Blood Moon (Moon Books) (12 page)

“What’s glamouring?” I asked.

“Don’t you watch TV?” PC laughed.

“Apparently not the right TV,” I answered.

“Glamouring is Vampire 101,” Noah told me. “We can use our minds to convince people that they want the same thing we do.”

“You can?”

“To a point.”

Hmmm. I stored that one away for later.

“And scenting?” I was pretty sure I’d figured that out, but I wanted to check.

“I’m like a wolf, right?” PC said “So, I can use scents in ways you can’t even imagine. I know the smell of fear, or the way someone sweats when they’re lying, Leila.” We all grinned at that. “It’s fairly instinctual, but I can attempt to turn it off for our purposes.”

“I feel like the dorky kid sitting at the popular table,” I complained.

They all laughed at me and Noah put his arm around my shoulder. I nuzzled his neck for a second before I laughed and pulled away. “Hey! You’re just trying to see my cards!”

“I’d love to see your cards,” he leered jokingly, giving me an exaggerated sexy smile.

Jason and PC made gagging noises and threw popcorn at him. Leila just raised her eyebrows and smiled serenely.

* * * *

The game went on for another hour or so, until it became obvious that, rules or no rules, everyone was using their gifts to cheat so outrageously that we weren’t even playing poker anymore. The second game had completely taken over and I couldn’t even try to compete.

I wandered into the kitchen to grab another soda from the fridge. Even though it was late, the night was still warm and a cold drink sounded really nice. I was reaching for the bottle when I felt a presence behind me. Suddenly on edge, I whipped around only to see the tiny little vampire Leila standing in the doorway watching me with a smile. Her impossibly small stature combined with the two long thick pigtails that trailed down the front of her shirt made her look like a schoolgirl. I let out my breath slowly.

“You scared me,” I told her with a grin.

She giggled. “It’s good to know that you’re not too complacent. Get tired of the game?” She gestured with her head at the wildly betting group behind her.

“We all know I wasn’t really playing. I can’t compete with you guys.”

She nodded ruefully. “You know, you fit in so well with us I keep forgetting that you’re human.”

She may have forgotten but I thought about it constantly. Since the idea of becoming a vampire had leapt into my mind it was all I could seem to concentrate on.

“What’s it like to get turned?” I asked. I’d wanted to ask Noah but I was afraid he’d freak out if I even mentioned it.

Leila smiled. “It was so long ago. I can barely remember.”

“How long ago?” I turned red. “I mean, I know you’re not supposed to ask girls how old they are, but—”

“It’s okay,” she laughed softly. “I don’t mind. It’s not like I look my age. Let’s just say the Greeks were still a major naval superpower when I was human.”

“But that was—”

“Around the time when my people were fighting Leonidas and the Spartans at Thermopylae.”

“Wait, that really happened? Like in the movie?”

“More or less,” she answered with a wink.

“The things you must have seen,” I whispered, feeling like it was inappropriate to talk out loud somehow.

“I’m still the same person I was an hour ago, Zack. You’re looking at me like I’m the Virgin Mary.”

“More like Athena or something.” At that she laughed outright.

“I’d love to see you tell Jason you think I’m the goddess of wisdom. He might have something to say about that. But to answer your question, I was turned by choice, as I’m assuming you’re considering. It was painful, that much I remember. Definitely didn’t feel like the regular bites.” She winked at me. She had to have known what Noah and I were doing. I’d never thought to check Jason’s neck for bite marks, but I was sure he’d have a few as well.

“You said you were turned by choice. Who did it?”

“My husband. We were together for many years before he was killed.”

“By a hunter?”

She nodded.

“I’m so sorry,” I mumbled.

“Zack, it’s okay. It was nearly two hundred years ago. I still miss him, but I’ve found someone else who will put up with me.” She smiled. “It broke my heart, though. As far as I know, he’d never killed a single human, other than in war when he was a soldier. The hunters simply refuse to believe that we are capable of decency.”

“I don’t know how they look at you, or at Noah, and see a monster. You’re such amazing people. I’ve never met anyone with a bigger heart than him.”

