O2 pills that barely kept her from starving. Feeding off a live host was such a messy thing and she didn't particularly like the idea of consuming someone's bodily fluids. However, she did not have much of a choice since her production had been slowed by the recent attacks made by vampires who didn't want an alternative. Those were the abominations that preferred to feed off of humans and did not believe there should be a cure to vampirism.




Blood Moon Ch. 07



They were probably Elizabeth's only fear. Them and the lycans who also considered their curse a blessing. If they caught wind of her theory about a child of both heritages, there was no doubt in her mind that they would be gunning for Lilith.

Suppressing a scream when something rubbed against her leg, Elizabeth glared down at Slim. "You're going to make my heart start beating again." She growled playfully. Slim meowed up at her and she picked him up. He was looking much healthier now. His coat was shiny and he put on some weight.

"Let's get you something to eat." Elizabeth murmured as Slim butted her chin and purred.

Rowan was back in San Francisco.

He didn't want to be on the same island as Casey. She probably didn't want him in the same plane of existence, much less the same island. The more he thought about what happened that night, the sulkier he got. Usually the jovial one that everyone liked, people found his smile contagious and would rather speak to him than his brother. So everyone knew something bothered Rowan when he first stalked into work several days ago. No one had even dared to ask how his trip to Seattle went.

He barked orders and snapped about being bothered. The executives pestered him about his brother's whereabouts. In the midst of a company take over and their boss nowhere in sight. Rowan had to bite his tongue during one meeting since he had been so very tempted to say he honestly didn't give a fuck.

Derek managed to call him about twice a day for updates. He only called when Lilith slept and stayed on the phone for a few minutes and then he hung up for some shut eye before the next bout of sex. Thankfully the mating period neared its end. Rowan felt kind of peeved listening to his brother sound so sated and exhausted.

After half an hour of unsuccessful code writing, Rowan figured he should take a break. He drummed his fingers on the desk and glanced at his phone. What would Casey say if he called her? Would she hang up on him? Rowan growled. Why was he even thinking about something so stupid? Frustrated yet again, Rowan pushed away from his desk and grabbed his gym gear. There was a gym in the building that the employees could use. He'd try to burn off some energy and hope that would put him in a better mood.

Princeville, Kauai

A week had passed before Lilith and Derek attempted to leave his suite. Now that she was out of heat, they decided to grab breakfast out. Each time they glanced at the other, a sappy smile would spread on both their faces. Lilith's smile would be accompanied with a blush and giggle while Derek tended to raise a brow as if reading her naughty thoughts. Onlookers would assume the two were on their honeymoon with the way they acted.

They had stopped at Eggburts in a town called Kapaa on their way to Koloa. There was a long line, but seats opened up when a large group left. Lilith and Derek were seated outside in the corner so they could enjoy the breezy weather. It was hard to believe that it had been storming for the past several days.

"What happened to Rowan?" Lilith asked after she thanked Derek for helping her into her chair.

Derek looked up from the menu he was skimming. He didn't say anything for a few moments until Lilith started blushing and told him to stop looking at her like that.

"Like what?" He grinned slowly, but decided not to tease her. "Rowan is back in San Francisco since the Seattle branch is running smoothly. We usually work out of San Francisco." A frown touched his mouth. "I'm not sure if Casey has told you, but things didn't work out. Well, I didn't find that out in so many words. Rowan just says he rather not talk about it."

"Casey didn't tell me anything. We just talked so she could make sure I was still alive and unharmed." Lilith said with a faint smile at Derek's snort. "I wonder what happened between those two." Her brows scrunched in thought.

After sipping at his coffee, Derek figured he may as well talk about his return to San Francisco. His brother wasn't in a good mood to begin with, but with the company take over looming as well, he'd say Rowan was pissed.

"I have to return to San Francisco." He started off and then paused to gage Lilith's expression. She didn't seem surprised by his words. "I'm not sure how this is supposed to work." He said honestly. "Do you want to stay here? I'd like it if you went with me to San Francisco. I'd feel better if you aren't an ocean away."

Lilith thought about her words carefully. It would probably be best to go with Roderick. Casey had been amazingly kind to her. Both Casey and her brother took her in and she was practically a stranger. Lilith wasn't even sure how much danger she brought to their doorstep. It would be best if she left as soon as possible. This was the best exit she could make.

"Yes, I'll follow you to San Francisco." She agreed softly. Casey was not going to like this, but Lilith had already been enough of a burden on Casey and Keo.

Derek smiled. "I was expecting more of a fight."

"I think you worked hard enough for a break." Lilith smiled as well.

The waitress was back at their table to take their order and they both laughingly apologized that they hadn't even scanned the menu. After asking for five more minutes, Derek and Lilith looked through the breakfast selection and were ready to order when the waitress came back in five minutes. Although they kept up a conversation throughout breakfast, Lilith's mind was on how she'd explain things to Casey.

Undisclosed location, Canada

When the silent alarms triggered, the scientist hurriedly went to destroying all the information. An updated copy was stored in another safe house that no one from this laboratory knew the location of. This time, the alert was not a test. The image of the bloodied and mangled bodies of the security guards made that a fact. After entering the password into the computer, the virus immediately went to work at corrupting all the files.

With a squeak, the pretty researcher turned suddenly when the large metal door blew off the hinges. Her golden eyes grew wide as she recognized the intruder. Before she could demand for answers, she was bathed in intense UV lights. She squeezed her eyes shut and turned away with a hiss. For a split second, her skin felt as though it was tightening to an unbearable itch before she burst into flames.

Lighting a cigarette, the man in charge of the attack took a drag before a long exhale. He ignored Tara's screams as the fire consumed her until she was nothing but a pile of ash and bones. The bones told him that she was a young vampire. Her bones hadn't turned to dust.

"Don't bother." He growled when one of his men tried to search the computers. "Check out the papers that weren't completely destroyed. These abominations were working on something big."

Koloa, Kauai

Casey's cell was ringing and she frowned at the unidentified number. Picking it up, she answered politely. "Hello, Casey Pukui speaking."

"Where is Lilith?" Came an almost urgent reply.

Casey frowned. "Elizabeth? She's still with Derek. She said she's coming back today. I think her cell died. She's been calling me from the hotel. Did you try Derek's cell? What's wrong?"

"Obviously I tried Derek. You were a last resort. I'm heading over right now."

With that, Elizabeth ended their call. Staring down at her cell, Casey started to feel a bit sick. What was going on?

The moment Lilith stepped out of Derek's car, Elizabeth was by her side. The vampire's grip nearly snapped her arm as she tugged Lilith towards her car. Casey was running towards them as Derek growled for Elizabeth to release Lilith.

"Stop." Elizabeth said, making both Derek and Casey freeze in place. "We do not have time to discuss this. I need to get Lilith to safety first."

"Elizabeth, what is going on?" Lilith demanded as she tried to tug her arm out of the iron hold.

"No time, get in the car and I will explain. Go willingly, or I can force you." She looked over at Derek and felt his mind clashing with hers as she forced him to sleep. He needed to go with her as well.

The shape-shifter dropped to the ground in an unconscious heap. Lilith gasped and was demanding for answers again. Elizabeth wanted to snarl. Why couldn't the stupid girl just cooperate for once? Her head snapped to the side as a car pulled into the garage.

Keo turned off the engine and stepped out of his car. He grinned at the scene. It looked so dramatic. "Did I miss something?" He laughed then spotted Derek on the ground. "Holy shit, is he okay?"

"Don't move." Elizabeth pinned a look on him.

The man stopped moving, his smile slipping off his face. He frowned at her and raised his hands in mock surrender. "Did Derek faint?" He teased.

"What? No. Stay there." She repeated, utterly confused why he was moving his arms around.

Keo shifted on his feet and looked down at the green grass. He lifted one foot, then the other. What was the deal? Were they playing a game?

"What is wrong with you?" Elizabeth hissed.

Keo caught Lilith's struggling and he wondered just how strong Elizabeth was. She didn't even seem to budge as Lilith nearly yanked her arm out of the socket. He frowned once more as he thought about Elizabeth's words. His curiosity increased ten-folds.

Elizabeth ignored him then and dragged Lilith over to the waiting car. She practically shoved Lilith inside and shut the door. She barked an order to her driver who got out and went to dragging Derek's body. Keo made his way to her now, asking what was going on.

"How is it you can still be moving?" She pondered aloud, but she had no time for this.

Casey watched intently from her rooted position. Keo had never seen his sister so still or quiet. Something was definitely wrong. Lilith pounded on the car window and Keo had a sinking feeling this wasn't a game. Elizabeth had muttered 'sleep' and the noise suddenly stopped.

"What the hell is going on?" He demanded to know and went over to his sister who didn't even move when he place his hand on her shoulder and shook. "Shit, Casey?" He started to grow worried.

He turned to look at Elizabeth, but with Derek already loaded in, the driver got back into the car. They pealed out of the driveway and Keo caught his sister as her knees buckled and she fell forward.

"We have to follow them." Casey said frantically, trying to get her thoughts straight. She felt so light headed. "I don't know!" She shouted when her brother helped her to the car, asking what the fuck just happened. They got into the car and Keo made her buckle up as he started up his car and tore off after them.

"Airport?" He asked his sister as they tried to figure out where Elizabeth was going.

The airport made the most sense. If Elizabeth was trying to hide somewhere, she wouldn't be doing it on a tiny island. Rushing to the airport was easier said than done. There was only a two-lane main road going into town and it was rush hour. Keo took the twisting back roads that came out in the housing projects across of the golf course in Lihue. They passed the cemetery and the old courthouse as they took the road behind the shutdown sugar mill. When they reached the airport, they screeched to a halt in the employee parking lot.

"Hey, Chaddy boy, watch my car will you?" Keo laughed, a bit out of breath. He tossed the keys to his cousin who worked as a parking security guard while he and Casey made a mad dash towards the private hangers. Having a big family came in handy.   

Casey and Keo ran passed security, waving at their cousin and family friends who worked in the box. Usually Keo and Casey had bets going on so their behavior wasn't too out of the normal for them. They could hear their guys shouting in the distance about who they put their money on.

"You go left, I go right." Keo said and he ran off to the right.

He passed his second cousin's husband who drove some baggage around. Putting his arms up, Keo flagged the guy down as he tried to catch his breath. The guy laughed and asking if it was another one of those infamous bets he had going with his sister.

"Hey," Keo sucked in a breath trying to get enough air in his lungs to ask his question, "any private jets," deep inhale, "about to take off?" His sides burned.

"Yeah, over there. Who's bookie? I wanna put in my bet for you." He laughed as Keo took off again in the direction Nick pointed.

Keo found one jet out and ready to be boarded. No security on guard duty. He sprinted up the stairs and burst into the private cabin. No one was there. His lungs burning, he went to check the back rooms. As he flew one door open, there was a commotion coming from the cabin. He tried to remain quiet, but he was breathing too harshly. In less than five minutes, he heard the door shut and the jet started to move. Oh fuck.

Casey stopped running as she heard an engine start up. In the distance, she spotted the car Elizabeth had been in and a plane began to pull out and start to roll. Promising that she'd get her butt into shape after this fiasco, Casey started running in that direction. She breathed heavily as if her lungs caught fire. Even though she knew she couldn't catch up, she kept running. The plane gained speed and by the time she reached the black car, the plane reached halfway down the runway.

Ripping out her cell phone, Casey tried to catch her breath as she frantically speed dial 2 her brother. She watched as the plane got to the end of the runway and lifted up, the wheels pulling in. The phone rang, but her hopes sank when it went to voicemail. The way it cut off mid-ring, she knew he had ignored her call.

"Damnit, Keo..." She exhaled harshly and sucked in another breath. "Please be safe." She whispered raggedly before she made a call to the only one she knew who could help her.



Blood Moon Ch. 08



Over the Pacific Ocean

Elizabeth sank into a chair and let out a long sigh. She unzipped her bag to check on Slim and he appeared to be sleeping. She had bound Derek and Lilith on the car ride over to the airport. They would wake up about halfway through the flight. By then, they would have to make a stop to change planes at LAX and continue on to New York. They would lay low for a week or so and then continue on to England where she had a country estate in Hampshire.

The plane was airborne and she relaxed just mildly. At least they would be in the air for hours. Inhaling deeply, her breath caught when she tasted something salty. Sweat. She knew that distinct smell and taste because she was incapable of producing it. Just then, she heard a cell phone ring. In less than two seconds, she was at the back room and had crashed the door open.

Her eyes widened momentarily before she narrowed them. "You."

Keo had tried to keep quiet. He had pulled away from the door and was still trying to steady his breathing. He felt the plane lift off and cursed that he was now even more fucked. He pulled out his cell to call Casey before the signal cut, but just as he did so, Casey was calling him.

He had pressed the end button in a bid to silence his phone, but it was too late. The next thing he knew, Elizabeth was in front of him and looked capable of murder. He gave her a smile that only made her eyes narrow further.

Her lips pursed as if she was wondering how to get rid of him. "If I recall correctly, you're an excellent swimmer." She commented.

Keo felt himself grinning although he really should be worried about where her thoughts were headed. "Got my lifeguard license and all, but I'm not sure I would survive a fall into the ocean at this height."

"The likelihood of the water acting as a solid from this altitude is high, but you could survive with the proper entry technique. Though, if I dispose of you a little farther out, I won't have to worry about your corpse washing up on a shore anytime soon, if ever." She replied.

Keo was smart enough not to comment. The way she said it...so matter-of-factly left little room to doubt she would rather than could do it. When she pinned another look at him, she let out long sigh. He would say that she seemed exhausted. Then again, kidnapping and plotting murder probably did tire out a person.

"Is Derek and Lilith safe?" He finally asked after a long moment of silence.

Elizabeth snorted delicately. "Of course they are safe. I need them. The same cannot be said for you. Although, I may yet have use for you."

Given a different circumstance, Keo would have found that a bit provocative. He always thought she had an almost too perfect beauty to her. The symmetry in her features and form were otherworldly. He entertained some very naughty ideas now that he was pretty sure she wouldn't toss him to his likely death.

"What are you thinking? I can't read you and I don't like that." She broke into his thoughts.

Keo answered her question with a question. "What do you mean, read me? Most people say they know exactly what I'm thinking by the look on my face."

"If I were to go by the look on your face, you don't seem half as afraid as you should be. But there's something about you that every time I try, I come up against a cold and solid wall." Elizabeth said cryptically. She was usually good at reading other's thoughts when she tried hard enough, but with Keo, it proved impossible.

He gave her a quizzical expression. He had no idea about half of what she said and he told her that. "I'm pretty sure I'm missing something and until you tell me what the hell is going on, you're going to keep saying things that will just keep going over my head."

"It's better if you know less." She decided. If she couldn't read his mind, there would be no way she could erase his memory. To avoid a whole mess of needing to kill him afterwards, she just wouldn't tell him anything.

"What do you plan on doing with Lilith and Derek?" He asked as she mulled over some thoughts.

With an exasperated sigh, Elizabeth ignored his question and headed back to the main cabin. Of course, he just had to follow her. When she took a seat, she heard Keo's quick intake of breath at the sight of Derek and Lilith. He kneeled down and was checking their pulses.

"They'll be fine. I have no plans to hurt them. If you even think about unbinding them, I will have you knocked out and tied up as well." She warned.

Keo looked up at Elizabeth. "The tying up part sounds fun, not so much the unconscious part." He just couldn't help himself. She made it far too easy and he wonder what she would look like caught off guard.

"If you're so enthused to be tied up, I'm sure that can be arranged." She replied pointedly.

The human was foolish enough to smile at her and take a seat. She didn't like how at ease he appeared. She wanted him scared and silent. Instead, he got comfortable and opened his mouth to speak again. The temptation to knock him over the head or even drug him grew stronger, but she resisted. Perhaps if he got even more bothersome, she would resort to such methods.

"So...what do you plan on doing with me? Letting me go once we stop somewhere?" He continued to plan out his escape with Lilith and Derek. Two dead weights were going to be tricky; neither looked like they'd be waking up anytime soon. "Did you drug them?" He wondered aloud, finding it hard to imagine a big guy like Derek going down any other way.

"Are you always this annoyingly inquisitive?" She shot back. "They weren't drugged. I merely induced them to-" She cut off and scowled. "If you keep asking questions, you'll know too much and I will have to kill you by the time we reach the first stop."

"Hey, I'm just asking questions. You're the one answering them." Keo pointed out.

Elizabeth did agree with him on that. "Then, it would be in your best interest to stop asking questions."

It was Keo's turn to let out a sigh. "I've always been bad at keeping my mouth shut. It's gotten me into a lot of trouble. But it's too quiet in here. We can talk about something other than...business." He motioned over at the two sleeping bodies.

"I prefer silence."

Keo shrugged. "Well tough. Sadly for you, you're stuck with me."

Elizabeth blinked at him a few times. No one ever spoke to her like that. It was insane. If anyone tried, she could bring them to their knees in unbearable pain. Pain was perceived by the brain and she had access to anyone's brain, except his it seemed.

"You're adorable when you're shocked." He grinned. She honestly was cute just staring at him with her mouth parted slightly in disbelief and indignation. He wondered if he could get her to blush. Her pale skin would look lovely with a little pink.

"I'm certain I don't like that look." Elizabeth said breathlessly. There was no reason for her to sound breathless since breathing wasn't even necessary.

An eyebrow went up at her tone. "I'm curious. What about my expression don't you like?" He was getting pretty ballsy now that he was certain she wasn't going to hurt him.

Elizabeth quickly regained her composure. "That you think you can handle me."

San Francisco

Although Casey had just gotten off a five hour flight, she was restless. Someone was waiting for her at the San Francisco International airport and brought her to the MidKnight Tilt San Francisco branch building. Rowan was in San Francisco, a headquarters for one of the many businesses he and his brother owned. She rode the elevator up to the top floor and was told to have a seat in the waiting room. The receptionist left after asking if Casey wanted anything to drink. Casey had been tempted to say some strong alcohol, but settled on water. 

Pacing around the room, Casey still couldn't figure out what she would tell her parents. They were supposed to visit that night for dinner and neither she nor Keo would be at home. Everything was such a mess. She did text her mother to say the dinner was off and that she and Keo would be out, but Casey didn't give a reason why.

She took a seat and tried to calm down. The leggy receptionist was back with the bottled water. Casey took the bottle and thanked the woman before she breezed out. Sipping at the water, Casey told herself to calm down.

The door opened again and she jumped to her feet when she saw Rowan. Her heart skipped a couple beats at the sight of him. He didn't look so good. His hair was a mess and he had bags under his eyes. Usually he was smiling and always so jovial, but this time, he looked angry and exhausted. Even so, Casey couldn't help thinking he was still the most gorgeous man alive.

His expression softened. "Casey," he started, "how are ye holding up?"

She had expected for him to ask about his brother. When she called him, she had been near hysterical. After she was able to form a few sentences, he told her to head towards the Hawaiian Airline desk and he'd have a ticket ready for her by the time she reached the front. He asked if she had her ID, which she did. Since the Seattle branch was running smoothly, Rowan had returned to San Francisco where most of his work involved server security for the online gambling site, MidKnight Tilt.

"I-" Casey paused and bit down on her lower lip. She was so relieved to see him. There wasn't anyone she could speak to who would even remotely understand what was going on. She took comfort in the fact that Rowan could sympathize.

When he came up in front of her, she looked up at him with watery eyes. She wasn't sure if he put his arms around her or if she had hugged him first. They were holding onto each other tightly when she broke down and started to cry. His hand was moving on her back in a soothing circle as she cried.

Letting out a shuddering breath, Casey pulled away after several minutes. She needed that cry and now she needed to be strong. Rowan led her to a seat and reached over to grab the box of tissues for her. After she wiped at her eyes and nose, she inhaled deeply and exhaled.

"I was going to say that I'm doing pretty good, but that's obviously a lie. I have no idea what's going on, Rowan." She let out another shaky breath. "I was waiting at home for Lilith to come back. She called me earlier that day to tell me that Derek was going to drop her off. Then I got a call from Elizabeth. She sounded frantic and needed to know where Lilith was. Next thing I know, Derek and Lilith pull up in the driveway and then Elizabeth is there."

She paused to take a sip of her water. Rowan was waiting patiently.

"Elizabeth started to tell Lilith that they had to go. She did that weird mind control thing so I couldn't move. She made Derek pass out then Keo arrived. I don't know why, but Keo was immune to Elizabeth's mind control. She shoved Lilith in the car and took Derek too. Then she drove off and I could move again. Keo and I figured if she was going into hiding, she'd get off this island." Casey stopped again and fought the urge to cry. She was so stupid to involve her brother.

Rowan reached for her hand and squeezed gently for her to continue. "We went to the airport and split up at the private hangers. I think Keo boarded the plane. By the time I spotted Elizabeth's car, her plane was taking off."

"Doona worry. We'll figure something out." Rowan gave a small smile. He impulsively leaned over and kissed the top of her head. "Let's head tae my office. I need tae make a call."

They stood and walked the short distance across the floor to Rowan's office. He closed the door and Casey took a seat while Rowan grabbed his phone and dialed a number. Casey was caught off guard when Rowan started to converse in French. There were a few words she caught as Rowan mentioned the Lihue Airport. The phone call lasted less than five minutes.

Rowan took a seat behind his desk and powered up his computer. He glanced over at Casey and noted that she looked as if she lost some weight and sleep. Something must have been bothering her before today.

"I talked tae my friend earlier about pulling up the flight plans for the private planes leaving Lihue Airport in that time period. He's going tae send it tae me now." He had tried to call in a kidnapping, but he wasn't taken seriously. He could have made a big media fuss over it, but that would draw unwanted attention. "Casey, did Elizabeth say anything about why she was taking Lilith and Derek?"

Casey quickly shook her head. "No, she didn't. She just grabbed Lilith and said she would explain later, but they had to leave. Do you think Lilith is in danger?" She was afraid to think that others would want to harm Lilith.

A silence fell between them as Rowan thought over it. "There's the chance that certain vampires and werewolves doona want a cure. There are also humans who are aware of our existence and take it upon themselves tae 'rid the earth' of such abominations." 

With a dismayed cry, Casey covered her mouth. "So not only are demented humans wanting to kill Lilith, but so are vampires and werewolves?" She asked rhetorically. Poor Lilith. Her friend had already suffered so much and it was all starting up again.

"I want tae ask...yer brother, why do ye think Elizabeth's mind control doesn't work on him?" Rowan hadn't been there, not that he would have been much help had he been there. He tried to use telepathy between him and Derek, but his brother's mind was blank. Rowan couldn't even feel where Derek was.

Casey honestly didn't know why Keo was immune. "I...maybe..." She kept trying to come up with an answer for that, but couldn't. Then it dawned on her. "He has a metal plate in his head. Do you think that is why? Six years ago, he got into a car accident. Drunk driver swerved into the oncoming traffic and it was a head on collision. Keo was in the hospital for months. I just thought maybe it's like X-Men. Magneto wears that metal helmet so Professor Xavier can't get into his head."

Rowan felt a smile tug at his lips. "That could be the reason." Now he had to figure out how to use that to their advantage. An image of him and Casey wearing metal helmets much like Magneto's flashed in his head. It was a ridiculous thought, but the only viable solution at the moment.

Looking down at his computer when it chimed, Rowan saw his friend was forwarding him a file. He accepted the incoming file and opened it up when it was loaded. There were three private flights leaving Lihue Airport between 11AM and 12PM. One was headed to Tahiti, another to Los Angeles, and the other to Portland.

Rowan ruled Tahiti out because it was a moot point to leave one island in exchange for another. He typed off a message to his friend about pulling up any flight plans for any other private plane leaving soon after the jets to Portland and Los Angeles touched down. He nearly groaned when he saw that there were seven private flights out of Portland within an hour of touchdown and eighteen for Los Angeles.

He asked for the final destinations for all twenty-five flights. After receiving it, Rowan thanked his friend again and then sighed off. He printed out the list and showed it to Casey. They were going to have to go through it and figure out which leads to follow.

"Can't we just pull up who owns the private planes?" Casey asked as she scanned the list.

"I doubt Elizabeth used her name for the plane and she could have chartered a private jet, again, under a pseudo name. I'll look them up anyways; maybe we can cross some out." LAX had a lot of celebrities coming and going, perhaps Rowan could knock those off the list.

Salt Lake City, Utah

Gerald Smith was not a man anyone paid much attention to. He was of an average height, had non-descript brown hair and blue eyes that were neither piercing nor intense. Where some men might wish they were taller or had the kind of body women fantasized over, Gerald Smith did not. He liked that he could blend into the crowd.

He wasn't ugly, but neither was he handsome. His looks were average, maybe even dipping to slightly below average. Even in his late thirties, he had a full head of hair with barely any grays or whites. He wore fake wire rimmed glasses since his vision was 20/20. He thought it gave him more of a studious look. As a tax accountant, he wanted to look the part of a trustworthy and serious man.

No one from the office would have thought that Gerald Smith was anything but predictable and average. Everyone who thought such definitely didn't know Gerald Smith.

Gerald had a strict upbringing. His father, a man stuck in a time long passed, had beaten his beliefs into his only son. Gerald's mother was a quiet woman who preferred to let her husband take out his frustration in their son rather than find herself at the end of her husband's fury. Not the most maternal woman, Gerald often heard from his mother that he provoked his father's anger. When she ran away with her lover, Gerald suffered even more.

Looking back, Gerald couldn't blame his mother. Women were the weaker sex and often giving into temptation easily. It would have been even harder for her to resist the enticing vampire who took her as a lover. The fault didn't fall to his mother. No, it was the vampire's fault. Like a cancer among the humans, they slowly corrupted those with whom they came into contact.

Gerald had killed his first vampire when he was seventeen. The euphoric feeling of sending that monster back to Hell had triggered something in him. He knew from then what he had to do. Contrary to what his father had said, Gerald wasn't useless. He had a purpose now.

Though the years, he met many like-minded individuals. Many powerful and wealthy members to their secret society, all having in common their devotion to saving mankind from nature's mutations. It had only been in the last ten years that he knew about werewolves.

Now the vampires and the werewolves appeared to be working together. Gerald had a feeling they were creating some new hybrid of monsters to unleash on the unsuspecting humans. The information they had gotten from the destroyed lab hinted as much.

He shouldn't have rushed the way he did, but his excitement got the best of him. His sponsor was not happy with the way he handled things. Most of the data was lost and it would be a long while before anyone cracked the code on the piece of undamaged hard drive they recovered.

"Good night, Jen. See you next Monday." Gerald smiled at his plump co-worker as he passed her cubicle.

He didn't bother waiting for her reply. He itched to get home and do some research. Then he was to meet with one of his sponsors. The vampires and werewolves were up to something.

In the air

Before Elizabeth and company landed at LAX, they were alerted to a search by airport security. Seemingly a kidnapping had been called in and they just needed to check the plane. Elizabeth had immediately made a deal with Keo before security boarded. She would let him follow her on the next flight if he kept his mouth closed and played along. If she caused another headliner, she would undoubtedly make the top of the VPA's 'hit list'. The Vampire Nations went through great lengths to keep their kind a secret.

Lilith and Derek had woken by then, but scarily enough, both were absolutely still as Elizabeth unbound them and took her kitten out of her huge bag before she threw the ties in there. Keo asked Derek and Lilith if they were alright, but neither answered. Elizabeth cut him a look and quickly took her seat before the jet touched down smoothly.

Since Elizabeth couldn't successfully control more than two minds at a time, she had to improvise. It would be dangerous to put Lilith and Derek back to sleep. Last time she had someone sleep indefinitely, she put the human in a coma. The more time she spent with someone, the easier it was to control their mind. With the new security guards, it would take more time than she had to break down the barriers to gain dominance.




Blood Moon Ch. 08



She couldn't control Keo and as much as she wanted to knock him out, if the security found that they couldn't wake him up, she would be in trouble. The same went with Derek and Lilith. She planned to mind control those two while security looked around and asked questions. Nothing suspicious about four friends traveling together.

Keo watched as Elizabeth had allowed the security guards to enter and look around the place, a bit freaked out that Lilith and Derek smiled and talked with the security guards. He sneaked a look at Elizabeth and saw her wearing a slightly dazed expression.

The security guards did their search and left in ten minutes. Elizabeth gathered up her bag and kitten and started down the steps. She motioned for Keo to go along while Derek and Lilith silently followed to the next private jet. 

Not until both were seated in the new plane and bound again did either Derek or Lilith talk. Like the drug had instantaneously worn off, both started struggling against their bindings while Derek shouted bloody murder.

"Don't bother trying to break it, He-Man." She rolled her eyes at Derek. "It's made out of Dyneema fiber and Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene. Unless you can exert more than 3 million pounds of pressure, you're not going to break it." That got him to settle down, but he still shouted at her.

"What the fuck are you planning? I'm of the mind to kill you unless you explain yourself and even then I might just rip your head off." He growled. Turning to Lilith, he made sure she was alright. Except for also being bound, she appeared unharmed.

Elizabeth scoffed. "Kill me? You can't even touch me. Oh stop that growling, it's so vulgar." She waved her hand dismissively when Slim ran off to Keo and then hissed at Derek. "You're scaring my kitten. Do stop being a savage."

"Elizabeth, what are you planning on doing with us?" Lilith asked as she scooted closer to Derek. "And what is Keo doing here?"

"Hi, Lilith. Hey, Derek." Keo commented. Slim had burrow against his neck and was purring loudly.

With a sigh, Elizabeth went to explaining. "Your life and your child's life are in danger. There is a group of humans who attacked one of my labs two nights ago. They were looking for any sort of information. That lab in particular was running tests over the similarities between human, werewolf, and vampire DNA. Seeing as these humans consider vampires and weres monsters, they would no doubt consider a child of mix heritage to be Satan himself."

"Wait-" Keo interrupted. "Vampires and werewolves?" He looked over at Elizabeth then to Derek and Lilith. "You guys are joking right? Good gods, and here I was thinking that this was something serious." He laughed in relief. "Wow, I never went so far for a joke before. You guys are pretty intense."

No one else smiled.

"Keo, I'm really sorry to have gotten you involved in all of this. We're not joking." Lilith began until Elizabeth shushed her. "Why? He is part of this now whether he likes it or not. He should know."

He still wore a grin. Maybe he'd play along then. They seemed pretty devoted to this joke. "Hey, so Casey was in on it too? Damn, I'm going to have to think of something really big to pull on her."

"We're not joking around." Derek repeated. "Sorry man, but this is real. Unfortunately, you're shit outta luck because you did not only get involved, but you're in the middle of it all."

"Elizabeth, show him your fangs." Lilith said. "Derek can't shift in his bindings or he'll hurt himself."

Keo looked over at Elizabeth's scowling face. A slow grin started. "Yeah, Elizabeth, show me your fangs. Should I look away so you can slip them on?"

She turned to him and opened her mouth, her dangerously sharp fangs on display. Keeping her mouth open, she retracted her fangs so he could see the transition. "What's the use? He doesn't look like he believes us anyways." Elizabeth narrowed her eyes at Keo.

"You should let him listen to your chest to show that your heart doesn't beat. I also cut myself and let Casey watch the wounds seal up." Lilith ventured.

Keo frowned at Lilith. "Wait, so you're a vampire too?"

"Used to be. She's human with a suppressed vampire virus." Elizabeth cut in. She had pulled out a pocket knife from her bag. "This better convince you enough because I am not letting you rest your head on my chest." She informed him.

Derek snorted at that, but made no comment. Elizabeth shot him a warning look before she pressed the blade into her palm. Keo shouted that they were crazy as he saw dark blood pool in her palm and he grabbed a nearby napkin to wrap Elizabeth's hand.

Batting him away with her uninjured hand, Elizabeth opened her other hand to show that the cut had already healed. Seeing that he still looked skeptical, Elizabeth nicked Keo with the blade before she thrust it through her arm.

"This is taking up a lot of energy. I'm of the mind to knock you out and let you think it was all a dream." She muttered as she pulled out the knife and held her arm out for Keo to inspect.

Keo wiped away the unusually dark blood and looked at Elizabeth's smooth, pale skin. There wasn't a mark. Holy shit. This really was legit.

He glanced up to see her staring at the small cut she had made on the back of his hand. "Um, got a band-aid?" He asked, not really sure what else to say.

"Derek can seal it. Werewolf saliva is almost as restorative as vampire saliva." Lilith commented.

Both Derek and Keo quickly vetoed that idea.

"That's okay-" Keo said just as Derek said he wasn't licking a guy. "I most definitely agree with you on that. Tongues touching me have to be attached to female bodies." He said in Elizabeth's direction.

"I would rather see you bleed out." She replied icily.

Keo let that slide as he just grabbed another napkin and pressed it to his hand. It was a little cut, so no big deal. "So, what's the rest of this story? There has to be more."

It was quiet for several moments before Elizabeth spoke.

"According to an old myth, vampires and werewolves are sort of related. These two power hungry brothers were trying to find a way to live forever and have supernatural abilities. They ended up creating vampires and werewolves. Supposedly if there is just one race, the curse is over. I believe the vampire and werewolf DNA can cancel each other out. I do not believe that if all vampires or all werewolves were extinct that the surviving...race would instantly turn into humans." She explained.

"That is why Derek and Lilith are to have a baby." She added. "Since Derek is a werewolf and he mated with Lilith before she turned into a vampire, she was never fully a vampire. With the vampire virus suppressed, she is nearly human. I need for them to have a son since only males carry the lycan DNA. With the human genetics bridging vampire and werewolf gene, I could find a cure."

Keo listened carefully. He gently put Slim to the side. "What if it isn't a sickness? You say cure like being a vampire or werewolf is a disease. What if it's just evolution?" He noted the quick intake of breath from Lilith.

Elizabeth jumped up to her feet and before he could blink, he stared up at her angry face in surprise. Maybe he said the wrong thing, but it was a valid question. He wasn't so close minded as to think things stopped evolving.

"This is not evolution." She grounded out, her bright eyes flashing. "I have been like this for twenty-eight-hundred years. I was not born this way. I was made into this by no choice of my own. There is no advantage to being a vampire. What evolutionary advantage is there to not being able to go out into the sun or needing to drink oxygen rich blood to survive? You tell me what is so advantageous about being infertile!"

As quickly as she had blurted that out, she had grabbed Slim and left. All Keo registered was a blur and then a back room door being slammed shut. He looked over at Derek and Lilith and they were just as shocked by Elizabeth's heated words.

"Uh, if I untie the both of you and then go talk to Elizabeth, promise you guys won't try to attack the pilots or jump out with parachutes?" Keo asked half-jokingly.

The idea of jumping out of a plane sickened Derek. He didn't like being up in the air and definitely liked the idea of free falling less. "We won't try to escape." He promised. After all, Elizabeth supposedly kept them safe. He did have to call his brother though.

Keo nodded and kneeled by Derek and Lilith. He worked the knots out quickly from Derek's ropes. It was easier since he saw how Elizabeth tied them. He left Derek to untie Lilith. Elizabeth could bitch at him about that next, but first he had to set things right.

San Francisco

Looking up when Casey walked into the living room, Rowan returned her smile. After they crossed out a third of options from the list, Rowan was working through the top half and Casey got the bottom half. She was pretty good at getting information. He didn't understand why she worked for a tabloid.

She placed down the pizza and went back to the borrowed laptop to research. Rowan made a noise and she looked up and raised a brow. He told her to put the laptop aside and grab a bite.

"I can eat later. I'm not really hungry." She insisted, but he had thrown back the cardboard top. The smell made her stomach contract painfully. She hadn't eaten all day and in hindsight, hadn't been eating all that much in the past week and a half.

"We'll take a break. We narrowed it down to Alaska, Houston, Chicago, Vancouver, Boston, and New York." He said a bit lamely. From there, Elizabeth could be taking her captives anywhere.

Casey was going to comment that what they were doing wasn't at all helpful, but it kept the both of them busy. They needed to feel like they were doing something even if deep down they knew it was useless. She nodded at Rowan when he asked if she only wanted one slice for now.

"Thank you." She took the paper plate from him.

Their fingers brushed and Casey pulled back quickly, almost causing her slice to slide off the plate. After a muttered sorry, Casey settled back to eat her pizza. Rowan grabbed the biggest slice. They both took a bite at the same time.

The pizza was still hot, but Casey didn't mind as the flavors of the bread, pizza sauce, and cheese burst in her mouth. Her next bite had some of the olives, bell peppers, sausage and pepperoni. She chewed slowly and swallowed.

Rowan was halfway done with his when he noted Casey only had a couple nibbles. He put his plate down carefully and wiped his mouth with a napkin.

"Do you want me to order something else?" He asked worriedly.

"Huh?" Casey blinked at him. "No...why would you? The pizza is delicious. It's just also piping hot and I'm a slow eater. Don't worry, Rowan. I'm really not a picky eater. Thank you for dinner."

He let out a long sigh. "Casey...I know this is a really bad time, but can we talk about whit happened that night?" It was something he wanted to clear up.

Suddenly her pizza seemed really interesting. Knowing that she couldn't avoid this conversation, Casey reluctantly put down her plate and faced Rowan. She pursed her lips for a brief moment and then waited for him to start. With her hands folded in her lap, she leveled a curious gaze on him.

Rowan knew they needed to talk about what happened, but now that he had her undivided attention, he wasn't sure how to start. He cleared his throat and turned towards Casey. Since he had a week and a half to think about things, he hoped he had his thoughts in order this time.

"I wanted to apologize about how things turned out that night. I know that you want to return to your normal life when everything is done and you deserve better than me. Regardless of it being your first time or not...you deserve better than me. I know there's the perfect guy out there for-" He was silenced with Casey's lips on his.

He hadn't expected her to launch herself at him, but his arms closed around her automatically. Her body was pressed up to his. Their teeth scraped together as she pushed against him. Rowan reached up with one hand to cradle Casey's head. He massaged gently to get her to slow down and ease up.

The frantic kiss softened. He ran his tongue over her bottom lip and sucked softly. Her mouth opened and they touched their tongues, pushing and pulling. When the kiss ended, her lips were swollen and wet. They were both breathless.

"Taeday was stressful, yer not thinking straight-" Rowan tried to reason, but that just made Casey kiss him again.

She pulled away after a minute. "Rowan, just shut up." She whispered against his lips. "I'm part of your world now. There's no going back. Make love to me."

Rowan tried to tell himself that they shouldn't do this. Her body was so warm in his arms. When she pressed against him, removing all space between their bodies, he knew he was fighting a losing battle. He had wanted her that first night he saw her trying to get the bartender's attention. She was the sweetest thing in that club.

"You're thinking too much. That usually gets us in trouble." She smiled up at him.

He smiled back. "As usual, yer right...on both counts."

His arms tightened around her and he stood up. He carried her to his bedroom and laid her down on his large bed. Casey tried to get up, but he kissed her softly and skimmed his hands under her shirt. Touching her warm, soft skin, Rowan let his hands settle on her waist for a moment. He inhaled deeply at the crook of her neck. She shivered under him before she reached out and pulled his shirt over his head. He did the same to her and pinned her hands above her so he could look down and just stare.

"Yer so beautiful." He whispered before he released her wrists and dipped his head down to kiss her again.

Casey felt Rowan's rough hands tracing the shape of her body. She arched towards him as his hands moved to her back and unhooked her bra. He pulled it off and began to kiss her shoulders. His kisses trailed lower and he pulled one of her nipples into the heat of his mouth while he kneaded her other breast.

Her fingers threaded through his thick hair and she shifted in time with the pulls of his sucks. He did the same to her other nipple before pulling away and continuing to kiss down the undersides of her breasts and lower still. His hands went to working off her jeans. Casey lifted her hips as he pulled her jeans and panties down. She kicked them off and pulled him back up to kiss her lips.

Rowan settled to Casey's side, his hand fanning over the delicious curve of her hip. Casey turned onto her side as they continued to kiss. Her soft hands tickled down his abdomen and she unbuttoned and unzipped his pants. His pants and boxers joined the rest of their clothes on the ground. He gave Casey a curious look when she crawled down the bed.

He groaned loudly when she cupped his balls and massaged. Rowan pushed up to his forearms as Casey wrapped a hand around his hard cock. She looked up at him and pushed her hair out of the way before she took him into her mouth.

Falling back onto the bed, Rowan did his best not to thrust into her hot mouth. Her tongue swirled over the tip of his cock before she tried to see how much of him she could take. She moved her sweet mouth up and down his length, a pressure building in Rowan's balls. Suddenly she pulled off, making Rowan almost swear. She was driving him crazy with her untutored touches, licks, and sucks.

His hands clenched and unclenched at his sides while Casey peered up. She murmured an apology that she wanted to try something first. He was about to tell her to do what she wanted as long as she didn't stop, but the words turned into a strangled sound. She had sucked one of his testicles as her hand pumped him firmly. 

Her soft, wet mouth did the same to his other testicle before she kissed her way to the tip of his cock and took him back into her mouth. She went back to massaging his balls while she sucked and licked. He moved his fingers through her hair to guide her motions. Obviously a quick learner, she took cues from the noises Rowan made and how he tugged on her hair. She moved faster, sucked harder, trailed her tongue over the vein on the underside of his cock.

He was about to cum in her mouth in the next ten seconds. With great restraint, he pulled her off him slowly. She frowned at him, but gladly let him pull her down for a kiss. He turned so she was under him. Holding himself above her, he broke the kiss and moved down her body.

Casey wiggled as his hands skimmed over her inner thighs and pushed her legs farther apart. Her fingers wrapped around his dark locks and she sighed happily when his lips settled over her clit. That sigh quickly turned into a moan as he settled between her soft thighs and spread her with his thumbs.

Taking his time, Rowan flicked his tongue over her hard nub. She arched her hips instantly and moaned. He licked up and down her wet slit before he slid his thumbs in and out of her. Continuing that motion, Rowan flicked his tongue over her clit repeatedly. He alternated between licks and sucks until she was trying to ride his mouth.

Rowan pulled his thumbs out of her and pushed in his pointer and middle finger. He curved his fingers and felt for that spongy part and pressed. Casey bucked against his hand and gasped. He grinned before going back to licking and sucking while he thrusted his fingers in and out of her.

She came with a soft gasp and a moan, her hips rolling. A slight sheen of sweat broke out over her hot body and she twitched as Rowan kept licking at her. He wiped his face on the sheet before he pulled away to smile down at her. The smile she gave in return made his breath catch. She was so damn beautiful and she didn't even know it. The bedside lamp put a glow over her golden brown skin. 

Her body cradled him perfectly. Her knees came up as she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him down to her. She tilted her hips a bit as he reached between them and started to press his erection at her entrance.

"Doona hold yer breath." Rowan said with a smile as he felt Casey tense.

With a nervous and breathless laugh, Casey looked up into his green eyes. She felt him rub the head of his cock over her slickness before he started to push forward. She inhaled deeply and he inched more into her. It got to the point where it was a tight and uncomfortable, but she tried to relax.

"How much more?" She asked when she felt like she couldn't take anymore.

Her body was so tight and hot. "Almost half way." He gritted out and she gasped that he was too big.

Rowan had dropped his head down to hide a smile. He kissed her lips lightly before sheathing himself a little more. Casey tensed so he stopped and held still. When she relaxed again, he pushed forward some more. Casey started to shift uncomfortably, making Rowan groan again. He told her to stop moving, but she couldn't help herself.

He reached between them again and rubbed her sensitive clit. Casey moaned and shifted again. Her hands cupped his face and she kissed him deeply when he slammed into her. Tears sprang to her eyes at the sharp pain and fullness. She didn't move, but cringed when Rowan began to pull out and push back in.

"Ye feel so good. So tight and hot." She heard him rasp.

Casey was grateful that he waited until she was used to the small nudges before he pulled out just a little farther and very slowly penetrated her. He kept saying how good she felt and whispered things in a language she didn't understand. His endearments and concern of her pleasure and comfort made Casey so aroused.

Soon, she was meeting Rowan's movements. He started to move a little faster. Her nails dug into his back and she arched to him over and over again. The sounds of their sweat slick bodies hitting filled the room along with their heavy breathing and soft groans. Casey felt that tingle start over her body. All that tension was centered in the one place Rowan was hitting every time.




Blood Moon Ch. 08



Casey started to move against Rowan frantically. Wanting to pull him into her deeper and harder, she couldn't get him closer. Understanding her silent plea, Rowan pounded into her faster. His movements shook the bed and pulled loud moans from Casey. She felt her pleasure building up to that unbearable point.

Burying her face into his neck, she sucked at the saltiness there. Her body clenched and pulled on Rowan and she cried out against his neck. She wasn't sure why she did it, but she bit down on the fleshy part of Rowan's shoulder.

With a roar, he slammed into her and came. His hips jerked as he spent himself. Casey was breathing hard, one arm wrapped around his muscular back while her other hand rested over his tight ass. He collapsed on her, his weight pushing her into the mattress. She held him to her tightly when he tried to move.

"No. Not yet. Just a little longer." She murmured.

Rowan lifted himself up just a bit so he didn't crushing her. She seemed so content, a small smile playing on her lips. When their breathing steadied, she finally released him. Rowan moved away carefully. He went to the bathroom to clean off and returned with a warm, wet cloth. As he wiped her down, she wiggled around in embarrassment.

"Whit are ye embarrassed about?" He asked with a teasing note.

The cloth moved to between her legs. He was so very careful and tender. Casey gasped when he pulled the warm cloth away and blew over her wet skin. She got goose bumps and shivered a little. Her eyes widened when she saw that Rowan was getting aroused again.

"You can't seriously want to do it again." She told him.

Her expression and tone was filled with such awe and conviction that Rowan chuckled.

"Ye started it. Unfortunately for ye, I canna keep my hands off of ye now." He nuzzled her neck and remembered she had bit him earlier.

He traced a hand over the bite. She hadn't broken the skin, but there were still the indentations of her small teeth. He heard her apologize about biting him. Looking up, he shook his head.

"Doona apologize. If ye couldna tell, I liked it verrah much." He grinned and then nipped at her shoulder.

Casey let out a small squeak of surprise. Excitement began to hum through her. His fingers slid over her mound and started to massage her clit. She pulled Rowan back over her, but he just kept playing his fingers over her until she let out a small cry of pleasure.

"Not so soon after yer first time." He told her softly when she asked why he didn't enter her.

After he kissed the top of her head, Casey cuddled up to his side as he pulled the duvet over them. They may have just complicated things, but at the moment, neither gave a damn.

Keo knocked and opened the door. He popped his head in slowly. Slim meowed and Elizabeth pinned a glare at Keo. She didn't say anything as he entered and closed the door behind him. Spread out on the bed with Slim pouncing around, Elizabeth raised a brow. 

"Elizabeth, I wanted to apologize." He wasn't sure what for, but women always expected a man to apologize first. Hopefully she didn't ask for what since women also got upset if a man was apologizing and he didn't know why.

"You don't have to apologize. You're entitled to your opinion, I just don't agree with it." She waved her hand dismissively. "What are you apologizing for?"

Keo inwardly cringed. So much for hoping she wasn't going to ask that. "Upsetting you." Truth. "You must be stressed out with what's going on and I should have taken your feelings into consideration before I threw out my opinion."

Elizabeth nodded silently. She stared at Keo until he started to get uncomfortable. "You're a people pleaser aren't you?" She didn't wait for his answer. "You can't stand the thought of someone being upset with you."

"With perception skills like that, who needs to read minds?" He replied with a smile.

She held her tongue when he sat down on the bed and Slim went over to him. Rolling onto her stomach, Elizabeth sat up and tucked her long legs under her. "So, what do you plan on doing after this?"

He looked up from petting Slim. "You mean once we reach where ever it is we get to?" Elizabeth nodded. "I suppose I'll go back home. I was worried about Derek and Lilith, but seeing how important they are to you, my worries can be laid to rest."

"It would be safer if you went home. No one knows of your involvement with me or Lilith. So you should be fine." Elizabeth agreed.

"You'd probably feel more comfortable if I was gone. Someone you can't read. It must scare you."

Their gazes caught.

"Not reading your mind isn't what scares me." Elizabeth was never one to lie and she wasn't going to start now. Not being able to read his mind was interesting, not scary.

"So what is it about me that scares you?"

In a blink, Elizabeth moved closer. "It's something that should scare you too." She whispered into his ear.

"You find me irresistible." He stated in a joking manner, but there was an underlying seriousness to his statement.

"Exactly."

Keo carefully thought of his next words while Elizabeth brushed her lips over the pulse on his neck. "Go ahead. Bite me." He felt her smile against his skin.

"I wasn't going to ask for your permission." She said in a low voice before her incisors broke through skin and warm saltiness flooded her mouth. She expected him to push her away, but his hands wrapped around her body and he held her close while she fed. 

Derek had no plans to let go of Lilith. After he untied her, they tried to use the phones, but none of them were connected. Elizabeth made sure to cut off their means of communication as well as taking their cells. Since there was nothing else to do, they had grabbed drinks from the mini bar. He needed something to numb the senses. Flying always made him nervous. When the plane dropped unexpectedly, he felt like he was going to throw up.

Although Lilith helped him recline the plush chair, he could see she was holding in a laugh. He had pulled her down to lay with him. They didn't have to say anything, just enjoying the other's presence. Lilith spoke first.

"Do you think Keo is okay?" She asked with a furrow to her brows.

Derek rubbed her arm. "I'm sure he's fine. Elizabeth wouldn't want to cause a mess or chip a nail with killing him. If anything, she might hire someone to kill him once we touch down." He joked.

Lilith smacked his chest. "Not funny, Roderick. He's been in there awhile."

Derek was silent and he listened for screaming or things breaking. "I think they're just talking. Leave them be."

She turned in his arms and pushed up slightly so she could look into his eyes. "Are you bossing me around, Roderick McElroy?"

He gave a cocky grin. "Well, you are good at taking directions, if I recall correctly." He pulled her down so she was half laying on him. "You were deathly quiet when I was buried deep inside of you and I dared you not to make a sound when I started to move."

"I had incentive then. You said you were going to stop if I was too noisy." Lilith pointed out, a flush starting out across her cheeks.

"How about I make it worth your while again?" He offered, his hand skimming over her perfectly rounded bottom.

Lilith was game for that.

Elizabeth exited the back cabin to find Derek and Lilith sleeping on the large reclining chair. It wasn't surprising the two were untied. She could smell arousal, pheromones, and sweat; the smells strong enough to make her gag. Although nauseous, she refused to go back into the back cabin where she left Keo and Slim sleeping.