She reached up and cupped my face with her cool hand. “He loves you so much. It makes me happy to see that you feel the same.”

I turned red but I smiled at her words. “I do,” I answered simply, unable to say much more. It had been such an emotional few weeks.

“You want to get back before they miss us?” She could probably tell I was feeling a bit overwhelmed. I nodded wordlessly and followed her back to the living room.

“Hey, baby,” Noah greeted me when I sat down. I laid my head on his shoulder for a second and kissed his cheek.

“Hey.”

“You wanna be dealt in?” PC asked.

I rolled my eyes and smiled. “Like I was really playing. I’ll just be happy to watch.”

“Suit yourself.” PC shuffled the deck expertly and began to deal.

* * * *

They were in the middle of their next hand when the front door suddenly creaked open. I could feel the tension immediately explode. PC reached under his chair, and I heard the metallic clink of a safety being removed. Little tiny Leila suddenly looked more than formidable, her fangs glistening and her eyes wild. Even Noah tensed, automatically putting his body in front of mine.

A woman, who actually looked like little more than a girl, floated through the door in a flurry of scarves and designer purses. In half a heartbeat, everyone but me relaxed. I finally breathed when I saw them smiling at the lovely creature.

“Mom!” PC called, standing to greet the diminutive woman with wildly curling chestnut hair and the golden eyes of a wolf. As soon as he said the word, I could see the resemblance in their faces. “What are you doing in town? I thought you and Dad were in France.”

I leaned over to Noah. “Why does PC’s mother look like a teenager?”

“I’ll explain later,” he whispered back, and rose. “It’s good to see you, Sabina.” He gave her a tight hug.

“Hello, my dear.”

Her voice was faintly accented and sounded much more mature than her appearance would have led me to expect. They hugged for a long moment before pulling back. She looked around Noah’s shoulder, regarding me curiously. I got the feeling that she was a kind of mother figure for him. I knew it was important for her to like me.

“Sabina, this is my boyfriend, Zack.” I stood and shook her hand.

She sniffed at me delicately. “Human, no?” she asked, her nose puckering slightly. You make it sound like it’s a disease.

“Mother, don’t be a snob. You married a human, if I do recall.”

She smiled. “Yes, I did. I apologize, Zack. We don’t spend much time in the human community anymore. It was a bit startling.”

“That’s okay,” I answered, thrown off by her regal nature. As young as she looked, I’d never met anyone who seemed so...sophisticated.

“You never said why you were here, Mom.”

“Your father got a call from his cousin Andre. He said there was a new coven of vampires in the city, a bit nasty according to reports of their activity.”

Noah’s body went silent and still all of a sudden. I could feel the tension rolling off of him. Nobody had to ask what he was thinking.

“How many?” His voice was quietly intense.

“Two males and a female, from what most can tell. There may be more.”

“Does anyone know when they got here?”

Sabine shook her head. “Noah, darling, you have someone to protect now.” She gave me a significant look. “No more chasing ghosts.”

He took a deep calming breath and nodded. I decided right at that moment he and I needed to have a serious talk when we got back to the apartment.

“You’re right, Sabina. I don’t want to put Zack or myself in serious danger. Please let me know what you find out, though.”

I could sense his disappointment. He really did want to find the vampire who had killed his parents and nearly killed him as well. There was something else there other than disappointment, another vibe from Noah that worried me, but I couldn’t put my finger on the feeling so I tried to ignore it.

“So you guys hunt too?” I asked.

PC and Leila nodded.

“We try to deal with the problems before the human hunters catch wind of them. The bad seeds draw attention to us when we’d rather stay well under the radar. They don’t do much for our campaign to make the hunters believe that we’re decent either. The more violence caused by rogues, the worse it makes us look.”

PC’s explanation made perfect sense but it didn’t mean I wanted Noah out hunting. I wished there was some way I could tell him not to without sounding completely selfish. PC turned to my quietly frustrated boyfriend, who’d looped his arm around my shoulders.

“We’ll keep you in on what’s happening with this new group, Noah. You’ll know everything the second we find it out.”