She hadn't planned on taking as much as she did. He was just even more delicious than she imagined he'd be. He tasted so sweet and salty. When his hold on her grew slack, she realized she had taken more than she should have. Not enough to kill him, but he'd wake up with a bitch of a headache.

Keo's warm body had pressed into her as he slumped down. He gave her a lazy smile before he reached out and wiped the corner of her mouth with his thumb. She didn't get to say anything before he dozed off in her arms. She easily pulled him to the top of the bed and laid his head on the pillows. 

Elizabeth hadn't been that full in a long time. A nice lethargy settled over her. Next thing she knew, she had curled up next to Keo and dozed off as well. She woke up several hours later. They were just a half hour away from New York.

She went to speak with the pilots before she made a call to check on some arrangements. She supposed she would take Keo with them until he was in good enough health to send back to the other side of the country. Hopefully he'd get better sooner rather than later. Having him around was dangerous for both him and Elizabeth.



Blood Moon Ch. 09



**Writer's Note: Hey guys! Sorry it's taken me so long to come out with the next installment of Blood Moon. I finished up my other story and am in the process of having that one edited. I edited the previous nine chapters of Blood Moon and had them resubmitted. I have added in a few things here and there and fixed some things that had been bugging me. This story should finish up in maybe one or two more chapters. Thanks for reading me. I really appreciate the comments and feedback I get from you all.**

More than 2800 Years Ago...

The stuffiness in the makeshift tent suffocated the young boy. He didn't know how his mother could stand it. Dipping the rough cloth into the bowl of water, he brought it to his mother's face to wipe at the sweat on her forehead. She groaned in pain again before moving to a slightly seated up position. The boy helped her, careful not to hit his mother's protruding belly.

She was talking to him now, ordering him about in that smooth, yet firm voice of hers. She spoke in their native tongue, a language he had missed through the years of their traveling. The boy readied the animal hides and pulled near the larger bowl of water. His mother began to inhale deeply before she let out a frightening scream. Her flushed face contorted in pain and her fists clenched tightly. The young boy felt sickened at the sight of blood. The screaming stopped briefly and the air filled with the sound of his mother's heavy breathing.

When she screamed again and pushed, the boy gathered up the dry cloths and waited. He saw the top of his sibling's head and he excitedly encouraged his mother to keep going. With a deep inhale, she pushed with all her might. The boy caught the crying baby as his mother collapsed in an exhausted heap. She weakly motioned to the metal blade and instructed him to cut the cord. He did so and then cleaned his infant brother off. His mother told him to take the baby out for fresh air while she finished.  

Before he left, she called out to him. "Miron, you did well, my son."

Miron smiled at his mother while he jiggled his fussy brother. He nodded in acknowledgement and then strode outside with his baby brother. When Miron and his mother first found out she was pregnant, they had chosen a boy's name and a girl's name for the baby.

"Radu." Miron whispered. "You are Radu."

---

Miron's mother was not the same since that night. Although they continued to travel, she grew weaker and weaker. They joined another group of friendly travelers on their way to trade. The group had heavy carts filled with metal they called iron.

"Mama, they say it is stronger than bronze!" Miron said in wonder.

His mother adjusted the cloth she wrapped around herself where Radu peacefully slept in a cocoon. "Is that so? What is it made of?" She asked Miron and he began to tell her everything he heard the men talking about. Her son was a bright child. He had no problem remembering something he heard once and repeating it word for word.

It was this brightness that caught the attention of one of the traders. He took Miron under his wing as he explained the process to the child who raptly listened. When Miron's mother took ill and died a few days later, the kind trader and his pregnant wife were the ones to take in Miron and his infant brother.

---

When Miron was considered full grown, Radu had just entered the stage of becoming a young man. Miron and Radu were always seen in each other's company. They had a happy life with the trader, his wife, and their children. Although Miron was considered an apprentice, he and his brother were treated like family.

But that one night had changed everything.

It was late at night. Miron and Radu had gotten into a fight again. Lately, Radu was more short-tempered and aggressive. Miron corrected his brother's behavior publicly and Radu took off in a rage. The afternoon dissolved into night and Miron went out to look for his brother. He found his brother near the riverbank where they used fish.

Radu was curled up and shaking. Miron's worry intensified as he rushed over to his brother.

"Radu, what is wrong?" He went to touch his brother, but Radu snapped at him. "What the-? Radu!"

"Leave me, Miron! Go!" Radu grounded out. He started to twitch and shake harder.

Miron tried to touch his brother again, but Radu grabbed him and hurled Miron into the water. Spluttering, Miron waded back to shore. Radu was considered large for his age, but he wasn't nearly as big as Miron. Even in Radu's pain, he looked shocked at what he just did.

"Miron, please go. Just leave."

Miron shook his head. "We are brothers. You are all the family I have left. I am not leaving you."

Radu dropped to the ground in pain. He felt as though every bone in his body was breaking. Then came the sickening crunch as his body started to turn and twist in ways not humanly possible. Crying out in pain, Radu's pleading gaze landed on his brother. Miron stared in wide-eyed horror as his brother began to take the form of a beast and the screams turned into howls.

---

It had been sometime since that night and Miron started to look into the myths of people who could take the form of animals. Radu did not want to speak about that night, but then Miron was relieved. He was not sure how to tell Radu that they were not full brothers. However, what happened to Radu might be something from his father's side and Miron would soon have to tell Radu the truth.

The transformations started to come more frequently. When Radu cringed with pain and excused himself from his studies, Miron knew it was happening again. They needed to find someone who could tell them what Radu was and how to control it.

When Miron heard of a magic man who lived a far distance away, he made preparations to go see this mystery man. Miron gave the excuse that he had to see to some business, not telling anyone about Radu's curse. Radu wanted to go along and with their adopted family's blessing, the two left.

The afternoon was particularly hot as they reached outside of the village where the magic man lived. Radu nagged about everything from the long journey that took so many days to the stifling heat. He complained about Miron's obsession to find out what afflicted him. Annoyed, Miron shot out that it might not be something that could be so easily cured. Miron went on to add that it might be something Radu got from his father.

"Then why don't you have it?" Radu whined as he swiped his arm over the sweat dripping off his face.

Miron refused to answer.

Radu stopped walking as realization hit. "Miron...you said 'your father'. I never asked because we look so much alike. You told me we took after our mother." He didn't remember what she looked like. He wasn't old enough to remember anything about her when she passed away. "Do we not have the same father?" He asked softly.

Miron turned to look at his baby brother. He was silent for a long moment. "No. When we were traveling, we were raided. Many of the women were raped and killed. I had been knocked down while trying to protect our mother. When I came to, she was beaten and bleeding from a deep bite on her shoulder. Someone in our group said that mother was marked and no one would help us." They had been ousted. His mother later found herself with child and she told Miron that the baby would be only theirs, no one else's.

Speechless, Radu needed a seat. He walked over to a poorly shaded area and took off his pack before he slumped against the tree. Miron followed. Placing a hand on Radu's shoulder, Miron squeezed reassuringly.

"We loved you before you were born, Radu. None of it was your fault. Do not let the guilt settle on you. It does not belong there." Miron said firmly.

"How can you not hate me?" Radu whispered. He knew how much his brother loved their mother. Miron told Radu so many stories of their mother that Radu felt as though he truly knew her.

Miron dropped down to his haunches and looked his brother in the eyes. "I could never hate you. No matter what, you are my brother."

Radu's brows drew together. His throat tightened. Finally, he placed his hand over his brother's and returned the squeeze. "Thank you, brother." He managed to get out. "Let's go see this magic man and find out what is wrong with me."

After helping Radu up, they gathered up their things and made their way to the small village still quite a distance away.

---

From the magic man, the brothers learned that there were many others like Radu. They learned about a long ago legend about two brothers, much like Miron and Radu, who began the races of the night dwellers and the shape shifters. The magic man's eyes misted over and he spoke in a far away voice as he said that this was the beginning of the end. It had taken many centuries for the brothers to be reincarnated as brothers again.

Miron and Radu walked away feeling mystified. They needed more and they didn't plan on returning home until they got their answers.

---

2007, England

Two weeks had passed since Derek and Lilith went into hiding. Fortunately, Elizabeth allowed Derek to make a call to his brother once they reached New York. He told his brother not to worry and that he would contact him as soon as he was able to. Derek trusted his brother with running the companies in his stead. They also had many competent and loyal workers to help out.

He had been surprised when they arrived in England. Derek avoided being in the UK as much as possible. There were many old clans in the rural areas of England, Scotland and Ireland. Other clan members took delight in reminding Derek of his failure. The most painful part was that it was all true. He had failed to protect his clan. In the end, even Rowan's clan had decided to disassociate and join others.

Of course, Derek and Rowan always welcomed former members of the disbanded Clan Anderson to come to them if ever they needed help. Rowan stayed in touch with most of the Clan Anderson weres and sent gifts for the families and such. Several of Rowan's close former clansmen worked as CEOs of the international branches for MidKnight Tilt and co-founders of gambling casinos in the Bahamas, Monaco, London, Germany, Macau, and South Africa.

For as long as Derek had avoided Scotland in particular, Lilith had admitted that she never returned there. The only time she ever wanted to go back was when Derek planned to have a headstone placed in honor of their son. Although they would have liked to head up to Glen Coe, they well knew Elizabeth wouldn't agree to that.

"How did you plan on getting Bran Roderick's remains?" Lilith asked Derek.

He was looking over some work files on a secure internet line that Elizabeth had provided for him. They had butted heads over it, until Elizabeth finally relented. She couldn't keep them knocked out the whole time and giving in to at least this kept Derek off her back.

He glanced up. "Well, I know where I buried the villagers. Since our son was of were heritage, I put him in his own grave under the Mountain Ash where my brother later buried his wife and children." Since Mountain Ash was known to them as 'Rowan,' his brother wanted to make sure that he was forever with Sara and their children.

Lilith reached over and took Roderick's hand. "Thank you for giving him a dignified burial." She knew that he probably personally laid a wooden plate with a sprinkle of salt and dirt on every single victim of that night's tragedy. "You do him honor."

"I would have given him a chieftain's burial, had I known." His voice was soft as it usually got when he spoke of their son. He squeezed Lilith's hand and kissed her softly when she tilted her face up to him.

The kiss grew heated and Derek dragged Lilith into his lap. Her arms looped around his neck. As his hand started to work under her shirt, Elizabeth had walked into the living room. They both jumped in surprise at the sound of disgust. Derek cringed when Lilith scrambled off his lap. Thankfully, any incident was avoided and Derek pulled one of the ugly couch pillows over his lap. Maybe there was a purpose for the seemingly useless pillows.

With her mouth pulled down in a frown, Elizabeth spoke. "What is wrong with the both of you? Every single time I come to talk, you are both about to have sex or are in the middle of it."

Elizabeth's frown deepened when Derek commented that maybe Elizabeth bothered them too often. She had been teaching both Derek and Lilith how to set up mind barriers in case any other vampire tried to mind control them. Perhaps, she was being too nice. The wolf had been getting cocky.

"Well, there are a few things I need to disclose to the both of you." Elizabeth began.

Derek wasn't so sure he liked the sound of that. Lilith tensed as well. Whenever Elizabeth had something to tell them, it ended up being bad news. Instead of jumping to conclusions, they would both try to be optimistic until they heard what Elizabeth needed to tell them.

"No interruptions." Elizabeth warned them. She took a seat and straightened her skirt. "Now...I have been involved with this whole were and vampire business since I was born. My father and uncle are the two brothers of the most recent legend, but they were not the ones who started the existence of vampires and shape-shifters. Those existed long before my father and uncle. They were half-brothers of different fathers. My grandmother belonged to a traveling group. By the time my father was eleven, their group had been attacked and his mother was raped, bitten, beaten, and left for dead. I believe it was common practice for the weres of that group to claim the women they raped as mates because they usually died from the beatings."

She paused to make sure Derek and Lilith were following. "Obviously, my grandmother lived and found herself pregnant. She did not live long after giving birth. My father was twelve by then and he took on the responsibility of raising his baby brother. They were thick as thieves, those two. When my uncle started his transformation in puberty, neither had any idea what was going on. They looked to the myths and legends to find answers.

"They traveled far and wide looking for answers. I came along not shortly after and my mother left me and my younger brother to run off with some other man. My father and uncle took care of us both." There had been doubt over Elizabeth and her brother's paternity, but that hadn't mattered to their father. He loved Elizabeth and her brother as his own.

"They heard of a small group of people who lived in the mountains in faraway lands. These people were said to have supernatural powers. I was eighteen by then and my brother was fifteen. We decided to follow our father and uncle along with some other men. We traveled for months to reach this place. When we finally got there, we arrived in the middle of a war. The villages had banded together to destroy these mountain people." Elizabeth paused and then sighed deeply as she started to reminisce...

"Elisabeta, take Sorin and hide." Her father growled.

She caught her brother when his bloodied body was pushed at her. He was trembling all over, covered in blood both his and not.

A couple days before their arrival, the villagers had attacked the mountain dwellers. It had been midday when they attacked, killing many. Now, it was night. Miron and Radu decided to stop at the village around sunset to wait until morning before traveling into the valley.

As they were about to go to sleep, the village had been attacked. With fierce expressions much like that of predators, the humanlike creatures moved at lightning fast speed as they tore through the villagers. Sorin had tried to protect a young girl, but the monsters overpowered him and had bitten into his neck. The screams of the villagers mixed in with the crackling and roaring of the fires that had consumed the grass and wood huts. Elisabeta watched in morbid fascination, snapped out of her trance when her father and uncle sliced through the beasts.

Blood poured down on Sorin, his mouth slacked from his own loss of blood. When he was pushed at her, Elisabeta wrapped an arm around her brother and pulled him into a small hiding spot. He was sucking and licking at his hands before moving onto his blood drenched clothing. Elisabeta recoiled from the sight.

"Stop it, Sorin. What is wrong with you?" She gasped, trying to shake her brother out of it.

He pushed away her hands. "I cannot stop, Beta. I must. I must."

His hands went to squeezing every last drop of blood from his clothing to drip into his mouth. He started to shake again and Elisabeta held onto Sorin tightly. She kept holding on as the carnage unfolded around them. Even though he fought her and his fingers clawed her until she bled, she wouldn't let go. His body writhed in pain and he screamed over and over again until he passed out. Still, his body shivered, but he was cool to the touch.

It had taken years, but Radu learned how to control his transformation. When he shifted, the creatures paused in their slaughter. Their eerily glowing eyes all attached to Radu and their lips pulled back into sneers to show their fangs. If there was one werewolf, there would be more. Weres did not travel alone. It was not in their nature. As quickly as they had appeared, they left.

"We did not know then that these people were vampires. Many died that night. My brother had gotten sick and although the villagers told us to kill him because he was infected, we didn't listen to them. They told us that soon Sorin would need to feed off of human blood. We left that place and did not speak to anyone about what happened that night. My brother survived the transformation, but he was so different." He shouted at her to speak softer even when she was already whispering. He wanted to sleep all day and was restless all night.

"Then the cravings started. My father and uncle left me and my brother because it was difficult to travel with my brother now. They promised to come back for us, but I already knew they weren't going to come back." She sighed deeply before admitting the next words. "Something had changed in my father that night. He saw what vampires were capable of and he was afraid, but more than afraid, he was fascinated."

---

Gerald Smith and his crew were on their way to England. Over the years, he had been sent to locations all over the world. He never liked leaving America and he especially didn't like non-English speaking countries. There was some comfort in the fact that they were on their way to an English speaking country though he had trouble understanding anything with those accents the British had.

"I'm curious about this Mr. Xella sponsor." One man commented before sipping at some expensive cognac. "This private jet is pretty fancy."

Gerald gritted his teeth. He and Winston didn't get along. Both good at what they do, they always fought over who led the group when the unfortunate circumstance of them being put on the same team happened. Whereas Gerald took up this vampire and werewolf hunting due to his intense passion of getting rid of such abominations, Winston did it for the money. If Winston wasn't such a good hunter, Gerald would have liked to kill the man. He also didn't like that Winston looked like a guy who stepped off of a Men's Health magazine cover.

"His family has been in this for centuries. They must have some serious pull." Nate answered Winston. The youngest prospect in their group of thirteen, Nate always jumped in to provide information and prove his worth. Gerald would admit the kid had a lot of potential.

"I could definitely get used to this." Winston chuckled and then finished off his drink. "Hey, Smithy, you want some of this?" He asked as he swished around the contents in the crystal decanter.




Blood Moon Ch. 09



"Its Gerald or Smith, not Smithy. And I don't drink on the job." Gerald replied calmly. Inwardly, he was seething.

"Suit yourself, more for me." Winston shrugged and poured himself another glass.

The expensive alcohol was passed around. Six men, five men who made up Winston's team and Nate who idolized Winston, all accepted a drink. The five men who shared Gerald's vision didn't dare accept the drink.

"You take yourself too seriously, mate." Winston called over to Gerald, his New Zealand accent indiscernible between an Australian or British lilt to Gerald.

"Unlike you, I am serious about this job. When we kill who is responsible for establishing that lab, we will be eliminating a key player."

Winston raised his glass. "I can drink to that."

Gerald was sure he'd grind his teeth into nothing before they would reach England. Although Winston got his kicks out of harassing Gerald, he knew not to push too hard. The man was a zealot to his cause and wouldn't let Winston get away with a lot more. Very astute, Nate intervened.

"The hard drive that's being decrypted shows that they were doing research to figure out how to bridge human and vampire DNA."

Grateful for the interruption, Gerald nodded. "They were probably trying to find easier ways to infect humans."

"What makes you think they weren't trying to find a way to be human again?" Winston commented lightly from his plush seat.

"There's no return once the blood switch is done. The most merciful thing to do is kill the infected. Without any hosts, the virus can't survive. All of the infected need to be killed." And Gerald's mission was to do just that.

---

Elizabeth left Derek and Lilith to think over her words several hours ago. She told them about her involvement in the second prophecy. Her father and uncle were said to be the chosen to break the curse when two became one. Since translated from another language, the 'became' part could be interpreted as either one was left in the end or as the two combining into one. Elizabeth believed the latter.

Frowning at her buzzing cell, Elizabeth picked it up. If her heart worked, it would have skipped a beat when she saw Keo's number. In a moment of weakness, she had given him her number before she sent him back to Hawaii. With an eleven hour time difference, it happened to be three in the morning there. She put the phone to her ear and answered in a nonchalant manner.

"Elizabeth speaking."

"Hello, Elizabeth." It was not the voice she had expected.

"Mikhail." She strove for indifference, but fell short by a centimeter. "What do you want?"

"The council is not happy with you, m'dear." Mikhail replied smoothly.

She told herself to loosen her grip on her phone lest she crushed it. "I do not fall under the jurisdiction of the council as I forwent the protection of the VPA."

"Does it really matter if you consider yourself part of the V Nations or not? Your actions are affecting us."

"Us?" Elizabeth questioned. Last she recalled, Mikhail went rogue, like her. Not that either of them would be wanted in the Vampire Nations, Mikhail most definitely not. Most rogues were killed as they never had a knack for remaining inconspicuous.

With a population of about a hundred-thousand left in the world's six billion people, Elizabeth didn't recognize the measly number as a 'nations'. Elizabeth never threatened exposing the V Nations so they left her alone. Until now.

"Us. Them. Semantics, Elizabeth." He tsked. "The explosion was the last straw. First you administer a supposed antidote that is like a plague killing off our kind."

The antidote Mikhail mentioned had been a work-in-progress and only successfully worked on suppressing the vampire virus in Lilith. "It was never supposed to be released into the public. It's not my fault the council sent an incompetent intern to my lab to steal it. Not only was he an incompetent intern, but also a moron to have sold those vials to the different Sanctuaries."

Mikhail laughed. "How was I supposed to know you hadn't perfected the serum? Many were willing to pay top dollar for the rumored cure you were believed to have completed. We live a long time, Elizabeth. I needed to recuperate my funds since I did not invest too wisely and now this economic downturn. Who knew immortals would have to worry about such trivial things like money?"

"Why did the VPA send you again? After your mess up, I would have thought you'd be on their 'to kill' list."

"Actually, I am on their 'to kill' list. A bounty has been placed on your head as well. I figured, if I could get back into their good graces by capturing you, they'll take the bounty off of my head for my head." He sighed. "So here I am. Really though, Elizabeth...this one isn't your usual fare. I will admit his blood smells delicious. A hint of salt. Must be from all the surfing he does."

She remained silent for a long moment. "Again, what do you want?"

"A trade."

"You want me for Keo?" She asked.

"Isn't that obvious?" Mikhail replied with feigned surprise. "The moment you turn yourself in to the VPA and tell them that I am the one who convinced you to turn yourself over, I'll release your friend."

She was so close to an answer. An end. "No. I will not turn myself over. Hell will freeze over before I do that."

Like Elizabeth, Mikhail didn't play games. "Then add another death you could have prevented on your conscience. I'll be seeing you shortly."

With that, the line went dead.

She pressed the end button and set her cell down carefully. Reaching for her laptop, she realized her hands were shaking. As if recognizing it too, Slim peered over curiously. Much bigger than when she found him weeks ago, he hopped onto her desk and rubbed against her shaking hands with a purr.

Silently, she picked up Slim and held him close for a long time.

---

"Was that from your brother?" Casey appeared at the archway that led from the halls to the large living room.

Dressed in a clean shirt she stole from Rowan's closet, the shirt just about swallowed her tiny frame. She made her way towards Rowan on the black leather couch when he motioned for her to join him. After a small kiss, she settled in next to him.  

"You should still be sleeping." He pointed out after glancing at the time that read three AM. "Yes, it's from Derek. He and Lilith are doing well. Elizabeth revealed her connection to all of this." Rowan let out a sigh before he explained the contents of the email to Casey.

"Wow. She's been looking for a way to become human again all this time?" Casey frowned.

Rubbing the back of his neck, Rowan nodded. "Seems that way."

Although Keo returned home two weeks ago, Casey decided to stay with Rowan. When Keo called Casey to tell her that he was fine, he had been at the airport in New York. Elizabeth left him there with a handful of cash and no further explanation. He returned to Hawaii even though Rowan offered for Keo to stay with him in San Francisco if he wanted. Keo's reply had been that he had a life to get back to.

"I'm glad Derek and Lilith are safe." Her voice trailed off into the silence. With Keo back at home and Lilith obviously being well taken care of, it was time for her to return home as well. "I think I should go back home." She had no excuse to linger.

Rowan knew better than to ask Casey to stay. Her involvement in his world ended as quickly as it began. There wasn't a reason for her to stay. No reason he wanted to admit to himself. But still, he couldn't force out any words of agreement.

Instead, he found himself telling her not to go. "Stay. I don't mind having you here."

"I know you don't mind, but there isn't anything keeping me here is there? Keo is back at home, Lilith is safe. Like my brother said...life goes on."

Rowan shifted slightly and looked at Casey. She had run a brush through her sex mussed hair. Besides his shirt that she drowned in, the only indication of their love making of a few hours ago was the puffiness of her kiss swollen lips. She was a goddess. His goddess.

"Stay. Stay because I want you to stay." Rowan murmured.

Casey didn't want to push it. She knew Rowan already felt guilty about not being faithful to his late wife. Love wasn't something to be forced and Casey didn't want to force Rowan. She loved him, but she didn't want him to say he loved her because he thought that's what she wanted to hear. Even though the difficulty of not telling Rowan she loved him exponentially grew every day, she agreed.

"Okay." Casey whispered. "I'll stay."

Lifting a hand, she touched Rowan's cheek. He turned his head and pressed his lips to the inside of her palm. Tears pricked at her eyes. She knew Rowan loved her as much as she loved him; he just didn't want to admit it to himself.

The sound of house phone ringing ended their tender moment. Recognizing the ringtone she set for her parents, Casey's brows drew together in confusion. It would be six in the morning in Hawaii. Rowan reached for the phone and handed it to Casey.

"Hello?" Casey answered.

The roar of the background noise of sirens and shouting made it near impossible to hear what her father was saying. Her mother's sobbing made Casey go cold. Finally, she made out her father's strained words. Never in her life had she heard her father so close to tears.

"Maka, come home. Keo's house was burnt to the ground. They found his body inside."

---

Lilith woke up in a cold sweat. She had a nightmare that Casey, Keo, and Rowan were all dead. Her sudden movement in bed woke up Derek. He reached for her and pulled her close. Kissing the top of her head, he muttered something in his sleep roughened voice.

"Hm?" She asked, trying to relax in his warm embrace and forget that awful dream.

"I asked if it was a nightmare. You're trembling." His arms tightened around her.

If Lilith could melt into Derek's arms, she would have. She wanted to be completely pressed up against him until they dissolved into each other. During the past weeks, she found herself getting peeks of the Roderick she used to know centuries ago. He still said charming things that caught her off guard and got that boyish look of delight when he found something funny. Lilith was fascinated by all the different expressions that crossed his face.

She was still in love with Derek.

"I'm worried about Casey, Rowan, and Keo. After what Elizabeth told us, I've been uneasy." Lilith replied as she turned in his arms. She couldn't see his face in the dark, but she knew he was there.

"Come here." Derek hugged Lilith to him. "We can't be in hiding or living in fear forever. Elizabeth isn't the only one working on some things. Rowan has called a gathering of the clans. We're hoping they'll be able to help locate the threat." Since these murderous bastards were out to kill all shifters, Derek was sure that would get the attentions of the clan leaders. "I won't let anything happen to you."