“Thanks guys.” He still seemed a little down, but it was understandable. I became even more resolved to talk to him later. I squeezed Noah gently, with my hand that was resting on the back of his hip. He looked down at me and gave me a small smile before returning his gaze to the others.

“Hey guys, I think Zack and I are going to head out. I need to make a snack run before we head home.” I got a warm little feeling in my stomach when he called the apartment home. Leila gave Noah a searching look. I thought maybe she could also tell there was something up. Leila, and surprisingly Sabina gave both of us long hugs. Jason and PC both waved.

“Night everyone,” I said as we headed for the door.

“Be careful, you two,” Leila cautioned.

Okay, she was definitely reading it too. Underneath the resignation it was there. And I’d figured out what it was.

That was one thing about knowing my boyfriend so damn well. I could tell he was planning something and it scared the hell out of me. I’d seen that look on his face when we were kids and he’d told his mother he wouldn’t climb the big oak in their yard. We’d ended up in the emergency room that night while he had his sprained wrist wrapped up. If I’d been there the night he slipped out on his parents, I’m sure I’d have seen it then too.

I knew damn well Noah wanted to go after those vampires. It would be better for him to be part of the group than to go off looking on his own. I knew he’d done it before, acted on a rash gut feeling. The result of that night was his parents’ death and his transformation. I was afraid this time would be worse.

Make Me Like You

We were in a cab heading towards a neighborhood that I knew wasn’t one you should be in during broad daylight, let alone in the middle of the night. I hadn‘t been paying much attention when he gave the driver an address, but I sure was now. All of my instincts were on overload. Noah may have been a vampire but neither one of us were the biggest of guys and there were large men with very large weapons in this part of town. “Noh, what the hell are we doing here? This is the kind of neighborhood where guys like us get our asses kicked. Or worse.”

He grinned at me. “I can take them, baby. Don’t worry. I have to make a stop. I wasn’t kidding earlier about needing a snack.”

I gestured at myself silently, not wanting the cab driver to hear anything. I was beyond paranoid about Noah’s family. I had no idea who was working for them. Noah shook his head. I could see him trying to figure out how he was going to answer in generalities.

“You only have that nice gourmet stuff at your place. I wouldn’t want to waste it when I’m hungry,” he said. “It would be like gulping down my parents’ reserve label wine because it was hot out.”

I noticed that we were pulling over in front of a bar that made the one back in Lewis County look like the lobby of a Sheraton.

“Why this place?” I made a face.

“They have great appetizers. Plus, since it’s such a hole in the wall, the foodies haven’t found it yet.”

Got it again: There wouldn’t be any of the usual crowd there to recognize him.

We paid the driver his fare and climbed out of the taxi. I felt immediately uncomfortable.

“Do not leave my side in this place. I wouldn’t bring you in here but I don’t want to leave you alone.”

I shook my head, eyes going a little wide. “Don’t worry. There is no way I’ll be wandering off.”

“Good,” he answered, and held my hand tightly.

* * * *

The inside of the bar redefined the word dingy. If the other place was glamorous and wild and lush, than this place was well...it was disgusting. There really wasn’t a more descriptive word for it. I could imagine why the other vampires didn’t go there. It was the size of a closet and it looked like it could impart disease to any susceptible creature. I didn’t touch anything, simply kept close contact with Noah as we worked our way into the room. There were a few shifty looking characters sitting at the bar and a lady with half a mouthful of teeth swaying to whatever hit from the seventies was playing on the jukebox. I wanted to shudder, but held it in. I didn’t think this was the kind of place it would be a good idea to offend anyone.

It definitely was the kind of place where you wanted to get in quickly and get out. Noah found a willing guy to feed from over by the pool tables. He was the only halfway decent looking one of the lot. After Noah finished, we fended off a few annoying advances and got into a cab as quickly as possible. I was more than happy to get out of there—and looking forward to taking a shower the minute we got home.

The second cab had a plastic partition between driver and us so we could actually talk without worrying about being overheard. I finally let out the shudder I’d been holding onto for the past twenty minutes. Noah laughed.

“I’d never been to that place. Only heard about it. Pretty gross, huh?”