"Roderick," Lilith whispered as she cupped his face. "I love you." She wanted him to know that. The gods only knew what would happen next and she couldn't stand the thought of never telling him that she loved him.

There was a long silence before Derek inhaled deeply and hugged her tighter. "I love you, Lilith. It has always been you." He tried damn hard to forget about her through the centuries, but she was never far from his thoughts.

Lilith smiled widely at the admission of his mutual feelings. At fifteen, she used to dream about hearing those words, but the dream didn't come close to the happiness she felt in that moment.

She gasped softly when Derek pulled her on top of him. His erection pressed between her legs, she rocked on him. With a groan, he barely caught Lilith's playful words that something else of his seemed to love her too.

Crushing her lips on his, Lilith didn't give Derek a chance to reply. She continued to grind on him as his hands skimmed over her satin covered skin to cup her breasts. After this, he was going to demand they both sleep naked for efficiency's sake.

In a quick move, Derek sat up and held Lilith to him as he reached down and slipped her panties to the side. He loved that she was always so wet for him. His fingers slid over her slicked lips before he began to play with her clit.

Since knowing that Elizabeth could probably hear them, Lilith did her best not to make a sound. She buried her face in Derek's neck as she rose on her knees slightly to give him better access. When Derek's fingers stilled, she nipped at his neck.  

"Don't tease." She whispered, realizing Derek's tension at the last moment.

Frozen still, Derek's arousal was completely doused when he smelled smoke. It wasn't a fire kind of smoke either. Then he noticed the tendrils of chemically-infused gas crawled up from under the door. He reached for the sheet to cover Lilith's mouth, but it was already too late. The room started to become fogged. His movements became slowed as Lilith slumped against him. Men wearing gas masks burst into the room just as Derek lost consciousness.

---

Elizabeth woke up with a bitching headache. The bright lights didn't help either. She was a little disoriented until memories came rushing back, followed quickly by her rage. Men had broken into her home. Mind controlling the youngest in the group had been easy. She made the boy turn on the other men, shooting a few with those horse tranquilizers before his teammates shot back. One, maybe two tranquilizers, she could still function, but not the four or five darts shot into her. Obviously the men were there to capture, not kill.

Looking at her surroundings, she was drowned in white. She tested the strength on the beeping device that kept her wrists bound and knew she couldn't break the damn thing without tearing off both her hands. Her handcuffs weren't the only high-tech looking piece of equipment. The door almost blended into the wall if it wasn't for the tiny window. She walked over to the door and pressed her hands against it. Before she could try, an unfamiliar voice over the speakers spoke to her.

"I wouldn't try that. Its Inconel 625. I don't think even vamps have the strength to break that down. My employer would like to request a meeting with you."

Elizabeth cocked a brow. "And if I refuse?"

"Then I guess, we'll just have to torture your friends for information we both know that they don't have."

"With an invitation like that, how can I refuse?" She said coolly, looking straight at the camera in the opposite corner.

There was a pause. "Excellent. I'll send down a couple escorts. Don't try anything."

Five minutes later, the doors unlocked and two heavily armed men had her exit her cell. She followed them down a long hall up to an elevator. The doors opened to a big study with large windows. Temporarily blinded by the flood of sunlight, Elizabeth had to squint to see the silhouette of a man.

The man had his back to her. She frowned as he waved at the two men to leave. Pressing a button, blinds came over all the windows and dimmed lights turned on. Her eyes adjusted.

The man spoke as he turned around, his voice all too familiar. "Elisabeta."

Elizabeth's shock kept her speechless before she could finally force out one word in Romanian. "Unchi."



Blood Moon: Lucian's Story Ch. 01



Lucian LeSabor stood with his back straight, his eyes flicking over the faces of prisoners as they were brought into the dungeons. He felt no mercy toward any of them; he could not even bring himself to feel bad for the young teenagers that were shoved behind iron bars. It was their fault for attacking the castle, their fault that the women and children would now be forced to be slaves for this court of vampires and demons. 

Though he hated having to see the faces of these people it was his job. He was the captain of the army for the Royal Court, though he was a prince himself, and he took his job very seriously. Never in all of his one thousand, five hundred and forty-seven years had humans ever attacked the castle of their own free will. Yet this bunch of simple village people had come together to try and bring down the Court.

To him this was a hilarious situation, the thought that these simple creatures even believed that they could kill one of them. Now, with all the men and boys locked away into the iron cages of the dungeon, he had to go and collect the women and girls from their homes where they waited foolishly hoping for their men and sons to come home. Lucian was actually looking forward to squashing their hopes as he would a bug; he truly had no patience for humans and their self-centered, pathetic ideals. 

As he left the dungeons, he wrapped his black silk cloak around him, remembering the chill in the air. Once he was back in the main yard he looked over the men that were gathered there, not a single one looking as if they had been in a fight. He nodded his head to them before mounting his horse and riding out the gates into the night. Normally he would have preferred his car for any travel, but since gas was so scarce now he figured his horse would be a better bet. 

The night air in his face brought him more fully awake then the tiny skirmish had. He could smell the freshness of the forest and smoke from the village they were heading to. Even if the buildings were three level houses, it was still a village to him, especially with the fact that the castle he and his siblings shared equaled six of these twenty house towns. 

Lucian's shoulder length black hair flew out behind him as he rode fast to the town, not stopping until he reached it center. Once there he yelled in a loud booming voice for every person to exit their homes. Only two doors opened, one allowing five women and nine children out, the other revealing only one woman, who was obviously much different then the others. Where the five women wore jeans and shirts, or dresses, this one wore a cloak of green velvet. Her hair was the color of a moonless night and her eyes reminded him of deeply colored sapphires. He looked at her for a moment longer then back over at the cluster or women and children.

"Where are the rest you?" He asked

"This is all of us."

Lucian looked over at the young woman who was still standing in front of her door instead of joining the other women. When he looked more closely at her, he could see the nose ring she wore, as well as the earrings in her ears. He could also tell she was much younger then any of the other women here.

"Where are the rest of the women?" He snapped

"They left soon after the men did. They said they did not wish to wait around for you to come like the hounds of hell." She said

Kiryn stared up at the vampire on the horse and looked over him. He was not a bad looking vampire that was for sure. His deep green eyes were slightly narrowed, in annoyance she was sure, his sensual looking lips were pulled into a tight line. The silver hoop in his lip glinted in the small sliver of the moon, though everything else was shrouded by the sable cloak that he wore.

Lucian felt the girl's appraisal and looked at her again wondering why she did not run to the other women for comfort. 

"Why do you not stand with the rest of the women?"

As soon as the words left his mouth on of the woman shrieked and fell to the ground unconscious and even the children began to cry. He watched the girl look at the group in disgust before she spoke again, her voice dripping disdain.

"Oh for the love of the Goddess, shut the hell up you fools. You act as if I am the worst sort of creature, stop your idiotic wailing." Kiryn said

Lucian arched a brow as the children and women fell into barely audible whimpers. Again he looked at the girl, intrigued by her. 

"What is your name girl and how old are you?" He asked

"My name is Kiryn Salvent, and I am one hundred and seventy-four years old, though as you can see I look no more then twenty I am sure." She answered

Both of Lucian's brows rose almost high enough to hide in his hair. The girl was claiming such an old age and pride had filled her voice. When she had said this information on of the woman had whisper the word demon spawn and he watched as Kiryn's head swung in her direction. 

"I would watch what you say Mary, unless you wish to die this night." Kiryn growled low in her throat

Lucian looked over at his men who had been watching this whole seen and they all had expressions of surprise and entertainment on their features. Lucian could understand their feelings, he felt much the same himself, though he hid it much better then they did. Focusing his attention back on Kiryn who he found was looking at him he decided she must simply just be a violent woman not some old creature. 

"Come over here." He ordered

Kiryn looked at him and Lucian was somewhat surprised to see anger come to her eyes. He was even more surprised when she gave him her middle finger.

"Do not order me around." She stated clearly

"I said come here now human." Lucian ordered

Kiryn felt her temper snap and she walked over to him uncaring of the consequences and dragged him from his horse. 

"Never, and I mean never, put me on the same level as these fear filled, self-pitying people." She said

Lucian fell into a disgraceful heap at the side of his horse and heard several of his men snicker. With that his control snapped and he rose quickly grabbing the girl by his throat and slammed her to the ground. As he did, her cloak fluttered open showing she was naked under the soft material, and that she was badly injured. Bruises old and new covered her body as did dried and fresh blood. Knife marks, cigarette burns, and whip marks covered every inch of her body in the front and he was sure her back as well.

Kiryn was scared when he first slammed her; now instead she felt shame rush throw her. Now she hoped he would kill her, she knew vampire kept most women as slaves for their sexual desires, or so she had heard. She had hoped to hide her injuries and scars until she could get to wherever they were taking her and hoped that once she was given to someone they would over look the marks on her. She was still a virgin and was sure that if she told whoever received her that they would forgive her marked skin. Now she simply wished for this to end. 

Lucian watched the girl close her eyes and thanks to the contact between them he could see into her mind. Every thought she had was running through his head and he felt himself grow slightly ill at her thoughts. She wanted to get away from this place and their cruel ways, so much she was willing to sell her soul for it, now she wanted to give her life. He vaguely caught the thought that she would die a virgin and he looked down at her body again. Being in her mind as he was he knew this was true, as well as her age, but looking at her nude form despite the damaged done to it she was still a beautiful woman. He might be a vampire but even among his kind; doing something like this to such a lovely creature was something that he knew someone would never dream of doing.

He took his hand from her throat and covered her with her cloak again before picking her up in his arms slightly surprised by how small and light she was. Walking over to his horse, he mounted easily with no hands, years of living making this easy for him. 

Kiryn looked at the vampire holding her, confused as to why he was holding her as if she was a precious treasure. When his emerald eyes looked with hers she felt a strange shiver run through her. Despite the fact that he was a creature of the night, his eyes held a mix of kindness, mischief and caring. So much different from what she had been told vampires' eyes were supposed to be like. This man's eyes were not cold and devoid of a soul, they did not make her freeze up or make her feel as if he was sucking her soul away. Instead his eyes made her feel safe and warm, something she had never known she could feel before. 

Lucian smiled slightly down at Kiryn, allowing a hint of his fangs to show through his lips and he watched her blush and hid her face in his cloak. Chuckling slightly he looked over at the cowering group and his face became hard and cold as a statues. Looking back over to his men he nodded his head to them. 

"Place them in the cage and bring them to the castle. We will have them shown at the meeting tonight and shall see what is to be done with them." He said

The group of women and children seemed to shrink, all except for the woman called Mary. She stood glaring at Lucian, her body fairly vibrating with outrage.

"You will choose a monster to carry so gently, but place us in a cage." She spoke

Lucian simply looked over at her and smiled widely showing his full fangs this time. 

"Mary is it? I think it is best you heed Kiryn's advice else you shall die as she said you will, only it will you will be killed by true monsters."

Lucian watched as the human shrank in fear and chuckled again before watching the humans be shepherded into the iron cage. Once it was sealed tightly he wheeled his horse around and started off in the direction of the castle. He held Kiryn tightly against him with one powerful arm, the other being used to hold her cloak closed, guiding his horse with his knees.

Kiryn glanced up from the vampire's cloak and watched as he seemed to feel her gaze and look down at her. His smile was gentle and made her feel completely relaxed with the way he was holding her. She found it kind that he was keeping her cloak from blowing open, something she was sure no one else would have done. She wondered what he was called and decided to ask him.

"My name is Lucian LeSabor." He answered

The way he spoke to her was so much different from how he had spoken to Mary. With her his voice had been like the winter, harsh and unforgiving, but with Kiryn his voice was warm and gentle, making her think of the autumn months. It intrigued her so much it took a moment before his name sank into her brain. 

"LeSabor, the ruling family of vampire and demon alike?"

Lucian chuckled again at the awe and shock in her voice. He had never had that reaction before; usually it was fear and respect in a person's voice. He had to admit that he found this reaction refreshing and rather pleasing. 

"Yes, though it is my brother Malachi that sits on the thrown, I am one of the many siblings that help him." Lucian said

Kiryn actually giggled a bit before covering it quickly with a cough. When Lucian looked down at her she coughed again hoping he wouldn't notice that the first one had sounded different from this one. 

"Don't do that." Lucian said

"Do what?" Kiryn asked thinking he was talking about her small laugh

"Don't cover your laugh, it sounds lovely and to cover such a sound it would be a crime."

Kiryn couldn't help it. She burst into a full laugh, causing Lucian to join in, the night filled with the sound of their mirth. It took her several moments to get her breath back and when she did, she smiled up at Lucian a blush on her cheeks. Lucian noticed this and grinned back the tips of his fangs showing and he watched as her blushed deepened and she hid her face again in his cloak.

Chuckling slightly he rode into the gates of the castle where Malachi, Dante, Lauren, Ashley, Dominic and his mate Syra stood waiting. They all looked at him as if he had lost his mind, then down at the woman in his arms when he stopped his horse. When he climbed off of it, he set Kiryn on her feet making sure her cloak was closed around her.

"Did the hunting go well Lucian?" Malachi asked looking over the girl next to his brother

"The prisoners are in the cage, there were not many. Apparently most of them left as soon as their men came here." Lucian reported

Malachi nodded, his white hair moving in the gentle breeze, his icy blue eyes still on the woman before turning to his brother in a silent question. Lucian noticed this and decided to answer before his family thought he had gone soft in the head. 

"This is Kiryn Salvent. She was at the village where the rest of the prisoners were. And before you say anything she is not human, though I cannot tell what she is. She has been badly mistreated and I decided that to lock her in with the rest to be given away tonight would be a torture she does not deserve."

Syra smiled up at Dominic who was looking dumbfounded. Moving from her husband's side she moved in front of the girl waiting until she looked up at her before she spoke.

"Welcome to LeSabor Castle, Kiryn. I am Syra and the tall brooding man is my mate Dominic. The one who looks like he is dazed is Dante, the blond guy is Lauren, the muscle bound guy is Ashley, and the one who looks like winter come to life is Malachi."

Kiryn smiled at the short red head in front of her and offered her hand out.

"I am pleased to meet you Syra, I am sorry if my presence is a bit different and slightly disheveled." 

Syra took Kiryn's hand and shook it, her eyes suddenly widening then filling with tears. Before anyone could react, Syra wrapped her arms around Kiryn holding her gently yet tight.

"You poor thing, I am so sorry. How could they do such things to you?"

Kiryn stood still as if she had been turned to stone. She was unused to someone hugging her, especially a stranger and had to fight the urge to try and break away. She saw the man called Dominic step forward and Kiryn held her hands up to show she meant no harm. Syra turned quickly and looked over the men and then to Malachi.

"I am going to take Kiryn inside and give her a bath and some clothes. I demand she join us at the meeting and gala afterwards as my guest."

Malachi knew just as well as the rest of his brothers that Syra would not take no as an answer, so he simply nodded his head. Syra jumped up and down in little skips then looked over at Kiryn.

"Come on Kiryn, we will use my room. I think my clothes will fit you well."

Kiryn looked over her shoulder as the Syra pulled her off and locked eyes with Lucian. He simply smiled at her and she felt heat rush through her. Turning back as Syra started to ask her questions she wondered if these people were really the monsters they had been named.

The men watched until Syra had dragged the new woman inside before they all looked back at Lucian. There was a few moments of silence before Malachi broke it.

"Would you like to explain what this is all about?" He asked of Lucian. 

"When we went there a cluster of women and children came from one home, Kiryn came from another. A woman called Mary, who is in the cage, called her a demon spawn and Kiryn threatened to kill her. I umm, I tried to order her to come to me, but Kiryn pulled me from my horse."

"You mean to tell me you didn't beat her for that?" Malachi asked his eyes widening just a bit

"I did pin her down, but her cloak came open and I noted that she has been severely injured." Lucian said

"When you say severely injured, what do you mean by that?" this question came from Dominic

"Injured in a way that even we would not do to a woman for fun. From what I read from her, everything was just short of sexual, but Kiryn's body has many scars and damage done to hit." Lucian said feeling sick again

"Are they all old?" Dominic asked

"No, many of them were. They looked as if they were done just before the humans attacked here." Lucian answered honestly

A silence fell over the group of men, at the implication of the words sank in. Everyone of them would admit she was beautiful, even Dominic, and she seemed to be very respectful, yet from what they had heard, or for Lucian seen, made them all a bit sick at heart. Finally Malachi again broke the silence.

"You said she was not human. What made you scan her in the first place?"

"I asked her name and age and she told me she was one hundred seventy-four years of age. This is true, although from what I could pick up, she doesn't even know what she is." Lucian said

Malachi nodded and looked around. He knew that Lucian wanted to know what was to be done with the girl. He also knew that now that Syra had befriended her there was nothing to truly be done.

"We will keep her with us and treat her as a guest for the time being. Lucian you will be her guide and guardian. Nothing will be done against her unless she does something against this court. That is my final decision." Malachi said

Lucian let out the breath that he had been holding and smiled at his brother in a silent thank you. Malachi nodded and looked over towards the castle.

"Let us go and get ready for the meeting and gala."

All the brothers nodded and headed inside, Lucian having a feeling that it would be a fun evening indeed.



Blood Moon: Lucian's Story Ch. 02



Kiryn sat in the bathtub trying to get herself to relax. After Syra had seen her injures she had demanded that a healer come and heal all of her injuries. Kiryn had tried to say, but Syra had said her outfit would show a lot so her skin had to be flawless. After saying that Syra had bounded off to find a high level healer and to get Kiryn's outfit ready. 

Kiryn leaned back in the tub and inhaled deeply, loving the scent of night roses that came from the steamed water. Night roses were roses that only bloomed at midnight and were always hard to find. Yet there was a full supply of night roses infused bathing products and perfumes here, and she very much wondered where they had found enough to make all of it. Sighing she closed her eyes and listened to the sound of some rock band that came from the small bathroom radio that Syra had supplied.

She wasn't even sure how that had been found. After the Great War, so many things that people had taken for granted, cars, radios, computers; they had all either been destroyed or taken by people to sell for money. From what Kiryn could tell, everything that people had once loved so much were all here inside this large dreamlike castle. While she was used to living much like history books said people had in medieval times, these people of the night had everything. Chuckling to herself she let her mind wonder. 

They rested again on Lucian LeSabor. When she had first seen him she was so sure that he was like every other man in the world, even being a nonhuman it hadn't mattered. Yet when he held her in his strong arms he was so gentle and his voice had been kind when he spoke to her. On the horse he held her so she wouldn't fall and had even made sure that her cloak hadn't blown open. He had encouraged her to laugh and had even laughed with her. In the span of less then two hours, he had done some many things that no one else had ever done for her in her entire life.

There was something about him that called to her, but she knew better then to try and push herself upon him. She doubted he would have any interest in her; a man with his looks could get any woman mortal or nonmortal. She would happy to be considered his friend, and she was certain he would become her best male friend; Syra had already claimed the best female friend slot. 

This too confused her, never in her life had a woman been so kind to her. Most women shied away from her for one reason or another, something she had yet to figure out. Yet here she was, with Syra, a woman with obvious influence in the supernatural world treating her with overwhelming kind.

"Kiryn the healer is here, come get on the bed." Syra called from the bedroom

Kiryn started, not hearing the door open or close. Stepping out of the tub she wrapped a deep purple towel around herself and walked out into the bedroom where Syra and another woman were waiting. When Syra saw her she smiled and waved her over to the bed before she introduced the other woman.

"Kiryn this is Tina. She is the best healer here and will have you fixed up in less then a hour so we can start getting ready for tonight."

Kiryn laid back on the bed feeling a little leering about all this, but Tina smiled kindly and asked her to remove the towel. Sliding it free Kiryn laid back on the bed and closed her eyes as she heard the healer's sharp intake of breath. She was embarrassed to have anyone see her like this, but since she would be seeing Lucian tonight she figured it would be okay. 

She tried to relax when she felt the healer running her hands over her body, but became tense when warmth flowed into her body. Even though she knew this was how a healer did whatever it was that they did, it felt weird to her. Kiryn started to hum and lullaby she had heard when she was younger to keep her mind off the weird sensations. 

Kiryn wasn't sure how long it had been but the warmth left and she heard the healer say that it was done. She sat up slowly surprised when she looked at herself that there were no longer any marks on her body. Smiling at the Tina she extended her hand to the healer.

"Thank you, I truly appreciate what you have done for me. I wish I had some way to pay you." Kiryn said

"No need for that dear, Syra has already taken care of everything. You just enjoy yourself at the activities tonight and I will be considered well paid." Tina laughed

Kiryn nodded and wrapped her towel back around her, thinking again of Lucian and seeing him. She very much hoped that whatever Syra had selected for her to wear would at least cause him to look at her twice. She hoped that he would at least dance with her once, she really wondered what he would be like on the dance floor. 

Kiryn sat down on one of the chairs to wait for Syra to come back in, and Tina sat on the bed. 

"What is Lucian like?" Kiryn asked

Tina looked up at the girl surprise flickering through her though she hid it well. Tina truly hoped this girl didn't fall in love with Lucian. Even though he was a wonderful man he was a bit of a playboy and in all the time she had been at the castle, never once had he stayed with a woman longer then a moon cycle. Despite the Lucian was defiantly one of the younger brothers, his powers came very close to matching Malachi's, which was why he was allowed to enter all meetings unlike some of his siblings. Tina doubted this girl could stand up to Lucian, and was scared to think what would happen to the fragile girl if her heart was broken. But she wasn't going to say all of that.

"Lucian is a sweet guy. Pain in the ass to be sure and not exactly the type to go steady with a woman. But he does treat them with respect and he tends to be very over protective."

Kiryn and Tina both jumped at the sound Syra's voice, and Kiryn shot to her feet watching as Syra walked into the room fresh from her bath. Syra smiled softly at the young woman in front of her.

"Tina you may leave now. Kiryn let me help you with your outfit."

Tina scurried from the room and Kiryn turned to watch Syra start pulling pieces of clothing from the wardrobe, holding them up, then either putting them back in or setting them in one of two piles. After several minutes of this, Syra turned to Kiryn waving her over. Waving her hand at the pile further from her, Syra smiled.

"This is what I want you to wear; I will find you jewelry and hair things when we are done dressing."

Kiryn smiled her thanks and picked up the pile she was told was hers and carried them into the bathroom to dress. She was confused at how to put some of it on, but she quickly figured it out and looked at herself in the mirror. 

The black silk dress clung to her body and fell to her ankles, slits riding up both sides ending at her hips. A tight pair of black shorts was under the dress, keeping everyone from seeing her underwear. The waist was tight showing the flair of her hips and the top of the dress was cut low showing the tops of her breasts, the back cut away stopping an inch above her buttocks. Thin chains hung on the back, the cold metal making her shiver slightly.

A chain was wrapped around the hips, a sheer sliver cloth hanging from the back to follow the line of her dress down. There was a collar made of leather that was attached to the dress using to strips of cloth matching the dress's color and texture. The collar also had a small empty round hole, where it looked like a pendent should be, but Kiryn hadn't found on.

Her legs were left bare, only a pair of three inch heels on her feet making her five foot three inches. The way her hair curled around her shoulders, made her decide to keep it like that. It sort of made her feel like a fairy princess.

"It looks very good on you, just as I thought it would."

Kiryn looked at Syra and smiled brightly.

"Thank you, this is the loveliest thing I have ever worn." She said.

Syra nodded, and smiled back before taking Kiryn's arm and leading the girl into the bedroom again, seating her in front of the vanity mirror. Syra looked through her earrings before picking a pair holding small clear quartz crystals. She put them on Kiryn and decided that the girl looked best with just what she had and nothing more. Syra then pulled out the make-up colors she had decided on for the girl.

Kiryn sat still as Syra put on her makeup hoping she looked good when it was done. When Syra finally told her to open her eyes, Kiryn's jaw dropped all most to the floor. Even if only eyeliner and mascara had been added, Kiryn defiantly saw the improvement. She could almost have passed for a lady of court.

Kiryn thanked Syra and sat in a chair by the door to wait for her hostess to finish her makeup. Once Syra was done she took, Kiryn's hand and led her down the stairs, passed the ballroom to the next door over. She pushed it open and dragged Kiryn inside before closing it softly.

Kiryn looked around and saw the others she had seen earlier plus several others that she had not. The only thing that made her feel better was the sight of Lucian standing to the left of the one called Malachi. She looked over at Syra who nodded and waved her over to stand by Lucian. Kiryn felt slightly self conscious as she walked to Lucian coming up on his left as he was talking to Malachi.

Malachi broke off mid sentence and stared at the girl who had just walked up. She looked very different from how she had earlier, and even he had to admit the he found her attractive. Lucian had noticed his brother's look and turned his head, his eyes meeting Kiryn's and felt like he was falling into the blue depths.

Lucian turned quickly and took in her outfit, feeling a stirring starting in his groin. His eyes hungrily devoured her, his mind full of erotic thoughts of what he wanted to do to her. His gaze rested on her lips which were slightly parted as she licked her dry lips. Lucian nearly groaned aloud at the sensual image that provided him and he had to take a deep breath before he did something that would probably not be invited by anyone, like throwing her down on the table right now.

Kiryn watched Lucian as his eyes grew wide then his lids fell slightly giving him a seriously sexual expression. Kiryn felt a tremor run through her body and she had to lick her lips again. Her mind was slightly numb as she looked over his outfit. His pants were tight and showed the muscles in his legs, a black silk button up shirt was stretched across his chest and made her want to run her hands over it. His lip ring was winking in the corner of his mouth and she wanted to tug it with her teeth. She watched as he drew in a shuddering breath and decided she might as well say something.

"That outfit looks very nice on you. It makes a girl think all sorts of things." She said honestly

Lucian's eyes opened even wider and he heard Malachi cough behind him. 

"Thank you Kiryn, though I much prefer looking at you. Even angels could never match you as you now look." He said

Everyone in the room could see the blush that climbed her cheeks and most of them found it cute, though there was one person who didn't. Lita stood at the far end of the table as the small girl walked to Lucian, and saw how his eye had ran over her. She had heard the comment he had made and anger burned swiftly through her. It all the years she had been Lucian's lover, never once had he even allowed her to approach him as this woman just had. Lita gritted her teeth as the woman blushed and nearly chipped a tooth when Lucian smiled down at her. Oh yes, she would take care of Kiryn tonight.

Kiryn shivered as a chill ran up her spine and she turned to look around the people in the room. A single woman with raven colored hair stood out to her. The woman had golden eyes that seemed to burn with anger and they were focused directly at her. But that wasn't what bothered Kiryn the most, but rather the feeling that this woman was more then she seemed. 

"Are you okay Kiryn?" Lucian asked watching her facial features shift slightly, an analyzing look crossing her face.

Kiryn turned back to Lucian, the odd feeling melting away quickly as she looked into his green eyes. Deciding to be a bit mischievous, she walked closer to Lucian, forcing herself to look up to see his face.

"I am fine. I was just wondering if you are any good on the dance floor."

Lucian burst into laughter that had every head turning to him. When he calmed down enough he looked over at Malachi who had apparently not heard her questioned so he repeated it back to her. This time Malachi and everyone close joined in the laughter, Ashley the first of the brothers to recover enough to speak.

"He is the best dancer out of any of us, though Malachi is said to be better."

Kiryn nodded her head intentionally looking thoughtfully between the two brothers in front of her. Then she nodded her head as if coming to a decision.

"Then I should dance with both of you, so that I can decide which is the best. After that there will no longer be a question." Kiryn said

Lucian and Malachi looked at each other and laughed again, Malachi laying his head on the table and Lucian doubled over holding his stomach. When Lucian had finally calmed her pulled Kiryn close to him and set her to where she was right next to Malachi.

"I don't have a problem with that at all, though I must ask brother, do not steal my lady." Lucian said in a joking tone

"I will not steal her Lucian; I shall simply make her admit I am the better dancer."

"We shall have to wait and see won't we?" Kiryn said in a playful tone, her body leaning into Lucian's.

A hand slamming on the table had everyone looking down the table to the woman Kiryn had been looking at earlier.

"Is there something you would like to say Lita?" Malachi asked, his voice suddenly dripping with sarcasm

"Only that I think we should get this meeting over." Lita answered seething. She had never even made Lucian laugh as much as he just had, yet this girl had made even the cold Malachi laugh.

Malachi looked over at Lucian who nodded his head and Malachi stood up holding his hand up for silence signaling the meetings start.

"You all know that we were attacked by a small group of humans this night, though none of ours were harmed, each of the humans had some charm on them that is causing us to be unable to look into their minds. Lucian please tell us what you found in the village and what your men said they found."

Lucian stepped forward, placing Kiryn slightly behind him as he cleared his throat.

"There were only five women and a few children in the village when we arrived, and on a second search of the homes, my second reported that several vials of an unknown blood were found both empty and full. We think that whatever is in the blood is what makes them able to block us from their minds. We believe it is a vampire or a demon with vampire in their line."

Kiryn listened as the meeting continued and she started thinking about what all was being said. A vampire or demon giving blood to a human for the use of blocking their minds meant treason by whoever had done it. The fact that these vials had been around and she hadn't scented them on anyone meant that it was a demon. Vampire blood only lost its scent after four hundred years of life, meaning that who had given it was someone holding a high position in the court. When Lucian passed on of the vials around they had found Kiryn, looked at it her eyes narrowed.

"Malachi, may I see the vial?" She asked softly

Malachi tilted his head as if to ask why so Kiryn explained in a low voice while Lucian continued with his report.

"If I can smell and taste the blood I can at least tell you what gender and what race the blood came from."

Malachi nodded and when he gave the vile to her she pulled the stopper from it waving it under her nose. Using her pinky finger she took a single drop onto her finger and placed it on her tongue, her eyes immediately dilating. Her body started to shake as memories from the blood coursed through her, allowing her to see everything within the castle and the faces of people and learning their names.

Lucian had stopped talking when he has seen Kiryn pull the top from the vial. He had moved and caught her as she fell to the ground her body shaking slightly, trying to talk to her not fully understanding what was happening. Malachi, Dominic, Syra and several of their other brothers had rushed to hr side, all of them wondering what was going on.

Kiryn felt her body slowly relax and she opened her eyes to see Lucian above her holding her close to him, stroking her hair.

"What the hell was that?" He asked

"The blood belongs to a vampiric woman; four hundred and fifty years of age give or take. Her blood not only acts as a mental shield it also passes on information about this place and people." Kiryn said

Lucian looked down at her wondering how she had figured that out but decided to ask her later. He helped her up carefully holding her steady as she swayed a bit. All the sudden her head jerked up and her eyes locked on someone in the shadows. Lucian followed her gaze and found Marina, an elder in the advisors council standing there looking pale even for a vampire. 

Lucian knew what was running through Kiryn's mind and knew she felt this woman was the one whose blood she had just tasted. The look on Marina's face confirmed it. Lucian nodded to one of the men who moved quickly grabbing Marina's arm. Instead of struggling Marina continued to look at Kiryn.

'How could you tell all of that? How could you possibly get that much information from a single drop?" Marina asked

Everyone turned to face Kiryn who just stood there, a small smile spreading over her face.

"It is just one of my many gifts. Lets hope you don't have to find out any more." Kiryn answered honestly.

Lucian continued to hold Kiryn gently as Marina was escorted from the room and he rocked her. He didn't know how she had done it, but she had managed to solve something it would have taken them a while to figure out, instead Kiryn had tasted the blood and brought forth the person who had been helping humans fight. After Marina was gone from sight he looked of at Malachi who nodded in agreement to the question in his eyes. Lucian cleared his throat and gained everyone's attention. 

"That ends this meeting, let all of us now go and join the gala." He said

Everyone nodded and began to file out of the room, Lucian holding onto Kiryn before Malachi placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Let us also go. I cannot wait for you to be told I dance better."

Malachi's words dispelled the mood and they headed to the gala, Kiryn hoping the whole time that she didn't fall on her face when she was in Lucian's arms.



Blood Moon: Lucian's Story Ch. 03



Kiryn felt very out of place as she stepped into the large hall the was being used as the ballroom. Every person here vibrated with other worldly beauty that made her feel as if she was the ugly duckling to these swans. Yet it was the brothers, mainly Lucian that held all of her attention as he moved around the dancers his body graceful despite the muscles he had. He was a priceless diamond among all the others here, and she almost had to wipe her mouth to make sure she wasn't drooling.

Lita, the red haired woman was dancing with Lucian now, her body close to his rubbing against him almost as a cat would. Kiryn felt a stab of jealousy run through her and she felt the urge to rip the woman's hair out. The feeling surprised her more than anything else had tonight, she had never been a violent person, though at time she did have an inhuman rage, but that was always controlled by running through the woods. Why she felt that way now confused her more than anything else ever had. 

She was so lost in thought that she didn't even notice Malachi had come upon her until he touched her shoulder gently. Her eyes darted to his and she saw the look of concern on his face and felt her face flame.

"Lucian and Lita have been lovers for many years. No matter who he has been with he always returns to her." He said

"Is that a warning to avoid getting to close to him, or to not go near him at all?"

Malachi looked down at the woman in front of him and felt a small pang in his chest. He had heard about the marks covering her body, and even without that information her eyes spoke volumes. There was a deep sadness in them along with a rather unhealthy does of worry and pain. The look was quickly replaced however by laughter and he wasn't sure he had even seen it in the first place.

"It looks as if you are going to be my first dance partner for the evening. I will admit though sexy metal is not what I am used to dancing with but I am sure if you are as good as your say I shall make it through."

Without waiting for a response Kiryn moved out onto the dance floor and close her eyes letting the music flood her senses. She began to sway, not gyrating as the other woman did, but gentle movements that matched the heavy music without looking horrid. When she felt Malachi step up behind her she turned to face him and smiled into his face. She felt her personal energy build in her and flow out gently with her movements which slowly became sexier without looking like a slut. 

Malachi placed his hand on her hips and moved with her rubbing himself against her ever now and again. His eyes wondered to Lucian who was currently staring at the short woman his eyes heating. Malachi knew how his brother felt, this woman made him almost wish that she had not already fallen for Lucian, but there was nothing to be done for it. Apparently Lita had noticed where her lover was looking as well because she pressed closer to him and circled her hips in a way that would have made a weaker man fall to his knees in pleasure. 

Malachi wondered how his brother didn't fall to his knees then almost fell to his own when Kiryn did a back bend sort of motion while she continued to move her hips. In panic he looked back at Lucian who had no stopped dancing fire lighting his eyes, rage swirling around him. Moving away from Lita, Lucian walked to Kiryn and his brother trying to control the emotions boiling inside of him. Seeing her dancing with his brother made him want to rip his brother's head off and the laugh she sounded when she saw Malachi's face set his teeth on edge.

Kiryn almost fell when she was jerked backed against Lucian but righted herself quickly looking up at him with a warm smile which died when she saw the look on his face. His eyes were stormy reminding her of the dark emerald crystals she had once seen at a store. Though they scared her, they also brought a heat boiling within her lower body. Reaching a hand up, Kiryn ran a hand over Lucian's cheek bringing his attention down to her face. Rising on her tip toes she pressed her lips gently against his. 

Lita felt rage boil inside of her at the girl's actions wondering why Lucian didn't push her away from him. Instead he pulled her closer and Lita gritted her teeth hard enough to chip one. Spinning on her heel she moved away from the dance floor her anger wrapped around her like a thick cloak. The only one of the three to notice her departure was Malachi as Lucian seemed too wrapped up in Kiryn to notice.

Lucian felt as if he was drowning in the kiss, his every emotion draining away to leave only Kiryn in his thoughts. Heat pumped through his body and would have taken her there on the dance floor if his brother had not cleared his throat and nodded to one of the back rooms. Lifting her up in his arms Lucian headed to the back room his blood making him feel as if he was on fire. 

Kiryn knew where Lucian was taking her and even though she was scared of her first time, she had a feeling that it wouldn't hurt. Pressing her lips to the side of his neck she felt his pulse fluttering against her lips and gave into the sudden urge to bite him. She felt his body shudder against her and she nipped him again harder than before having the need to taste his blood in her mouth. Instead of biting again she flicked her tongue over the vain and could have sworn she smelled the blood rushing through the thin layer of skin. A pressure built in her gums but she ignored it, swiping her tongue over the vain again and smiled at the groan she pulled from him.

"If you keep doing that we are not going to make it into a room." Lucian said through clenched teeth.

"Maybe I don't want a room." Kiryn whispered in his ear running her hand between their bodies to cradle his erection in her hand.

Lucian's knees almost gave way and he pressed her against a wall letting her feet touch the floor before claiming her mouth. He grabbed her hips pulling her closer to him, pressing her hard against his throbbing organ. She arched into him, her hands fisting in his hair as her senses were assaulted in the most pleasurable way. The feel of his hard body against hers made her want to stretch and meow like a cat, her mind filled only with him. She sobbed out when his mouth pulled away from hers and then moaned when he nipped her neck, the tips of his fangs an erotic thrill. 

Running her hands under his shirt, she racked her nails down his back and was rewarded with a hard shudder. She felt her knees tremble as his hand came up and pinched her nipple through the thin fabric of the dress. His mouth ran lower, caressing just above the neckline before he claimed her nipple, sucking it through the dress. She gripped his head her entire body arching into him as liquid heat pooled from her, filling the area around them with her woman's musk. 

Lucian smiled to himself at her response and ran his hand under the dress to cup her through the shorts. The shuddering gasp spoke volumes, but the damp crotch of her shorts was what sent him over the edge. Quickly he pulled the shorts down her legs and waited for her to step out of them before tossing them to some unknown place. Pushing her dress out of the way he smiled up at her before running his tongue gently over the swollen nub peeking from her damp folds. Lifting one of her legs over his shoulder he sucked her clit into his mouth letting one of his fangs nip it gently as he slowly slid a finger into her heated core.

Kiryn moaned loudly as her body went from being on fire to a roaring inferno that threatened to burn her. She fisted her hands in his silky hair to keep from falling and tried to stifle the sounds coming from her as his finger and mouth sent her spiraling higher. Lucian rolled her clit with his teeth while sliding a second finger into her and was rewarded with a flood of her juices, coating his fingers in her essence. Her scent was driving him mad and he could no longer wait to be inside of her heat.

Standing suddenly, he opened his pants and took out his throbbing member and watched her eyes widen as she licked her lips. Reaching out her hand Kiryn cupped him in her hand and squeezed him as she watched his eyes close as pleasure swept across his features. She stroked him a few times up and down before he grabbed her hand to stop her motion. A deep flush had crossed over his face and his eyes remained tightly closed.

"Did I hurt you?' Kiryn asked suddenly worried

"In the best way." Lucian murmured huskily his hand pulling her legs up around his waist. 

Rubbing the blunt head of his manhood against her nether lips, he kissed her as he thrust inside of her, claiming her as his own. He swallowed her cry of pain and held himself still as her body tried to adjust to his invasion. She squirmed against him and his hips jerked forward against his own will. Kiryn rolled her hips enjoying the feel of her body being stretched to its limits.

Lucian could no longer hold back, sliding himself almost all the way out of her body then thrusting back in causing her to moan loudly as she dug her nails into his shoulders. Each time he thrust through here slick folds he had to fight to get every inch of himself inside of her, wanting to go so deep that she would never get the feel of him out of her mind. Her moans became louder as she squeezed her inner muscles around him her body heating quickly.

"Lucian please...I...it feels..."

Lucian groaned loudly and slammed into her harder, causing her to slip over her peak, her body rippling, milking him for everything he had. A load growl ripped from him as he emptied himself into her. Leaning his forehead against hers he breathed heavily for a moment when she tapped him on his shoulder.

"Lucian...we have a slight problem." She said

Lucian pulled back to look at her and his mouth fell open at what he saw. Kiryn looked up at him, blood coming from her mouth, and the cause, two small freshly dropped fangs glinting in her mouth.



Blood Moon: Lucian's Story Ch. 04



Lucian stared at Kiryn a moment longer before he pulled away from her and straightened first her clothing then his own. He could tell by the look on her face that she was shocked by her newly accorded fangs, but to him they stated that she had been lying to him all this time. He knew that she hadn't shared enough blood with anyone to undergo the Change, and to be honest he felt as if he was in a plot thicker then the best novel he had ever read. To him it simply meant that she had been part of the plot to take down the castle. There was no way someone suddenly sprouted fangs; in his mind this woman had betrayed him and his family. Everything had been nothing but an act and he had fallen for it, but now he planned to do the right thing. Turning from her he looked out over the dance floor and waved at Malachi who quickly hurried over.

"What is it Lucian?" he asked

Lucian didn't speak but simply pointed over to Kiryn who was holding a hand over her mouth as if she had uttered a foul word. Malachi stepped closer to her but Lucian quickly blocked him off.

"What is wrong with you Lucian? I doubt that she is going to attack me." Malachi said as he stared at his brother in confusion

"I wouldn't be so sure about that if I was you Malachi. This woman is nothing but a liar and a betrayer to her kind." Lucian said his face like a statue

Malachi had never seen Lucian look so cold and distant before in all his life and it worried him in a way that he had not felt in centuries. He noticed that Kiryn shook her head violently but had yet to move her hand away from her mouth, a wild look in her eyes that had not been there when Lucian and her had departed a few moments ago. Lucian walked over to Kiryn and grabbed her hand jerking it away from her mouth showing Malachi what he had been talking about. 

Kiryn simply stood there when her hand was pulled away her thoughts in turmoil. She was shocked and scared that she suddenly had fangs that she had never seen before, and more than terrified by the look on Lucian and now Malachi's face. 

"You were part of the plot against us weren't you?" Malachi asked his voice cold

"No..I...I have no clue what is happening." Kiryn answered quickly

"I do not believe you. You didn't have fangs before and now you do, these things don't happen out of nowhere."

Kiryn stared at Lucian as he spoke and felt as if she was tumbling into a large hole. Why was he looking at her as if she were nothing but dirt?

Malachi looked over at Lucian his rage almost tangible.

"Take her to a single cell and leave her there. We can deal with her after this week's festivities are over. Until then she can decide wither she wants to tell us the truth or not."

Malachi turned and walked away leaving Kiryn alone with Lucian. She turned to him and tried t place her hand on his arm but he jerked away. Instead he grabbed her and pulled her through a paneled door and led her down the hallway her heels the only noise.

"Lucian...I swear to you I know nothing about any plots. I don't know why I have fangs; please don't do this to me." Kiryn said tears scolding her eyes.

She received no answer as they went further and further into the lower part of the castle. Lucian couldn't believe that he was such a fool to fall for such a trick, but he planned to pay her back for it tenfold. Once they reached the dungeon block he drug her to the furthest room in the small hallway and open the door shoving her inside. Closing the door behind her he turned to the guards who were looking at him waiting for orders.

"Do what you wish to her, she is to be given no quarter." 

Lucian started to leave the dungeon even as he heard the cell door open and Kiryn call out for him. He ignored her screams for help and the laughs of the guards, the last thing he heard as he let the steel door slam shut behind him was Kiryn's cry of anguish.

Kiryn struggled against her attackers screaming for Lucian to come back, to help her, but deep inside she knew that he would not. He felt that she had betrayed him, and honestly she was no longer sure she hadn't. She didn't remember ever having fangs or that she ever knew anything about some sort of plot, yet now she seemed to be caught in the middle of something she didn't understand. She lashed out with her foot at the guards circling around her only to have it caught in the meaty grasp of the large one.

"The Prince said we could do whatever we wanted with you, you must have done something very bad to have all your rights taken away at one shot." The skinny one said as he leered at her, undoing his pants buttons.

Kiryn began screaming again as she fought harder but ended up pinned on her stomach on the vomit smelling stone floor. She felt her dress being pulled away from her body and drew in a breath to scream again for Lucian which ended in a cry of pain as the guard shoved himself into her. The last thing she remembered before blackness washed over her was two more guards entering the room loosening their clothing.

Lucian entered the ballroom trying to keep his black mood from being felt by everyone he walked by. Moving along the edges of the room he seated himself next to his brother at the large table.

"It is done, she is in her cell." Lucian stated

Malachi nodded his head as he searched his brother's face. There was something just below the surface that bothered him, but now was not the time to ask about such things. Dominic and Syra were approaching the table and Syra was already looking at Lucian puzzle covering her features.

"Where is Kiryn?" she asked as soon as she was seated

"Do not mention that betrayer's name in front of me again!" Lucian growled before standing quickly and heading for the exit.

Malachi, Dominic and Syra watched him until he was out of the room before turning back to Malachi, the look on her face one that made him want to squirm in his seat.

"What does he mean by betrayer? Really, Dom and I leave you all alone for ten minutes to find out what she is and suddenly she has betrayed him."Syra shook her head as she looked over the dance floor

"She has betrayed us Syra. She was part of the plot the whole time, though she was found out by accident. Please do not speak of this anymore until the week is out, I promise you she is safe until then."

Syra felt an odd feeling stirring in her gut but the tone of Malachi's voice made what he said a command, and even as his sister she could not go against an order. Still, something did not sit right in her mind.

Lucian leaned against the marble column outside the ballroom and clenched his teeth together. In all his life he had never made a mistake anywhere close to how bad this one could have been. He had endangered his whole family because he had been drawn in by a pretty face and some bruises. He moved slowly making his way to his room when Lita appeared from around the corner. When she saw he was alone she sauntered over to him and ran her hand up his chest.

"You look like you could use some stress release. You know you can use me."

Lucian didn't think twice about Lita's offer, pulling her into the closest room, willing to do anything to stop the emotions running through him.

.......*.......*.......*.......*

Kiryn lay in the far corner of the room, her body curled into itself. She wasn't sure how long she had been in this cell, though she guessed for two days or more. He body hurt so much she didn't dare move. Since the first night she had arrived here Lucian had not come for her. Instead she dealt with the guards, sometimes the same ones sometimes different ones all together. She had lost count how many times they had violated her, how many times they had beat her, and she couldn't remember the last time she ate. At some point her hair had been sawed off with a dull blade and freezing water had been dumped over her. They hadn't given her any clothing, so she lay naked with nothing, not even her hair to cover herself. She knew she had lost a large amount of blood if the stains on the floor were any indication and she barely had the energy to keep her eyes open. The fangs which had gotten her into this mess were also damaged, part of one chipped from the fist that had landed in her face. At first she prayed Lucian or someone would come for her, now she only prayed for death. The sound of the door opening made her begin her prayers immediately. 

Malachi stared at his brothers around the circle table in the meeting room, Lucian holding his attention more than any other. Despite the fact that he looked a bit pale, Lita was clinging to him as she had since the night Kiryn had been sent to the dungeons. He thought that Lucian would have shoed her away by now but instead, his playboy brother let it continue. Every night Lucian was with Lita, and several other women to be honest, no matter the time or occasion. It almost felt like it had before Kiryn had ever showed up, Malachi had even put this off from two extra weeks, but now it was timeto deal with it.

"Everyone here knows what this meeting is about, so we might as well start it. Does anyone have any idea what we should do?" Malachi asked

"Why do you think she has betrayed you? What did she do to give you that idea?" Syra asked quickly

Lucian shot her a glared that most men would have backed away from, but Syra was not one to back down so easily. 

"It is obvious that she was involved with the plot to over throw us. That is all you need to know." Lucian said

"What proof do you have to support that?" Syra asked her body starting to tremble with outrage

"Well having fangs when she isn't supposed to prove that she lied about who she was. Plus she..."

"Of course she would have fangs! She is a Valtrysen; they do not grow their fags until they are one hundred and seventy-five years old." Syra said throwing up her hands

"How can you be sure she is a Valtrysen? Did she tell you that?" Malachi asked suddenly feeling as if a block of ice had landed in his stomach.

"No I found out on my own with Dominic's help. Her ability to tell age, race and even memories from blood is one of the abilities common to the Valtrysen. Coupled with the fact that most of the remaining members of that race live far from her after they almost went extinct that would explain why she doesn't know who she is. There is also a book with her name in it in the library. She is the only child of Roan and Marcel Salvent and also the last child to be born a pure Valtrysen before they left this area."

Syra stared into Lucian and Malachi's eyes as realization dawned on them. Malachi looked shock by the news, but the look on Lucian's face was more disturbing. He looked as if he had just found out that he had executed an innocent person, the look was not lost on Malachi.

"Guard bring Kiryn to us so that we may speak to her."Malachi said watching as the guard's face drained of blood quickly

"I...I don't think that is possible Your Highness." 

"Why would that be?" Malachi asked

"She...she...there is a good possibility that she might be dead." The guard finally said

Malachi's head whipped to Lucian who was already out of his chair and heading towards the door. Syra was following him as was Dominic, Malachi at their heels. Lucian's head was spinning as he hurried to the dungeon. If what Syra had said was true, then that meant that Kiryn had done nothing wrong. And that Lucian had given an innocent woman over to the most brutal form of justice known among throughout the kingdom. In a way he hoped Syra was wrong, but deep inside him Lucian knew she wasn't. He just hoped Kiryn was still alive when they reached the cell.



Blood Moon: Lucian's Story Ch. 05



The door to Kiryn's cell burst open to show nothing in the light the door let in. Lucian felt his stomach sink to his feet as he grabbed a candle from the wall and swept it around the cell, almost missing the curled up body lying in the far corner. As soon as Syra saw Kiryn she rushed over to her, gently turning Kiryn over. Lucian felt bile rise in his throat as he finally got a good look at the woman he had sent here. Blood and dirt covered her entire body which was naked. Bruises, burns, bites and whip marked crossed over her skin as they had when he first had found her. Her black hair was short, barely touching her chin and looked as if it had been chopped off. What killed him more was the blood coating her thighs and the floor all around her. He wanted to die at that very moment, even more so when Syra turned to him, tears streaming down her face.

Malachi stopped behind Lucian and caught a glimpse of Kiryn on the floor. Shoving Lucian aside he rushed next to her, checking her pulse in her throat. He let a sigh of relief to find it there, despite how weak it was. 

"Lucian give me your shirt, I will carry her up to my room. Dominic go find the healer, we will need her. Syra, go get some blood bags."

Everyone leapt to obey Malachi's orders, leaving Lucian and Malachi alone with Kiryn. Lucian looked down at the body of the woman that he had condemned to the worst of fates. He made a move to touch what was left of her hair but a snarl from Malachi had him jerking back. He had never seen Malachi show his feelings so opening before and he knew in that there would be hell to pay.

Malachi lifted Kiryn gently and left the hell hole she had been placed in, keeping her far from Lucian's touch. He had felt anger before but never in his long existence had he felt this all consuming rage that made his body shake, nor had he ever felt the pain that seemed to be boiling in his heart. He would never have thought that his own brother would allow something like this to be done to a woman no matter what she may or may not be. The fact that Lucian had allowed this to be done behind his back enraged him, but it was the fact that it was Kiryn that made it worse.

He continued to move quickly through the upper corridors, and took the stairs three at a time. He had just reached his door where Dominic and the healer were when he felt Kiryn stir in his arms.

Kiryn opened her eyes slowly, fatigue almost keeping her from accomplishing her goal. For a moment everything was blurry and finally Malachi's worried face swam into focus. It was then that she realized she was being held against his body, a male body and a small shiver of fear ran through her. She also saw Dominic standing not far away and terror ran through her. She immediately began to struggle against his hold certain that they had come to finish what had been started by the guards in the dungeon.

"Relax Kiryn please, or you will injure yourself further." Malachi said keeping his hold firm yet gentle

"I will not allow you to rape me. Please, just kill me and get it over with." Kiryn begged tears streaming down her face

Malachi felt his heart clench and agony almost made him cry as she said her broken plea. Moving swiftly through the door to his bedchamber he laid her on the bed gently stroking a hand over her butchered hair as Syra came into the room. Syra dropped the bags she was holding on the floor and rushed to Kiryn's said seating herself on the bed next to her.

"I am so sorry Kiryn. I did not know what was happening, nor did Dominic or Malachi. I know you are scared and hurt but please, let the healer work on you. I will ensure that nothing happens to you."

Kiryn watched the pink tinged tears that rolled from Syra face then looked to Dominic and Malachi. Both of the men looked angry, but when they set their eyes on her own their expressions softened and only sorrow showed through. She wasn't sure what to think and had just opened her mouth to speak when Lucian came into the door frame. What she had been ready to say died on her tongue and only a hiss came from her parted lips. Adrenaline suddenly poured through her body and her injuries were forgotten, the only though in her head was to make the one who had hurt her suffer. 

Every head had turned in Lucian's direction when he had entered, and the malice in the eyes of his brothers only added to his pain. When Kiryn hissed at him his gaze met hers and he felt as if a hand had clenched around his throat, and it wasn't easing off. Despite her state, with her fangs bared and her eyes shooting sparks he found her desirable. Malachi felt the emotion that rolled of his brother and he bared his fangs at Lucian warning him off. 

"Leave this room and wait for me in my study Lucian, Dominic, escort him them and round up the rest of the family immediately. Tell them it is an emergency, Syra I want you to stay here with Kiryn while the healer works on her." Malachi said his fury evident in his voice.

Dominic hurried to obey Malachi's command even though Lucian tried to withstand Dominic's pull. It took a moment but Dominic managed to drag Lucian from the room and Malachi turned his attention to Kiryn who still had her fangs bared. Slowly he laid a hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes.

"Relax Kiryn. I will not allow him or anyone else to harm you again. Please lay back and let the healer help take away the pain you are feeling." Malachi said softly allowing a hint of compulsion to enter his voice

It took a moment but slowly the red faded from Kiryn's vision and she looked into Malachi's ice colored eyes. She could feel the swirling emotions in him, all the fury and anger, but she knew it wasn't for her. Slowly her muscles loosened until she slid back into a laying position her all of her energy seeming to drain away from the look in Malachi's eyes.

Malachi stood again and nodded to the healer and Syra before leaving the room and making his way to his study. By the time he reached the heavy mahogany colored door all appearances of him being civilized were gone. Instead of a diplomatic king or brother he appeared before his family as nothing more than a wild untamed male. His blue eyes were glowing, power vibrating along every inch of his body and his fangs bared, throbbing heavy in his gums. Never had he wanted to kill another person more than he did right now.

His brothers and sister were all there, all twenty-nine of them and it appeared that Dominic had already filled them in on what was going on. No one stood close to Lucian who was leaning against the wall looking unworried yet sad.

"I wish to know now why you allowed that type of thing to happen to Kiryn!"Malachi said his voice more of a growl

"I did not know that those things were being done to her." Lucian answered

"Did you not bother to check on her condition?" Dante questioned

"No I did not; I did not think there would be a need to."

Malachi growled again and went to lunge at Lucian, but was stopped short by Ashley and Lothayr holding him back. The oldest of the sisters Neka, stepped in front of him and placed her hand on his forehead drawing his flying emotions into herself. Finally when Malachi was no longer fighting against Ashley and Lothayr, Neka nodded her head for them to release him before she turned to face Lucian.

"Lucian, you say that you did not know what was happening to this woman but I can smell that is a lie. You wanted that to happen and we all know it, else you would not have disappeared for two weeks and made sure we had to wait for you. I wish to know why and if you will not us willingly you know very well that we will use force to find out." Neka said her anger plain to see yet her tone was cold

Lucian looked at his sister and finally decided to give upon the act he had been playing for more centuries then he cared to count. Standing straight from the wall he allowed the mask that he always wore to slip from his features. It was then that everyone could see the light of madness that gleamed in his eyes.

"Do none of you know how long it has been since I was myself? Have none of you seen me slipping over the edge?" Lucian growled his voice no longer his own

It was then that everyone realized that this Lucian was not their brother. The sick madness that was swimming in his eye and the almost tangible hostility rolling from him did not belong to their brother. They also all knew that Lucian would not have allowed himself to slip this far into evil to hurt a woman which meant only one thing. Someone for some reason had done something to Lucian.

"Lucian, we all know that this isn't you. Tell us what happened to cause this."Malachi said

"You are a fool King Malachi, to have lost your brother so easily. He was so easy to take once that woman entered your holding."

It was Lucian speaking but the voice and the words belonged to someone else, someone that had been a sworn enemy to everyone within the court for centuries.

"I see you have found a way to bring us down Darthax."Malachi said calmly

"It took me awhile that I will admit. But when Lucian feared that he would lose his soul mate now that he had found her, it gave me the perfect opening to come into his mind."

Malachi looked at Lucian feeling a sudden lose at what to do. With Darthax in his mind Lucian would but unable to stop himself from doing anything. But at least now he knew that his brother had not allowed harm to come to a woman consciously.

"What do you want Darthax? There must be a reason for you to have done this."

"I want the woman; the last of the Valtrysen must be mine. She is the only one that will save me from this agony I have been living in."

Malachi felt as if the floor had been pulled from under him. Darthax wanted Kiryn a person who had nothing to do with the ages of fighting between the two colonies. Malachi was ready to refuse when the youngest of the sisters stepped forward. Shiryn looked small compared to everyone around them, but the force of her personal power at this moment almost rivaled Malachi's own.

"If we hand her over to you, you have to swear that you will leave Lucian's mind and never again enter into the conscious of any of the ruling family again." She said her crystal clear voice ringing loudly

"I will agree to these terms, however you will bring her outside your castle grounds this night so that I pick her up. IF you cannot, I will destroy everything you have ever known."

Shiryn looked serious for a moment but she didn't allow anything to show on her face.

"We cannot do that. She is healing from damage done, damage that you allowed us to have inflicted on her. I do not think that now would be the best time to allow her to do this." Shiryn said her voice sickly sweet

"Then I will destroy it all, every holding, every person you love until you kill each other from madness." Lucian's mouth moved, but Darthax's command came through clearly

"It cannot be done at this moment. Will you not renegotiate?" Malachi asked cold ice spreading through his veins.

"No, it has already started; Dominic's mate will now suffer."

Kiryn looked over at Syra as she dropped to her knees a cry of pain escaping from her. Kiryn had been healed and had been talking Syra when her eyes glazed over. As Kiryn watched, cuts opened over Syra's body, her blood pooling on the floor under her. Standing quickly Kiryn sniffed the air for an intruder and stopped short at a scent she knew and despised.

Rushing from the room as the healer hurried to Syra's side Kiryn followed her nose to the study where she knew everyone was. Rage boiled through her veins as she realized what was happening and for the second time in her life she embraced the very powers she once hated. The door to the study blew open as she allowed all o her energy to race through her body.

Malachi had to move quickly to avoid the oak door now lying on the floor across the room from them. He turned to see Kiryn standing there her dark hair appearing as if a strong wind was blowing, her sapphire eyes shining brightly. Her fangs were sitting heavy in her mouth and her lips were curled into a snarl. He watched as she sniffed the air again and the growl that tore from her as she faced Lucian almost froze his blood.

"You dare attack these people for such petty reasons!"

"There you are dear. I was wondering when you would grace me with your presence again."

"Darthax...you will stop hurting Syra now or I will continue where I left off and rip you limb from limb."

"You know him Kiryn?" Malachi asked

"He visited our town several times and seems to like trying to kidnap me. The last time he lost three fingers. What are your conditions this time?"

The last comment was aimed at Darthax in Lucian. Lucian's face seemed to turn thoughtful and everyone in the room could see the pain in Kiryn's face as a thought dawned on her.

"You were the one that allowed him to have that happen to me." Kiryn said softly

"What? Oh yes, you are correct, I thought that I could make you fear them all so much that you would leave on your own. However this meeting happened and well, better to show myself now then later. And as for your question, my only condition is that you allow yourself to be placed in my hands for as long as I care to have you around."

Kiryn struggled to contain her anger at the knowledge that Lucian had been forcibly taken over because of her. She was even more angered and at the same time hurt that she had thought that he would allow this to happen. But if there was one thing she was sure of, she would not allow Darthax to win.

"I have a better idea. I will meet you in front of LeSabor Castle and we will fight. If you win I will come with you and you will never again bother those under the LeSabor protection. If I win, well, you will be dead so there will be nothing to worry about." Kiryn stated calmly

There was silence for a moment as Darthax thought over the idea and finally Lucian's head inclined.

"I will take you on that offer; however Lucian LeSabor will remain under my control until I meet you in front of that castle. Be sure to be there or he will be the first to die."

Kiryn smiled suddenly, her newly found fangs gleaming brilliantly.

"I will be looking forward to this. I am pleased to be the one to destroy you."

A resounding laugh left Lucian's mouth before he collapsed to the ground just as Syra ran into the room. Dominic rushed to her while everyone but Malachi went to Lucian's side. Malachi laid a hand on Kiryn's shoulder making her look at him.

"This...you do not need to do this." Malachi said softly

"You might think not, but this has been coming for a long time. I will ensure that you and yours are safe. And do me one favor, let Lucian know that I forgive him."

Kiryn turned away to prepare for her first and most likely her last battle.



Blood Moon: Lucian's Story Ch. 06



Kiryn started down the staircase doing her best to avoid looking for too long on anyone she passed. She wasn't sure what to think or even how to act; even now that she had heard the entire story. After Lucian had come around from his passing out, he explained the whole story, going back to two hundred years ago when he had first encountered Darthax. Lucian had explained that at the time he had wanted to try and stop all the fighting that was going on between the two lands, but Darthax had other plans. Lucian had said that he could fight him off at first, but finally he could not resist the warlock vampire's power. 

From what Lucian had said, Darthax could slip in and out of his mind at any moment. He had tried apologizing to her, but to Kiryn a simple 'I am sorry' was not going to cut it. Not after what she had gone through and not with the ones responsible still alive. Even after learning the story and the truth, Kiryn could not forgive Lucian yet, he would have to grovel and beg. 

Running a hand through her hair, Kiryn entered the central meeting room for the second time since she had been here. Everyone was here; all siblings and those who sat on the Council filled the room, more than there had been before. Keeping her eyes forward she went to stand beside Malachi, trying not to see Lucian whose entire appearance had gone downhill from last night. Kiryn wanted to feel sorry for him, even if it was so that she could say that she still had emotion, but at this moment she couldn't feel bad. 

"Are you sure you can go through with this?" Malachi asked her as he took one of her hands in his own.

Kiryn looked over at Malachi her eyes blank as she looked back at him. She gave a brief nod of her head before turning her eyes to the men lined up against the far wall in handcuffs, the guards that had hurt her. A blast of fury ripped through her and a strong wind tore through the room at the same moment causing everyone to turn in her direction. One set of eyes held such hatred that Kiryn immediately felt she understood what was really going on.

Tilting her head slightly Kiryn pulled away from Malachi and walked up to Lita who continued to stare at her with anger. The tall red head didn't back away but seemed to come forward as Kiryn approached her. When she was a foot away Kiryn stopped and gazed into Lita's eyes a faint smirk on her face.

"I would think that you would be smarter than to help Darthax in his blood quests." Kiryn said softly yet her voice seemed to ring throughout the room.

Lita snarled her fangs bared as she shifted her footing. This woman who was shorter and smaller in stature scared her more than Malachi did. She was different from the last time Lita saw her, colder and the power that rolled off of her had Lita shivering.

"I would be careful who you accuse of treason Kiryn." Lita growled

"I am being careful, you have Darthax's stench all over you and inside you. You are the one that has been helping him in bringing discord into this place. You are the true enemy here, what did you promise Darthax for his help. He might be deranged but he is not stupid nor does he have a death wish, he would not attack this court of his own will, nor would he dare come after me in such a fashion."

Every eye was now focused on the two women looked in a silent combat of wills, the words Kiryn spoke causing several people to shift in discomfort. In a matter of minutes since she had stepped into this room, she had said exactly what everyone had been thinking. Malachi was more than interested in what was happening, he himself knew the truth in her words when she spoke of Darthax. The vampiric warlock had power that most people would die for, but even he knew that to go against the LeSabor Court was nothing short of suicide, someone would have to have given him false confidence.

Lita snarled as she saw everyone staring at her before turning back to Kiryn who was patiently waiting. Kiryn wasn't sure why she was so sure that this was the true person behind these schemes, but she knew that Darthax could only consume someone's mind by using someone close to them. Lita had been Lucian's partner for hundreds of years and Lita was the one who seemed to see Kiryn as a threat above all others, the timing of Darthax's attack was to convenient. 

"I must say that you make a good theory Kiryn, but you have no solid proof of your words, but only a need to divert attention from what is truly going on. How can any of us be sure that you are not the one allowing Darthax to do all that he is, you have already admitted that you know him and have been in his company before?" Lita said

For the first time Kiryn broke into a full smile and she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small piece of folded paper. At the sight of the yellowed page Lita's face became paler than before.

"Who all here knows what Darthax truly is?" Kiryn asked addressing everyone within the room

"He is a vampiric warlock, but his status is closer to that of a mid-level demon. He can act of his own accord however he is more often doing things at the command of whoever summons him."Neka said as she stood from her chair

Kiryn nodded her head and began to unfold the paper that she held in her hands, Lita's face looking almost as white as a sheets as the paper was fully opened. Kiryn held the paper up saw everyone could see what she held and looked over them all before she focused her gaze back on Lita.

"I just happened to find this summoning spell among Lita's possessions, a summoning spell specifically for Darthax. Not only that but I found her vow written in blood of both what Darthax would receive if he did as she wanted him to."

Kiryn had barely finished her last word when Lita threw herself at her, causing both women to fall backwards. Pure unadulterated fury swept through Kiryn at Lita's actions, every tightly bound emotion she had felt since she had been placed in that cell swamped over her and out. Lita was sent flying backwards as Kiryn shoved all of her pain and memories into the woman. Lita landed on a heap on the floor whimpering softly as Kiryn stood up her eyes glowing a bright blue. 

Kiryn walked over to the now cowering woman and stood in front of her, an almost sadistic pleasure coursing through her veins knowing that Lita was experiencing what she had. She would have continued the stream of memories if a hand had not fallen on her shoulder at that moment and diverted her attention away from Lita. Lucian stood behind her, his big hand resting lightly on her shoulder which Kiryn shrugged off.

"Do not touch me Lucian; you have lost that right since you allowed yourself to be fooled by a piece of tail." Kiryn snapped

Lucian looked down at Kiryn his face twisted in pain.

"I am sorry for what happened to you and I admit that it was my fault. Will you not forgive me or at least try to?" Lucian asked his voice hoarse with his emotions

Kiryn tilted her head and looked into Lucian's eyes and knew he meant every word that he said; still she could not bring herself to forgive him yet. He had promised to protect her and he had failed her, even if he had been possessed long before she came here it was because of him that she had been tortured. 

"I don't think I can do that yet, or if that will ever be an option." Kiryn said before turning away

Looking down again at Lita, Kiryn picked up the fallen piece of paper and walked over to Malachi handing it to him and staying by his side. Her mind was in chaos as people helped Lita to her feet holding her in place as Malachi looked over the yellowed parchment. Lucian had moved away from Lita and kept looking over at her, anger burning in his eyes. Kiryn knew that Lucian felt terrible for what he had done, what he had allowed to happen, but to simply forgive him was beyond her. She wasn't sure she could ever fully trust him again, but maybe one day he could earn some of it back. 

Kiryn was startled when Malachi stood up quickly his eyes blazing as he looked at the struggling red head. His anger was almost strong enough to truly burn a person's flesh and Kiryn laid her hand on his arm, hoping to calm him. A low growl rumbled from Lucian as he saw the contact but he held himself from coming towards them. He hated that his mate was touching another man, but he could see in her eyes that she wasn't ready to let go of what happened and he couldn't blame her.

Malachi laid his hand over Kiryn's and took a deep breath ignoring his brother whose growl intensified at his action.

"Do you not see what is happening here? That woman is causing you all to lose your minds!" Lita cried out

"You will be silent now; else I will not be able to hold myself under control enough for us to hold a proper meeting over your actions." Malachi warned

Lita fell silent and even stopped struggling but what was more disturbing was the smug smile that crossed her face. Before anyone had a chance to react, she had jerked her arm free from one of the men holding her and threw a dagger at Kiryn. A scream sounded in the room and Kiryn felt blood splatter over her but it was not hers. Lucian had moved in front of her quicker than anyone could have seen, only the hilt of the dagger showing from right over his heart.

Kiryn stared wide eyed as Lucian smiled at her, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth before he pulled the dagger from his chest and tossed it to the side, before collapsing on the stone floor. It was obvious from his lack of healing that the blade had been coated in something and something deep inside Kiryn broke free. A wild hidden heat spread through her as she looked at Lita who was suddenly pale and staring at the spot where Lucian had been.

Kiryn walked around the table, her steps measured even as the blood cooled on her skin while Lita's gaze remained fixed where Lucian had gone down. The woman did not look up until Kiryn was right in front of her.

"Why did he protect you?" Lit asked truly confused

"He protected me because I am his mate no matter the current circumstances." Kiryn said

Without giving a second thought to her actions, Kiryn pulled the sword from the guard's belt standing next to her and ran it through Lita's heart, jerking the blade upwards. Blood arched over her even as Lita's eyes went wide.

"You cannot win this Kiryn; Darthax will obey my orders even in my death." Lita said 

"Then he too will die, just as you are."

After the last softly spoken word left Kiryn's mouth, she jerked the sword up again and brought the blade through Lita's neck sending blood arching over the meeting table. Kiryn watched the woman's head roll away before she went back to the group that had crowded around Lucian. It was obvious that he was not healing and the worried look on Malachi's face did not bode well.

"What is happening? Why isn't he healing?" Kiryn asked suddenly worried herself

"The dagger was laced with some sort of poison, not only is it making it impossible for him to heal...it is spreading through his system. If this keeps up then he is going to die. Malachi said softly

Despite everything that had happened Kiryn felt a strange twisting in her heart as she looked down at Lucian's bleeding body, his eyes closed tightly against the pain. It was then she caught a slight hint of his blood, but there was something else in it, something she had smelled before but was unable to place a name to. She stood there unable to do anything as Lucian was lifted by two of his brothers as they quickly took him to his room and called for the healer.

She stayed in place long after everyone had left the chamber doing her best to search her memory for the name to the smell. She could only remember that it was a deadly posion, something that had not been used in centuries by any race. Something that was old, yet she knew the scent almost as if she had been trained to identify it, the smell something akin to roses and sweet wine. All the sudden a thought flooded her mind and she rushed to Malachi's study where she had found book weeks ago that might be of some use.

Sitting down at the desk she flipped through it looking for a name, the name that she hoped it wouldn't be, but once she found it her hope was dashed. Locanis Poison, the most potent and the rarest form of poison that had ever been created, it was also the most deadly and no true cure was known. It stopped all increased healing, making whomever it was used against heal like an aged human. It would then spread throughout the body slowly eating away at the organs and the person would die.

Kiryn leaned back in the chair and went over a mental list in her head that she hadn't known was there before. If she could summon Darthax she was sure that she could give him something that would entice him to save Lucian, if he even could. The other alternative was to use her knowledge of herbs and healing and try to save him herself before she had to fight Darthax. Heaving a sigh she stood and made her way to the garden's looking over the various flowers and herbs that grew there. 

She knew that her blood held healing properties and it could be used in whatever she made, though she would have to use a great deal of it for it to be able to work. She remember that Moons Breath was an herb that was used to slow if not stop the flow of poison, and that Grangerroot was used to forcefully purge the body of anything that would be harmful but it would be painful.

Bending down she stared picking herbs as she found them necessary and wondered why she was doing this. She knew that she hadn't forgiven Lucian yet and in a big way he was to blame for what happened to her. Yet the thought of him never being there seemed to rube her the wrong way, it was as if her heart was tearing as the thoughts went through her head. Maybe it was because he was her mate even if she wasn't pleased with him and even if she no longer trusted him completely. Whatever it was, she knew she couldn't let him die, he was too important to her.

Kiryn stopped near the Night Roses that at the moment were closed and seemed to be sleeping. Their black petals seemed to shine slightly, almost as if they were crying for some reason, their scent was still strong and it made her sway towards them slightly. It was then that she knew what the last ingredient she would need and somehow she knew that it would work. 

Taking her cutters she cut four blooms from the bush and hurried back to her room closing the door tightly and then went about setting up her equipment. She made sure that all light was kept from the room; the only exception was the candles that she had spread around. She changed out of her clothing, leaving on only a thin nightgown knowing it was going to get dirty.

She spent the next three hours grinding and mixing the herbs, boiling them and extracting their juices. Finally the only things left to do were to add the night roses and her own blood. Carefully she pulled the petals off, making sure she didn't tear any of them as she stripped each bud and added them to a pot of inch deep boiling water. Finally it was done and she dumped in the night rose extract and grabbed the knife that she had sitting next to her. Taking a deep breath she sliced her arm open over the boiling mix and let it flow into it as it hissed and steamed. She could feel her energy draining away but she didn't allow herself to heal yet, not until she was sure that enough of her blood had been added.

Finally she healed herself and dipped a spoon into the mix and lifted some into the clear quartz vile, one of thirteen that were lined up along the edge of the table. Once every vile was full, Kiryn wrapped them in a white silk cloth before placing them in a cedar case. Grabbing the case she left her room and made her way to Lucian's room, ignoring the startled looked she received from those who worked here.

She entered without knocking, uncaring of everything but to give Lucian the first dose of the remedy. Malachi saw her and shot to his feet, his eyes wide as he racked them over her, making her finally look into the mirror to her left. Her once pristine nightgown was now covered in different colored liquids and blood from her work. Her hair was in disarray falling down her shoulders in a wild curtain. She had dark circle under her eyes, a hint at how much she was drained from giving her blood.

"What happened to you?" Malachi asked as he hurried over to her side his eyes looking for injuries.

"I found the cure for his poison; it just was a messy process. I made extra as well, but she should only need one full vile, but only a fourth at a time." Kiryn said as she shoved the box towards Malachi turning to leave.

"Where are you going?" Malachi asked

Kiryn turned, a smile that gave even Malachi the chills flashing across her lips.

"I have someone I have to kill."

Without waiting for a response, Kiryn turned and left the room, a burning determination flaring to life inside her. She would kill Darthax not only for being the cause of her abuse within the castle, but also for everything he had ever done to anyone inside this family. With her silent vow, Kiryn went to change into a set of clothing that for all she knew might be the last that she ever wore



Blood Moon: Lucian's Story Ch. 07



Kiryn wasn't sure how she had made it out of the castle without drawing attention to herself, or how she had slipped through the halls with no one noticing her. But that didn't matter right now, what did matter was getting to Darthax before he did anything that would cause more problems than there already were. If what Lita had said about him continuing his work even after she was dead, that meant that she would have had to have given him something that would allow him to stay manifested in this realm. That also meant that he would be harder to send back to his place in Hell and if it came down to it she would have to kill him.

A small shudder ran up her spine as she continued to walk along the dirt road, the long black skirt she wore covered only her front and her back, thin chains that started at just above mid thigh held them together. Her top was nothing more than a tank top and over that a leather jacket. The only weapon she carried with her was a sword that was strapped to her back and was hidden by her clothing and hair. She wondered vaguely about Lucian and if the concoction she had made would help him, but then she shoved the thought from her mind needing to focus on what lie ahead of her.

Her body was completely tense, ready for a surprise attack at any moment. What she got was not an attack but was a surprise nothing the less. Darthax stood waiting for her in the middle of the road, his once handsome face twisted into something that was close to blood lust but was not the same. His eyes darted left and right as if expecting someone else to appear and relax slightly when he realized that no one was.

For her part Kiryn stayed tense, not sure what tricks she would have to expect now that Darthax had no master and she was alone. When the large man took a step towards her she stepped back, not wanting to be close to the monster that could tear people to pieces with one hand. He stopped and looked at her, his head tilted slightly to the side, puzzlement in his eyes.

"You killed my contract holder didn't you? So why are you so scared that you are taking a step back?" Darthax asked his voice surprisingly calm for such a normally crazy man

"She already warned me that you will still finish whatever she contracted you to do after her death. I just want to be cautious." Kiryn said

Darthax laughed the sound more like a rumble of thunder than an actual laughed and for some reason Kiryn felt like backing up again.

"She really did spoil the surprise then. I guess there is no reason for me to continue to try and be polite any more since you know."

Kiryn was ready for him to move; even so she was barely able to move out of the way as he rushed her. The dagger he held still sliced across her arm drawing blood, leather the jacket sleeve with a long slash through it. Moving quickly she pulled the sword from her back and spun around quickly her eyes locking on Darthax's. He smiled slightly as he saw her, a small tip of the lips, but a smile none the less.

"Do you really think that you will be able to beat me?" Darthax asked his voice more rushed than before, almost like he was at the end of his control.

"I intend to." Kiryn replied as she continued to watch him

Something was wrong, and she could feel it. Darthax's energy was off, as if something was wreaking havoc within him even as he fought her. She dodged to the left as he rushed her again, swinging her sword as she went, the blade leaving a long gash across his back. Blood welled up from it as Darthax released a howl of fury and rage, the bright blue orb that suddenly appeared in his hand had her cursing under her breath as she dropped down and rolled away. The place where she had been standing vibrated with electricity as the orb hit the ground, the shock making her body vibrate. 

Whispering words in an ancient tongue Kiryn called upon the energy within her creating a small barrier between herself and whatever other magical attacks would be launched next. Darthax was staring at her again, his eyes darting around to the sides as if he was still nervous and an idea entered her mind. She moved slowly and grabbed a rock from the ground, and went to the right, throwing the rock to the left. Darthax turned to the left and she rushed in, the sword digging deep into his thigh as she spun around, digging a gouge into it.

Kiryn smiled as she continued her attack and retreat plan and within minutes Darthax was riddled with slices, yet the man showed no signs of going down or even weakening. She wondering slightly if maybe she had underestimated his strength, or perhaps it had something to do with the odd golden chain that he wore around his neck. She noted that it had a disk shaped pendent and held the crest of the LeSabor family on it. A thought that was truly terrifying pushed its way into her mind and she almost hoped that it wasn't as it was.

"That necklace, it ties you to this castle and its grounds doesn't it?" Kiryn asked

"That woman wanted to keep me close until I could finish the job. I can't go any further than this or something terrible will happen."

Darthax admitted as he continued to look around, his movements becoming more jerking and much less like the man that struck fear into people. His words struck a chord in her though and they made things a little easier. Every amulet had a weak point and if this one had a limit on how faraway it could go, then all she would need to do is drive him back just a few feet. Kiryn looked at Darthax who had yet to truly move a bit and wondered if she would live through this.

Kiryn lifted her sword again and slowly moved forward a step drawing Darthax's attention again. She stopped and stared at him clenching the rock that was in her hand, watching as another pulsating globe grew in his hand. Waiting just a moment longer, she lobbed it behind him, but he didn't fall for it this time. The electrical energy from the orb hit her hard, her entire body jerking as the volatile and dark energy slid over her. A small cry left her lips as her skin split in some places and blood ran in rivets from the wounds.

"I told you, you cannot win this." Darthax said

Kiryn had fallen to her knees, the oppressive energy staying with her, pain slithering through her mind. She glared and a low growl left her as she tilted her head to the side and tried to stand, but the energy grew in strength until she went back down again.

"Do you give in?" Darthax asked

"She does not."

Darthax spun around at the new voice and Kiryn looked as well, surprise crossing her features as she took in Lucian's face as he stood beside his brothers. She wondered for a moment how he knew she was here, but they were mates and it seemed the LeSabor men could always find their other half. 

"What are you doing here? She told me she came alone." Darthax cried as he took a step back

"She did and that is something that I will deal with later." Lucian said as he nodded to Malachi who moved over next to Kiryn

Kiryn looked up at Malachi as the electrical feeling left her and she fell limp against him. 

"How is he..." Kiryn started but her strength deserted her

"Apparently your antidote works quicker than you anticipated." Malachi said as he lifted her into his arms.

Lucian watched as his brother carried Kiryn and pushed down the feeling of anger that immediately welled inside him. He knew that he deserved for her to be scared of him, he hadn't been able to keep Darthax from his mind and had caused her harm, but he intended to fix that tonight. Returning his attention to Darthax he took the man in and felt nothing but contempt for the creature that though strong, was obviously not in his right mind. The once great warlock shivered now and stood less tall than he once had. This man had caused him to hurt his mate, had caused pain to his sister, and that was something that he could not allow to happen again. 

Lucian moved forward, for every step he took Darthax took one back and a small laugh escaped Lucian. He turned slightly and looked over at Kiryn who was now standing on her own and moved to stand next to Lucian. She looked at him for a moment, her eyes watchful yet no fear was in them.

"This is the second time that you have come to my rescue." Kiryn said gently

She held her hand out to Lucian and though her could tell that she didn't trust him as she once had, he was simply happy that she was giving him at least this. Lucian took her hand and he felt her pulling on her own strength and he pushed his own into her. He had been terrified at waking and finding out that not only had she saved his life then left to fight Darthax on her own had nearly made him crazy. He had left immediately with only his brothers with him and he had truly feared that she would be dead when he found her. Yet she was alive and though injured, she was still willing to fight.

Kiryn closed her eyes and pushed aside her distrust of Lucian, allowing his strength to become hers as she called to the elements around her, the wind picking up in intensity and the ground rolling beneath their feet. Darthax became even more pale, if such a thing was possible and she smiled darkly at him as her eyes flashed.

"Darthax, you have been charged and found guilty for murder, rape, and treason. You have been charged and found guilty for misusing magic and entering another person without permission, for these crimes you will be punished." Kiryn said though the voice wasn't only hers. 

Generations of her ancestors followed through her, each one adding their voice to hers. She shivered a bit and felt Lucian's hand tighten on hers and she smiled despite the pain the was spiraling through her body. She pulled on Lucian's energy some more and looked at Darthax her eyes slowly darkening.

"This wasn't supposed to happen!" Darthax shouted 

Kiryn smiled and lifted her hand, white light starting to grow in intensity from the palm and Darthax covered his eyes trying to escape it. A long cry left him as the light pushed him back and a loud metallic snapping could be heard, and the amulet fell to the ground. Darthax clutched at it but it fell through his fingers and turned to ash before it hit the ground. 

They all stood there and watched as the once great warlock fell to his knees his body slowly shriveling and fell away, leaving nothing but clothing in his place. Kiryn looked at Lucian and smiled brightly as she slowly fell downwards her energy gone. Lucian caught her and held her against him as he looked into her eyes worried.

"It is over now, you are free." Kiryn said tiredly.

"No, we are free. You saved all of us." Lucian said as he smoothed a hand over her hair

Kiryn studied him for a moment and she felt the pull of the tie between them, knowing it was strong and not to be severed. She still didn't trust him completely but she was willing to try.

"You have a lot to make up for." She warned him

"And I will spend all of eternity doing so." Lucian said

Kiryn nodded her head and smiled a bit as her head fell back and her eyes slipped closed.

Preamble

Kiryn woke slowly and lifted her head glancing around the large chamber she was in. It had been over a year since they had defeated Darthax and while the damage he had done to them all was still being repaired, she felt more comfortable around her mate and the rest of the family. Malachi had made sure that she had her own room until she felt comfortable being in the same one with Lucian. For his part he was working very hard to show her how sorry he was and if she would have let him he would have cooked her every meal and do her laundry.

She rubbed a hand over her face and got dressed quickly, rushing down to the dining hall for breakfast. She entered just as the last of the plates were being set on the table and she went to her chair sitting down and nodded her head to Malachi. She didn't see Lucian at the table and felt a bit disappointed but he had been doing his best to make sure she was comfortable and in doing so had avoided breakfast with them several times.

A hand covered her eyes and lips pressed against her cheek and she jerked the hand awa and smiled up at Lucian who was behind her chair.

"I didn't think you were going to come." She said

"Well I can't make you like me more unless I am around." Lucian said chucking 

Kiryn smiled as Lucian seated himself next to her and she glanced at Malachi who was watching his brother closely. She watched as Malachi shook his head a bit as he sipped his drink.

"Kiryn why don't you just give up on him and come with me?" Malachi asked

She laughed at the same line that Malachi had kept giving her and shook her head gently.

"I couldn't do that to your mate. You will be meeting her soon."

Malachi glanced at her than at Lucian who shrugged. He sighed and shook his head waving his fork at his brother.

"You better treat her right Lucian because on false move and I will sweep her away."

Lucian looked over at Kiryn who was smiling at him much the same way that she had when they had first met. He had been scared that he would never see that look again and was pleased that he finally had it back. She was still leery of him but every day they were getting closer to returning to where they had been.

"I will spend the rest of my life keeping her happy I assure you." Lucian said

Kiryn smiled secretly at Malachi who inclined his head and she looked at Lucian who was staring down at her. She reached up and pulled his head down to hers to give him a kiss.

"You better do just that." She said and everyone around that table laughed.



Blood Moon: Malachi's Story Ch. 01



Karry looked out over the scenery that her bedroom windows provided, an intense need riding her hard. It had been too long since she had felt the freedom to go where she pleased and do what she pleased, too long since she had the right to make her own decisions. She would give anything to have the right to decide for herself what she wanted and what she needed. But the demands of her people came before her own, the needs and wants were all more important than what she craved.

She was the leader of a small group of human that refused to ally themselves with any species or kingdom. The group only contained forty people, but those forty people were her responsibly. She hadn't asked for the responsibility, what sane twenty-one year old would, but it had fallen into her lap after everyone had seen what she could do. Karry had the guts to do what everyone else was too scared to do and smart enough to not get caught. Still taking charge over all of these people was wearing her down.

The constant moving and having to fight to stake their claim on some decrepit building was becoming hard for her. Having to find a way to come up with money to get the supplies they need or scrounging around for food was starting to kill her, so was the face of every person that she had to kill to protect her own. Everything was nothing more than a fight of the fittest, it was a struggle to hold onto your sanity and still be able to do what needed to be done. She didn't have anyone to talk to, no one that could comfort her when everything including herself was falling to pieces at her feet. Instead she had to suck it up and put on a mask that said nothing was wrong no matter how bad things became.

She wasn't sure how much longer she could continue this life, how much longer she could slip into her role before she had to break free. Even now she felt like running away, somewhere that no one could find her and stay there. She feared she had very little time left before she left these people, and that alone made her somewhat sad. She cared for everyone and wanted what was best for them, but someone like her was not what they needed.

"Those must be some dark thoughts you are having Karry."

Karry smiled slightly at the sound of the only person she could have ever relied on, her father's friend Thorn. Thorn had been almost a part of the family since before her father passed away, now he was more of a friend that wasn't really a friend.

"I guess you might be right. Are we running low on supplies again?" Karry asked

"No, the supplies are fine."Thorn said

"Then what brings you here?"

"An intruder has been spotted near the back entrance." Thorn said

Karry sighed as she turned to face Thorn and forced the mask of indifference back over her features. She knew without being told that this was something she would have to take care of personally, that no one else would play with their life as she would. Walking past Thorn she headed out the door and down the winding stairs to the first floor before passing others as she headed to the rear entrance. When she got into the room that held the back door to the outside, she closed the door she had come through and locked it tightly placing several heavy objects in front of it.

"I assure you that blocking that door isn't necessary, we do not mean any of you any harm."

Karry whirled around dropping into a defensive crouch at the deep masculine voice behind her, every nerve in her body, both what she was born with and the ones heightened by experiments went on full alert. Several men stood against the fall wall, the only one standing straight was the one in the front, a woman at his side. She could tell by the way they carried themselves that none of them were human which meant only two things. One, they were going to kill her and everyone else for coming into their territory or two, they planned to sell them all off as slaves. 

"What do you want here?" Karry asked as she slightly adjusted her body to take an attack if need be

"My brother wishes to meet the woman who leads these people. I would like you to take us to her; I swear we will not harm anyone. My name is Lucian LeSabor and this is my mate Kiryn."

Karry felt a shiver run up her spine at the name LeSabor. The rumors from every place she had ever been was that the LeSabors were monsters beyond even what they were born as, merciless and ruthless. She did not know that she had been in their land; if she had she would have allowed no one to leave the building but herself.

"You are already talking to me. I was informed that someone had entered and came down to check." Karry answered standing up but not letting her guard down

A look of shock crossed over Lucian's face and he knew Kiryn had the same expression. The feeling of astonishment was quickly followed by anger.

"How dare they allow their leader to come unescorted to a potential threat?! Do they have no idea how dangerous that is?" Kiryn growled

"It is my job to take care of everything for those who follow me, their needs and safety come before my own. I would think even the LeSabors would know that." Karry said sarcasm dripping from her words.

Karry watched as both the man and woman composed their features before looking her in the eye again. This had to be the strangest encounter she had ever had when dealing with members of the supernatural community. They truly didn't mean any harm, and even the panther DNA that had been injected into her and enhanced said they spoke the truth. She could feel her panther beneath her skin stretching to come out, begging to properly investigate the matter for herself, but Karry battled the urge away. She was embarrassed of what she was but more than that, she didn't want to give away her only card too soon.

"Would you consent to come with us to our home and meet with my brother?" Lucian asked

Karry tilted her head sifting through the words and the tone to find a hidden meaning but finding none, which bothered her even more.

"I don't think I can trust you." Karry spoke honestly

Lucian inclined his head which was another surprise to Karry. She wouldn't have thought that any royal supernatural would ever do that to anyone. She watched him closely as he turned to his men and apparently gave them a command that she couldn't hear as they backed out of the building and could be seen heading up the hill. She returned her attention to the woman and secretly scented the air. The woman didn't smell as most supernaturals did, nor did she smell human, the panther inside Karry pacing back and forth at the problem they now faced.

"I can assure you that no harm will come to those under your protection. My brother simply wishes to speak to you as the ruler of these lands." Lucian said again.

-Lucian, she isn't scared at all, instead she seems like she is ready for a fight.-

Lucian nodded to his mate and looked over again at the woman before them as her lavender eyes narrowed in speculation for a moment. Karry glanced over them and glanced at the door behind her finally releasing a small sigh. 

"I will come with you as you have asked, but if my people come to any harm, not even Satan himself could protect you." Karry said slowly and loudly making sure that she would be heard.

"I understand, please come now I am sure my brother is growing worried." Lucian said

Karry nodded and started to follow that woman out, the girl looking no older than she herself did, though she knew better. She also knew that there was something between these two, something dark and though they were working through it, it still hung over both of them. As she left the safety of the building and entered the cool night air, she felt worry for her people as any leader would, but there was also a brief flash of pleasure. 

As they walked, Karry was careful to memorize the way, just in case she would have to make a mad dash back down here later. She wondered vaguely why she was being invited to the castle to talk; after all they could have just killed everyone here. Keeping silent she continued to watch the two in front of her, though her attention was completely on them, her mind relaxed more than it should have been under these circumstances. The wind tugged at her wild mane of sable hair that for some reason under the right lightening had shots of deep purple running through it. She shivered a bit as she scanned the areas that could be used for hiding, wondering if people were there waiting for an order to attack the humans that had been left behind.

"You are oddly quite for a woman who is being asked to come and visit the master of the lands you are hiding on."

Karry lifted her head her gaze meeting Kiryn's and she shrugged her shoulders.

"There is nothing to be said. He demands to see me and I am coming at his order, it is the least I can do since we are staying on his land." Karry said her eyes continuing their scanning

-This woman is an odd one- Lucian linked to Kiryn

-I agree, but I must say I admire her courage in this situation. - Kiryn stated

Silence fell over the group again as they walked up the long road leading to the castle gates, Karry's breathing hitched a bit as she entered the courtyard but she tried not to show it. She had heard many stories of this place, all of them speaking of blood baths and death for those who entered but were not part of the LeSabor clan or family. She should have been more afraid now that she was here, but she couldn't seem to muster the energy for that type of emotion. She lifted her head a little higher as she entered the castle itself, though she had to admit that the dark red and silver tiling on the walls and floor looked nice. Maybe it made the small blood splatters that never got cleaned less noticeable, Karry thought to herself as a set of large oak double doors were pulled open for her.

"My brother is waiting for you inside."

Karry nodded her head and entered the study like room, the walls lined with more books then she had ever seen, the fire roaring in the hearth despite the lights being on. A desk sat in the middle of the room a man sitting behind it looking over the papers in front of him, the pure white of his hair gleaming in the lights. He glanced up at her and Karry felt pinned in place by the icy blue gaze that met her own.

Malachi was stunned for a moment at the woman who stood in front of him, her chin held high and her shoulders squared, just a hint of fiery defiance gleaming in her lavender gaze. She was smaller than he had thought she would be both in height and in size. She could only be five feet' three inches at the most, her body slim and compact like one would think a swimmer might be, yet she held herself with authority and dignity. 

"You may seat yourself." Malachi said

Karry was a bit startled a the husky and sensual voice that came from the powerful looking man in front of her and a small shiver ran down her spine as she sat down in the chair across from him. He was extremely attractive, white hair that was both long and thick framed a face that would have made Adonis envious if he saw it. The dark green long sleeved shirt he wore did nothing to hide the obviously well-muscled build of his arms and chest, or his broad shoulders. Giving herself a mental slap across the face Karry pulled herself from her musings to focus on the matter at hand.

"I was told that you asked me to come here. IS there something that you wished to talk about?" Karry asked

Malachi chuckled a bit and pushed aside the paper work he had been looking over to give the woman in front of him his full attention.

"I think it is best to start off with introductions. I am Malachi LeSabor, king of these lands. May I get your name?" Malachi asked

"I am Karry Strayer, leader of a band of human vagabonds that are currently residing within your lands." Karry answered her worry increasing at the seemingly polite dialogue 

Malachi nodded his head and leaned back in his chair, the leather creaking a bit as he did, his eyes running over the young woman in front of him.

"That does seem to be the case here. I have been watching you since you first entered the LeSabor lands and you seem to be without any real means of supporting yourselves."

Karry simply nodded her head as she watched Malachi, his long fingers touched together at the tips as he rested his elbows on the knee he had crossed over the other leg.

"Do you have someone; say...a male that leads along with you?" Malachi asked

Karry arched her eyebrow at the question a strange sense of foreboding washing over her as she watched Malachi's face.

"There is not, I lead everyone on my own. I don't see what this has to do with you asking me here." Karry said carefully

Malachi smiled a bit, the very tips of his fangs catching the light as he did. He leaned forward a bit and watched her reactions carefully.

"In that case this might work out better than I had thought it would." Malachi said as he rose from his seat to stand with a hand resting on the back.

"What would that be?" Karry asked as she too rose from her chair

Malachi smiled again this time a full smile revealing the sharp fangs and white even teeth. Karry simply stared as she waited for him to speak and when he did his next words sent her reeling backwards in shock.

"My offer to take you as my wife, and queen."



Blood Moon: Malachi's Story Ch. 02



Karry stared at Malachi a moment longer before she burst into laughter,not because she actually found humor in the situation but because she could not believe what he had just said to her. This man, this vampire, who ruled and headed the family that so many beings feared, was asking her a seemingly normal human woman to be his queen. There had to be something wrong with him she knew that now. When she finally caught her breath, she glanced up at Malachi,her lavender eyes watering with tears of mirth.

"I'm sorry but I think I misheard you, did you really just ask me to be your queen?" she asked

"I did yes, though I don't know why you would find that so funny." Malachi replied his voice showing his confusion

"I am human, I have a group of vagabonds that follow me. What do I possibly have that would prompt you to make an offer like this?" Karry asked

The question hung in the air between them for a few moments before Malachi turned back to his desk and lifted a file from it, one that suddenly made her blood run cold.

"Before your father and you disappeared from the world, you were once a rather wealthy family that lived on the Lorna family grounds. It says here that your father had you admitted for testing under the scientist Dr. Roland Mason, the man who is renowned for his work in DNA engineering." Malachi said as he looked down at the file he held

Karry felt her breath freeze in her lungs for a moment before it exited her body in a fast exhale. She had been certain that when Mason had went under ground he had destroyed all the files that could be used to link him to his research, apparently she had been very wrong. 

"I don't see what that has to do with your offer of marriage." Karry said trying to play it off

Malachi gave a glance at the woman trying his best to hid his exasperation, surely she could see that he knew what had been done to her. She should know that he was offering her protection, or...maybe she had yet to hear the news of what was happening.

"I know that you were one of his experiments that he is trying to pretend don't exist, and right now there is a radical group that is trying to find and kill any of the people he worked on. You managed to live and thrive despite what he did to you, which means this group will be looking for you and the people you lead." Malachi said patiently

Karry nodded her head, she had not heard of this threat and even the excuse of it did not explain to her why he had offered her marriage. Apparently the look on her face made him aware of her confusion and so he continued.

"There are reports from several families that hold land and a few of the still existing human towns that many people fear you. There has been documents thats state that people have seen you shift your forms and that you are a strong leader, one who will do whatever you have to so that you can protect those people that follow you. That is why I am offering this marriage, I need more people that will defend my lands and you will need protection. The only way I can ensure that you receive that protection is if you are married to me." 

Understanding hit her then and she felt a bit odd for not getting it right away. The LeSabor family was always under attack, other families wanting their lands and wanting to be the ones that were known for taking down the most powerful family known across many lands. With her abilities she would be able to find any spies that had been sent here to try and destroy them from the inside. If the group looking for her found her, then the LeSabor family would lose a valuable asset that had pretty much fallen into their laps. If the head of their family married her however, that would cause the group to back off, they wouldn't want to risk the anger that would come from attacking her.

"So this is more like a business arrangement then. I give you what you want and in turn you will provide for myself and the people that follow me."

Malachi nodded his head, his icy gaze running over her again and Karry had to stop herself from shuddering from the heat that curled through her at that look. Her mind must not be working correctly for her to consider his offer, but as much as she didn't like the idea there was merit in what he offered. She ran a hand through her black locks and looked at Malachi from the side as she thought through his words. He simply sat there,perched on the edge of his desk, the picture of masculine strength, and waited for her answer. After several more minutes of deliberation, Karry had reached her decision. 

"I will except your offer." Karry said

Malachi smiled again just the tips of his fangs showing as he did so.

"In this case, I will send some of my men to collect your group and have them brought here and shown to their homes. As for you, I will have you taken to your room and clothing brought to you,we will be married within two hours."

"So quickly?" Karry questioned her face growing pale

"The group I informed you of is at the edge of my lands already, by the time they reach this castle we will be married and you will be safe."

Karry was left with no time to say anything as Malachi opened his office door and spoke to a guard outside who quickly entered and offered to show her to her room. She glanced for a last time back at Malachi who was now speaking with Lucian, about preparations while the woman Kyrin came with her.

"I am so pleased that you agreed to this marriage."Kyrin said her face wearing a large grin that confused Karry even more.

"Why are you so happy about this?"

"Let's just say I have a good feeling about you and I think that you will find something more than just protection here. Come Sera will have all your clothing ready." Kyrin said as they rounded a corner and the guard opened a set of double doors

Malachi sat in his chair listening to Dominic and Lucian as they went over everything they had been working on while Karry had been his office with him. Lucian had made a list of people that needed to be checked out by Karry, their sister Meira had helped with that. Dominic was talking about and going over the plans for the quick wedding,his assistant being his wife Sera and another of their sisters, Amber.

"Malachi...do you really think this girl will be able to help us to figure out who is selling information about us?" Lucian questioned

Malachi looked at his brother and nodded his head sharply. He was still angry at Lucian for what had happened with Kyrin and was still waiting for his brother to mess up so that he could try and steal Kyrin away. The woman was smart and funny with an inner strength he marveled at and a calm outer demeanor that he loved. This move was simply one of strategy, a way to gain what he needed while giving the appearance that he was not still longing for Kyrin. 

"According to everything I have read about this woman she can do what we need her to, if she refuses we can use the people she cares for to make her act as we wish." Malachi answered

Malachi could admit to himself that the woman, Karry was her name, was very beautiful and she did appeal to the male in him with her figure and face, but he knew himself well enough to know that a woman who was also a warrior was not one he wanted. 

"Brother...do you think that this is a good idea? There must be another way to find out what we need without involving ourselves in more trouble." Dominic said, for the first time showing his true opinion of the situation.

Malachi glanced at him and gave a small sigh, rubbing his temple.

"There are other ways yes, but none that will give us what we need as quickly as we need them."

Dominic nodded and returned to his plans while Lucian did the same, leaving Malachi in a relatively silent room. He wondered if he was doing the right thing as well, wondered if involving their whole family in a scandal like this would be what brought about their destruction. He knew that woman was smart, had seen her thinking over every option and plan as if she was preparing for battle. While he found it a good quality for a commander or soldier, he was unsure if he liked the idea of having the same thing in a wife. Kyrin had warned him long before that he would find his true mate soon, one that he would normally have hated but that he would be unable to resist. While he didn't put much stock in the idea of psychics, coming from Kyrin he had to wonder.

Malachi stretched his legs out before him and reached for the glass of warmed blood wine that sat on his desk and took a sip. He hoped that he was doing what was right and that this woman would not cause harm to his family otherwise he would kill her.

*..................*................*................*................*

Karry sat still while the woman called Sera messed with her hair, Kyrin was doing her make-up and another woman, one they had called Nicolia was busy finding jewelry for her. One of the Malachi's brothers named Ashely was in the room and he was watching everything that was happening with a careful eye, all the while doing his best to make her laugh.

"You know, that dress actually suits you well." Sera said as she moved in front of Karry to admire her work, "I think when we are done you might just be one of the most beautiful brides that has ever graced this castle."

Karry opened one eyes and looked at the small woman in a strange way before she spoke, her lips barely moving as Kyrin was applying color to them.

"You do know that this is a business transaction between myself and your brother right?"

Sera waved her hand and chuckled a bit as she winked over at Kyrin who gave a secret smile back.

"I think that is what it is now, but I have a feeling you might actually come to like Malachi. He may seem cold but he is really a wonderful man." Kyrin said gently

Karry looked down at the woman and had to fight to keep from tilting her head in a move that was strangely like her cat, the one that was even now prowling around inside her.

"I do think he is very good looking and he doesn't seem bad, but he made it quite clear that this was business, his tone let me know that he was not looking for emotions in this." Karry replied as Ashley helped her to her feet so the tall Nicolia could add the jewelry.

She was looking in the mirror at the time, surprised by how she she looked, she she missed the wordless conversation that Kyrin and Sera held with their eyes. Karry would admit that Sera had been correct, the dress which was a soft purple that matched her eyes and trimmed with a cream lace overlay, hugged her curves that she had never noticed before. The skirt flared a bit at her hips giving a bell style effect, the silk material moving gently around her with each move that she made. The chocker about her through was a cream color as well, small chips of Amythest had been sewn onto it. A few ribbons had been braided into her hair which was mostly piled in a messy bun on the top of her head though several choice strands had been left to hang down. She really did look like a vision and it made her want to hug the women that had helped make her look this way.

When she turned to face the women they had finished their 'talk' and now wore smiles that matched her own as they looked over her.

"This dress was defiantly the right choice for you, it matches you so well." Kyrin said

"Thank you."

That was the only thing Karry could squeeze out passed the lump that had formed in her throat. She wasn't used to people treating her this kindly and it touched her to her heart which until this moment she would have sworn didn't exist.

"Well,its time to head downstairs then, we have a wedding to preform." Ashley said with a dashing smile.

Karry nodded her head and took the man's arm as he led her from the room, Kyrin and Sera in front of her, Nicolia behind her holding the train on her dress.



Blood Moon: Malachi's Story Ch. 03



Karry felt nervous as she stood next to Malachi at the small altar that had been placed at the head of the large marble conference room. She wasn't sure why to be honest, she knew that this was nothing more than a business marriage, yet standing next to the man beside her she simply felt anxious. Malachi was wearing some thing akin to a suit, though the leather pants he wore was a bit odd to her, yet she had to admit he looked excellent in them. She glanced once more at him shyly before returning her attention to the words that were being spoken by the man who was wedding them.

Malachi felt each glance from the woman, felt the surge of heat each time she glanced over his body with open speculation but he ruthlessly pushed aside the lust. She was his tool, nothing more could come of it. He admitted to himself that the gown draped over her thin body was alluring in a way that he hadn't expected, yet his heart still belonged to Kyrin. He glanced at Kyrin who was standing next to Lucian and tried his best to keep his brother from noticing the longing on his face. With a inward sigh Malachi returned his attention to the woman in front of him, knowing that once he had what he wanted he would discard her as he did all useless tools.

Karry fidgeted as she held her hand out as she was asked, her eyes widening a bit as the ancient dagger was sliced across her palm then Malachi's. They pressed their palms together as the magic man made minister wrapped a length of white ribbon with several colored ribbons around their wrists. There was a meaning to each color and the man spoke of them as he wrapped them around over the white, but the words didn't process in her brain, she was to startled by the feel of Malachi's warm hand. Several more nerve wrecking minutes passed and they were declared husband and wife, king and queen. Malachi leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on her lips, and she felt it all the way down to her toes.

People rose from their seats and bowed to her as Malachi lifted their bound and bleeding hands for all to see. Karry knew that color rose to her cheeks and she lowered her head to allow her hair to cover her flaming face.

"A Queen never bows her head." Malachi whispered into her ear

Her head jerked up and she shot a sideways glance at Malachi who was no longer speaking to her but carefully slipped their hands free of the binding placing them in a glass case above the twin chairs. He took her hand and led her to the room next to the conference room, the ballroom that held a long table covered in food. All waited until her and Malachi were seated before they too sat down and enjoyed the feast before they would dance.

Karry was very careful not to look to long at anyone person and was even more careful to not look at Malachi. Half way through the meal a messenger arrived announcing that the group that had been searching for her, using the simple term Hunters, had arrived and were demanding entrance into the dining hall. Malachi nodded his head as he stood,his brother moving to stand behind him while his sisters moved to stand behind her, almost as if they were protecting her. 

Malachi glanced at Karry as they waited for their unwanted visitors to enter, he watched her take a deep steadying breath even as her left hand clenched into a tight fist. Her eyes flashed briefly with worry but it was quickly hidden behind a mask of arrogance and indifference and he had to admit that he was impressed. Most women he knew with a few rare exceptions would have been unable to school themselves so quickly, yet he should have expected such a thing from this woman, she was more warrior than a female in his eyes. He returned his cold gaze to the oaken double doors just as they burst inwards and several rough looking men entered.

"We are here for Karry Strayer and we demand that she be handed over." the apparent leader spoke out in a harsh tone

Malachi looked at the man and smiled darkly as he saw the man grow paler under his gaze.

"You have interrupted my wedding feast and make demands without even offering your name. I find this very rude." Malachi said his voice holding a whip of authority

The man had the curtesy to flush before he cleared his throat to begin again.

"I am David Patterson and I have come for Karry Strayer. She is a danger to all beings as she is of mixed and questionable blood lines."

Malachi nodded his head and would have spoken but Karry stepped forward her face set in a mask of determination that was at odds with the feminine wedding clothing she wore. Her eyes flashed with a bit of annoyance that Malachi had to admit looked exactly like one would expect of a queen who had been interrupted during something impotent

"You will watch your tone when you are speaking in front of my husband and family. Maybe you didn't notice or are to ignorant to see what is in front of you, but if you try and pull me from here I will rip you into shreds while they all watch."

Malachi watched as the man David swallowed with an audible sound and take a few steps back. He could understand the man's discomfort, malice had dripped from Karry's words as she spoke, her face hard and seemingly devoid of emotion. Only he and those behind them would be able to see her tightly clenched fist as she said each word, the knuckles white as she tried to control her shaking. 

David collected himself and looked over at the cold and intimidating man that still remained seated at Karry's side and decided again that she would try and appeal to him.

"Please, you must hand her over to us. We aren't here to kill her, Roland Mason sent us to bring her back." David said managing to speak in a strong voice all the while cursing the doctor that had sent him on this suicide mission

Malachi raised an eyebrow in way of a question all the while watching as blood seemed to drain from Karry's face and her clenched hand shook violently under the table. Deciding that he had to find out why Mason, a man that had previously denied what he had done now wanted Karry back. Standing slowly and wrapping and arm around Karry's waist in a show of protection he stared down at the man.

"Why would Roland Mason send you here to bring Karry to him?"

"He said that he was looking over his records, her medical papers and that there was something wrong, something that made her extremely dangerous."

Malachi nodded slowly and looked over at Lucian who was glaring at the man with dark suspicion. Their eyes met and a silent agreement was made.

"You will leave now. Karry is my wife, the queen to my lands, and I will not be handing her over to you nor any one else. Go now before I have you killed for saying you lies here."

David stumbled backwards and quickly turned and left the room, his man following with him. Appealing to the powerful vampire king had done nothing, instead the icy tone had seemed to sink into his body threatening more than what the king had said. David definitely didn't want to stay around an y longer.

Malachi watched as the humans left and the door slammed behind them before looking around at his court and family, inclining his head for things to carry on as he seated himself pulling Karry with him.

Karry glanced at the man beside her through the rest of the festivities, she couldn't understand why he had defended her the way he had. He hadn't said a word to her since it had happened, hadn;t even looked at her unless he was glancing over her to someone else. It made her feel a bit weird but at least the women and Ashley were doing their best to keep her up beat during the whole affair. Finally, it was time for Malachi and her to retire and have their wedding night, something that Karry knew wouldn't happen yet in a strange way hoped it would.

As she followed Malachi down the hallways and up the stairs to his chamber she felt butterflies swirling in her stomach, their wings seemingly made of fire. As he held the door open for her, Karry lowered her head again as she moved to sit on his bed facing him as he closed the heavy wood.

"You may have the bed as I have another in the next room." Malachi said as he busied himself with pulling the clothing he would need from his closet.

"What do you mean?"

Malachi sighed as he turned to face Karry, his breath catching in his throat a bit as he was again hit with pleasure for her body build and face, the dress she wore spreading around her as she kneeled on his bed watching him. Growling to himself, he shoved away the thoughts and turned away from her.

"I believe we have went over this already. This marriage is not about love or desire, it is about you getting what you want and me getting the same. There is no need for us to share a bed for us to both meet our ends of the bargain."

Karry felt the words slice through her in a way that she wouldn't let show. She may not have been a virgin, but his words reminded her of something similar that had been said to her during her teen years. She watched Malachi's back as he grabbed the last he needed and walked into the joined room closing the door behind him. The soft click of a lock made anger rise within her and she made a promise to herself.

She would win Malachi, she would make him see her as a capable woman, someone that was worthy to be at his side for more than a simply agreement. She didn't know why she felt this way or why she even wanted to make him notice her, but the thoughts were now in her head and they would not be shaken out. 

As Karry drifted off the sleep, to wrapped up in her thoughts to bother changing, her plans began to form, and finally as they dark restful peace took over her a smile crossed her lips.



Blood Mother



She is the oldest of them still living in the city, only a teen in form, but an ancient in power. Her slim, almost-starved looking form is still clad in the old fashions from the 1500's when she had been alive, but the cloth is a much higher quality from the rags she actually wore then. The deep red velvets match the hue of her lips, stark against a white face that will forever show the pinched look of a hungry child. It was that hunger that made her walk this dark path, and hunger that gave her the will to find eternal power.  

Every vampire in the city is her Get and her children respect her above all others. Her will makes them hers to command. They hunt for her when she has no wish to. They go where she directs them to go and kill those who displeased her. Any who do not show her proper respect do not last long enough to apologize, much less offend a second time. That is the way of things.

Vampires entering her territory from other districts pay proper tribute, or they do not leave. The rulers of many cities refuse to let their servants travel through her area, fearing they might offend accidentally and lose a valuable messenger or servant. She rarely lifts a hand herself, of course. Her children are more than happy to serve their mother in any capacity they can. 

In return, she protects them as her mother once failed to protect her. Wounded vampires come to her for sustenance, and are welcome to stay as long as needed until they heal. Her blood is truly that of a mother's, giving her the power to heal them and make them whole without needing the hunt to give them nourishment. This was the gift that her demise granted her, the power to give life to the dead. It binds them closer to her, of course, but one cannot be closer to another than to one's mother, so none mind. Her children bring her the sick and the injured and lay them upon her breast. There, the dead nurse until they are well enough to return to the streets in her service.

Visiting vampires made hers are less inclined to see her as they should, but that is to be expected of foster or adopted children. She has explained to her Get that it takes them time to adapt to their new home. Those few that she agrees to let only pass through, become the foster children in her home, bringing her gifts of great value and blood from the sweetest meats. Those who wish to stay, or whom she chooses to stay, are adopted into the clan, nursing at her breasts alongside her natural children. She never wants one of her chosen children to worry that she would value them less than her natural Get.  

Occasionally one she chooses refuses to drink at her breast, and as every mother, she always mourns the death of a child. Their bodies go to her remaining children so that their power and strength can remain with the clan forever.

Un-life continues. Her children grow stronger, bound under the guidance of a single mother, not jostling for power or favors as other clans do, but loving one another as siblings should and tied together through their bond to her. When sibling fights sibling, as they sometimes do, she punishes them. Their screams make certain that few others give into their animal natures anytime soon. 

Her adopted children have grown in number, though fewer have been sent from other clans. Other leaders have grown tired of losing their best to her, and some have grown angry. If they grow too angry, they send many vampires to her territory. She sends very few back. This is her city, its night-walkers are her children and they bow to no one but her. She bows to no one at all.

He comes to her on a spring evening, blond and beautiful and beaten. She knows his scent. She drew his blood in the last battle with a neighboring Lord who lost his favorite concubine to her flock. She would have kept this one as well, but he had been dragged away while three others kept her distracted. One of those now ranks amongst her family. The other two had given their skins to warm her bed. 

He begs sanctuary from her. He had been a sergeant in the Lord's army, and had paid the price for returning without the concubine and a victory. He is thin and starved, but beautiful none-the-less. He tells her of seeing her in the battle, of seeing her power and strength. He tells her how much he wants to belong to her, to be nursed by her. She is moved by his plea, but her face remains unwavering. He is not yet her child and therefore not to be trusted. 

She tells him the price of sanctuary. He will swear an oath of fealty, as every Lord and Lady demands, but there will be more. He must become one of her children, one of her blood. Every vampire knows that to drink the blood of one's Master gives you into their power, minds entwine, and the will is dissolved when the Master commands. She tells him now of her power, to nurse another at her breast and recreate him as if he had been truly born of her bite. 

She sees fear in his eyes, but his voice is unwavering as he accepted. She sends her other children away. The making of a new sibling is a private thing, only for mother and child. Later, another of her young will re-enter and drink alongside him, sealing his bond not only to her, but to them as well.  He will be family. 

She remains wary. Until the moment his teeth enters her skin and he drinks, he is a danger. Others have been known to balk at this point, dying rather than submitting. Assassins have chosen this moment to reveal themselves, some waiting even until she bared her breasts, thinking her the most unguarded then. It is a mistake to believe that her power comes solely from her children. The assassins too, now decorate her bed. 

He comes to her, almost shyly. He is a young vampire - strong, but inexperienced. He whispers to her about remembering his Earth Mother's hair, and how he once buried his face in it. She smiles and gestures him closer. He buries his head in her hair, in her neck and breathes. She is not worried, if he bites her on the neck he will still be hers, but he will be punished horribly for the insult. 

To bite a vampire on the neck is a slap in the face, an insinuation that they are no more than the mortal-cattle they feed from. Lords share through wrists, lovers through the vein in the thighs, or some other intimate location. She is the Mother, so she shares through her breasts, nursing as if she truly supplies them with life and milk, rather than death and blood. 

He buries his head further in her hair, whimpering like a child, his hands balled loosely, one next to her breasts, one in the hair on the other side of her head. He smells her, inhaling her scent like it was its own nourishment. Finally, he pulls away and looks into her eyes and whispered his thanks for this honor. 

She returns his smile, and bares her breast to him and he looks at them, almost in astonishment. She feels a thrill in this conquest that she had not felt in decades. This one is indeed a worthy find. He will bring strong blood to her clan. 

His mouth hovers over her breast, the heat from his mouth tickling her nipple in a way that is almost obscene. She shifted restlessly and begins to order him to drink, and then restrains herself. She knows from experience how hard this is for many. Too willingly give up their freedom, even in return for her protection, is not something one does easily. He would not be so strong if he could throw it all away in a heartbeat. 

Finally, his mouth descends on her. He pulls hard on her nipple, and then his teeth sink in just above it. There is a flash of pain and pleasure as there always is, a hardening of her nipple against his tongue. Her blood begins to flow, she feels him swallow, and she strokes his hair, at ease now that he is hers. 

"Amon" she whispers "Your name will now be Amon." Her will is complete now, and she feels his reality change at her command. He will now respond to no other name. 

She falls into a half drowse, running her fingers through his hair and whispering words of comfort and power to him. He continues to suckle, and she is pleased. Many of her adopted young take only enough the first time to fulfill the ritual, and are often horrified at the necessity at first. This one though, will truly belong to her, heart and soul. 

As he drinks, his tongue glides over her nipple. It is the power of the vampire to prevent blood from congealing with their tongue, so she is used to this, but he does it often, and she begins to feel restless and annoyed. She reminds herself again that he is young, and that to turn on him in anger this soon might make him feel rejected or less than the others. This will almost certainly cause problems later with his siblings. 

His hands clench and unclench around her breasts, the way a baby's does to coax milk and she smiles down at him, pleased that he adapts so easily. Perhaps his Earth Mother did not love him enough, or died when he was young for him to miss her so. She will take care of him as his Earth Mother did not, this she swears to him in a whisper. 

He pulls harder now at her nipple, with almost fierceness, and she gasps at the soothing motion of the nursing is replaced for a moment with a combination of the initial pain and pleasure all over again. His tongue moves quicker, and his hand slides over her other breast to cover remaining nipple with his thumb and finger. He rolls the flesh between his fingers, bringing it too into a sharp point before she realizes what he is doing. 

She tries to order him to stop, but then he does something with his mouth and the wave of forgotten ecstasy sweeps over her so that it comes out only as a moan. She is shamed and angry. For one of her children to do this is disgusting! To be feeling like his under his touch is worse. Is he the animal here for touching her like this, or is she an animal for being so easily swept away? 

Then his mouth is gone from her breast, and she opens her mouth to cry out, to summon her true children to her side. This one must be punished, the ritual can be finished later when he is more pliable, she must...

His mouth captures hers, sealing her shout inside. He follows it with his tongue, stroking hers, sliding it around her teeth expertly, dragging another groan from her as she helplessly meets his tongue with her own.  She recognizes the heat in her loins now, a feeling not felt in over 300 years, since the creation of her own mortal child. He had been a friend of her father's, trusted and loved by the whole family. When they had discovered her shame, they had thrown her out of the home, refusing to believe her. He had denied everything, turned from her in disgust as she stood shivering on the sidewalk, heavy with his child. She had wandered the streets for months, the baby inside of her keeping her alive. The baby had died. She had wanted to die. Then the vampire had come...

She screams into his mouth, swept up on a wave of memory and hunger. She can't think, can't breathe. All that exists is sensation. She can smell blood, taste herself on his fangs, feel his hands sliding over her breasts in a motion that she thinks might drive her mad. It is as good as hunting.   

She is panting when he stops kissing her. She cannot seem to breathe to call out now. How can she bring her children running now? What will they think if they see her like this? They will turn from her, as her mortal family turned from her. That will never happen again. She seizes his hair, struggling to pull his head away from her, and he laughs quietly. Ignoring her grip, he runs his tongue up the side of her neck, and she closes her eyes waiting for the final, insulting bite. 

He bites, but not to draw blood. Instead, new and incredible sensations run from her neck to her breasts, her nipples drawing even tighter into his palm, his thumbs still running that raw, constant sensation through her, hips twitching uncontrollably at his touch. 

Her hands are on his shoulders now, alternating between scratching to remove him and clawing out of desire. His weight lays heavy up on her, no longer kneeling submissively at her feet, but on top of her, dominating and controlling. 

One hand slides between them, and she knows if he touches her she is lost. He strokes her thighs, the edges of her buttocks, her stomach. His fingers dance through the dark silky hair between her legs, but he does not attempt to part her thighs himself. 

"Open to me." He whispers to her so low that she can barely hear. "I am yours now, as I desired. I would make you mine as well."

She tries to say no, tries to struggle, but she is caught by his eyes. It was that deep blue that had caught her in the battle, her craving for him created in that moment. It is true that he is hers, he had drunk from her, and she had felt her power over him. Yet she lies helpless before him now, unable to command him to stop. She knows now that it was not another child she had wanted then when she first saw him, but a lover. Centuries of denied longing well up, unchecked now as she has surrendered. 

His hands slip between her thighs, her permission given. His thumb rubs against that tiny nub of nerves hidden there, and she shrieks, cut off quickly by another deep kiss. As she gives herself up to the sensation, he lifts her from her chair in one motion, his mouth never leaving hers, his hands leaving her only long enough to shift position. 

He lays her on the bed, and strips her clothing away in a move just as smooth as the strength he had lifted her with. She realizes now how graceful he is, how truly lovely. He lowers himself beside her, running his eyes, and then his hand down the length of her torso. She runs a length of his blond hair through her fingers, admiring the silk of it in the light. His tanned form, unusual for a vampire, makes him look like some great barbarian god against the hides that make up her bed. 

She rolls atop him, now fully accepting that this must be, and once again confident in her control of him. She straddles him, her body naked above his, proud and powerful. She feels the heat of him under her hands, the greater heat under her legs through his jeans. With a jerk, she rips his shirt from him, leaving only useless scraps lying trapped under his back. She runs nails down his chest, stopping briefly to run his nipples between her fingers as he had done recently to her. The gasp this forces from him pleases her so much that she does it again and again until he grabs her hand to make her stop.

Laughing soundlessly, she leans over him and suckles on his nipple mocking herself and him in one brief gesture. She runs fanged teeth over his skin as he groans and grinds his hips upwards into her. She rides his motions like waves, neither matching him, nor moving against him, but simply letting him move as he will and hanging on. 

He touches her again then, sliding his hands into her hair and pulling her to him for another of those hot, hungry kisses. The hands in her hair hold her head tightly, pinching her skull slightly, and refuse to let her move away without his approval. She, in turn, grinds herself against him, making him want her more. 

Everything about him was power and muscle and strength, yet she delights in knowing that, here and now, she can control him even without the bond. 

He rolls her over, in another one of those beautiful, gliding moves, pinning her arms between them, thrusting against her so fiercely that she can feel every inch of him through the cloth. Pulling back, he jerks his jeans off roughly, as if angry that they should be allowed to constrain him. Tossing them to the side, he returns to her before she has even caught her breath. His mouth drags down her face, her breasts, her stomach leaving a hot trail that quickly turns cool in the air. The sensation makes her all the more hot, all the more impatient to end it. 

When he touches her with his tongue, she is reminded of her death. Only being taken by the vampire had compared to this. She moans quietly, unable to even find the breath to shout her delight. She twists under him, but his hands hold her hips firm. It seems that she must escape or die, yet nothing would be worse than having him stop. 

Finally, just before she thinks she must lose her mind completely, he raises his head from between her legs and looks again into her eyes.

"With your permission?"

Yes, yes anything. Anything you want, just don't leave me like this. I need...I need, something... She cannot speak, but he feels her through the bond. Lowering his head again, she prepares for another onslaught of his tongue. Instead, she feels the hardness of enamel, the sharp prink of teeth. He drinks from her inner thigh, the blood rushing out with a swiftness she finds dizzying.  He will kill me, drain me. The thought is muffled by her heart thumping, the beat loud in her ears. Stop, oh god stop.

And he does. There has been no command on her part, only plea, but he has heard it and obeyed. With another sweep of his tongue, he seals up the wound in her leg and moves over her again.

"I want you. Do you want me?"

She knows he could have had her at any time. He could have killed her and she would have been unresisting. He could have taken her, life and with it her power, her territory and her children. Instead, he has stopped and asked her if she wanted him.

"No."

The disappointment and pain on his face is crushing and he moves off of her, rolling to the other side of the bed. He thought she meant she didn't want him. She amends it as she lowers herself on top of him, sliding herself down the length of his body and letting him feel her skin against his.

"Not yet."

She slides her mouth over him before he understands what she means to do. He inhales sharply, and his hands grip her hair as he thrusts upwards, unable to stop himself. She takes it, smiling to herself. Despite her total control over her children, her clan, she has never had power like this before. She runs her tongue over him, down the length of him, circling the tip before covering his head with her mouth again. Slowly this time, he moves himself against her, using his hands and his hips to slide the shaft in and out of her mouth, his pace quickens swiftly and his breath comes in ragged gasps. 

With a thought command, she stops him just before he cums. She stretches herself like a cat, and marvels at how it was possible, after 300 years, to feel so alive. She smiles at him, thinking about all that they have done. He has stalked her, tricked her and given himself to her, all for a chance to love her. Such devotion can not go unnoticed. 

"With your permission." She whispers softly, knowing that even his vampire hearing will never pick it up. 

Licking the saltiness from his tip quickly, she settles her mouth over him again and steels herself for what she was about to do.

Then she bites.

She hears his cry, but only dimly. She feels his blood rush into her mouth, swallows and feels him. She feels his pleasure, his wonder. She drinks until they are both too close to the edge to go any further, and then lifts herself over him. 

"You are mine now." He whispers to her "Now and for eternity."

She feels reality change around them both, and it is so. She is bound to him now, and he will never let her go.

"And you are mine."

Only vampires may love for eternity, bound in bands of blood and destiny. She kisses him, each tasting their blood and juice on each other's breath, their lives entwined in each other's souls. 

She sinks down on him as they kiss and they both make their own special sounds as they make love, each pleasure echoing through the other's mind. Each feels the other's desire, his reflects in her mind, her bliss reflects in his. Each mirrors the other, over endless pinnacles of desire and pleasure that spiral higher and higher until they can go no further.




Blood Mother



And then it is gone. 

They return to earth, wrapped in each other's arms, and drenched in a fine red sweat. She is sticky, sore and bound now to the same servitude she has demanded of many others. 

She can never remember being so happy.   They lie there for a time - she has no idea how long - until she became aware of a gathering unrest from her children. She pats him gently, and rises, dressing swiftly. There will be problems, but her children will accept in the end, adjusting as children always do to a new member of the family. Making certain he is dressed; she turns to the door, preparing to introduce the family to their new father.