Moonlight Becomes You: a short story (7 page)

"Don't believe everything you read, love," Simon said with that touch of humor she adored. "You'll learn all you need to know, in time. I'll teach you. I'll teach you everything."

He led her onto the balcony that overlooked downtown Atlanta. Already Claire felt stronger, more alive. In addition she felt something she hadn't expected... an increased pull to Simon, who was, in a way she'd never expected anyone to be, hers. Forever hers. He was in her blood, now, and she was in his.

"I was so sure there was a vampire in the building." She laughed lightly and easily.

"There is." Simon said. "When you come into your full abilities you'll sense when a vampire is near."

"I knew it," Claire whispered. "Is there like a supernatural club or something? Monthly meetings?"

"Vamps and Weres don't get along, but we refrain from fighting openly so we won't bring undue attention to ourselves. Existing in a world that doesn't believe in us is tough. Keeping it that way is even tougher."

"Who is it?" she asked, searching her mind for the most logical answer. The young guy from the first floor, Charlie, the handyman...

"Mrs. Tillman. Don't let the doddering old lady act fool you. She can be a nasty bitch when she feels like it."

"But she's old."

"Only because it suits her at this moment in time to be old."

Claire pictured Mrs. Tillman's sour but unthreatening face in her mind, and then she imagined an old lady's sharp yellowed fangs biting into her neck. She shuddered, and Simon wrapped his arms around her in response. "At least now I understand why you were so upset at my teeny obsession with vampires."

"Teeny?" he teased.

"Miniscule."

The moon wasn't full, and still Claire drank in its power. The moon was a living thing which fed her, which called to her like a drug she needed in order to survive, in order to be strong. The moon's rays washed over her much as Simon's hands did, and she knew she'd made the right decision in offering him her neck. No wonder he was so often out at night. To be bathed in the moonlight was magical.

"When did you know..." she began and then faltered. "When did you see that I..."

"That you were meant to be mine?"

"Yes." The words sounded so right, so true to her heart.
Meant to be mine.

"The day I moved in I saw you come in from work, and..."

"The day you moved in?" she interrupted. "Why did you wait so long?"

"I knew if I was right and you were the one then you would come to me, in time. You did so, in your own unique way. You were drawn to me, Claire. That's why you became obsessed. From that first glance, we were united." With his fingertip, he touched the gold cross she wore. "I'm just glad this isn't silver."

Claire turned and leaned over the balcony railing, face lifted to the moon. A cool night breeze washed over her bare body and she opened her arms to drink it in. Even the brush of the wind on her skin felt finer, sharper, more beautiful.

Simon kissed the wound on her neck, a wound she knew would quickly disappear. "You are remarkably gorgeous tonight," he whispered in her ear. "Gorgeous and powerful and mine in a thousand ways." His body was molded to hers, and she felt as if she not only absorbed power from him but also gave back, in some way she could not yet explain. The night was at their feet, waiting to be claimed and conquered. Her life had just begun.

Again, Simon kissed her neck. "Moonlight becomes you, love," he whispered against her sensitive skin. "Moonlight becomes you."

The End

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DeButy and the Beast

Excerpt from

DeButy and the Beast

by

Linda Jones

Chapter 1

Julian stood, his back ramrod straight and his feet firmly planted, in the center of the Sedley mansion south parlor. His demeanor was purposely nonchalant, his face a mask of propriety. He gave no outward sign that his heart was about to burst through his chest, or that he had never in his twenty-six years seen such opulence.

He'd never expected to see the interior of Rose Hill, or any home like it. The Sedleys were a well-respected and filthy-rich family that had made its fortune in shipping and trade since the days of the American Revolution. They were known not only for their fortune, but for their place in North Carolina society.

Elizabeth Sedley, matriarch of the Sedley clan, paced before a cold fireplace, wringing her hands in an uncharacteristic display of nervousness. She was attractive, still, for an older woman. Her hair was stark white, her face only lightly wrinkled. She stood barely five feet tall, and while she was far from thin, she was not what one would call heavy, either. Healthy, Julian thought as he watched her. She looked extraordinarily healthy.

"You are aware of my situation," she said, keeping her voice low.

"Yes," Julian said simply. Who was not aware? The reappearance six months ago of Mrs. Sedley's granddaughter, who had long been assumed dead, had stirred up much excitement. The girl had been thought lost at sea, along with her parents, nearly twelve years ago. Her mother and father had perished when their ship went down in a storm, but the girl had drifted to the Caribbean island of Puerta Sirena. Mermaid's Gate. The idyllic island was inhabited by a ragtag group of people. A few of the original Hispanic natives coexisted with pirates from around the world who, for the past one hundred and fifty years or so, had made the island their home. Apparently they had made a retired English pirate their king.

"I've tried everything," Mrs. Sedley said in a lowered voice that spoke of desperation and confidence. "In the past six months we have lost eight tutors, three governesses, and five companions. Most do not last a full day. It's not entirely Anya's fault," she said a mite defensively. "On the island where she has lived the past twelve years of her life, she was called a goddess. She was treated like a queen. She is understandably having difficulty adjusting to this new lifestyle."

"Understandably." Julian's nose twitched. He had heard the stories of the heiress's behavior since her homecoming. In muted whispers, the gossips were calling Anya Sedley the Beast of Rose Hill.

"My granddaughter can be difficult." Mrs. Sedley glanced his way, her eyes pleading. "But she is also bright and lovely, and she needs a guiding hand. That's all she needs," the old woman said optimistically. "A firm, guiding hand."

Julian's heart sank a little. He now knew why he had been summoned. He was not a tutor, he was not a companion. And even if he were, he had no desire to take on the Beast of Rose Hill.

"She reads constantly," Mrs. Sedley said, a note of pride in her voice. "And speaks not only English, but quite a bit of French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and... some island nonsense. Sometimes all in one sentence, and from the tone of her voice I suspect that much of what she says is inappropriate for a lady, but still... such knowledge is an accomplishment, don't you agree? Why, she's already read everything in my library, and is rereading her favorites. If only she had the proper guiding hand."

"Mrs. Sedley..." Julian began, anxious to cut the elderly lady off before this conversation went any further. The longer he stood there, the more desperately she pleaded, the more difficult it would be to say no.

Apparently she knew his weakness quite well. She did not give him an opportunity to continue. "A tutor is not enough," Mrs. Sedley said quickly. "Anya needs someone to take her well in hand. Someone of high moral character who will dedicate himself twenty-four hours a day to her reformation. Someone who—"

"Mrs. Sedley..." Julian tried again.

"A husband who will take this wild creature and transform her into the lady she should be," the old woman finished, undaunted by the interruption.

"A husband? Mrs. Sedley, surely you don't expect—"

"Your grandfather was a good friend of mine," she interrupted.

"I know."

"He shared your interests," she said, walking unerringly toward him, the gleam in her eyes strong and intelligent. Elizabeth Sedley would soon be sixty-eight years old. Her face might be wrinkled, her hair snow white, but there was youth and vigor in her eyes. "A study of cultures not our own, a dedication to academics."

She played on his weakness. A physician by training, Julian had no tolerance for sick people. He was awkward around his patients and much preferred research. Like his grandfather, he was fascinated by tribal cultures. Their similarities the world round. Their differences. Unfortunately, such study would take years. A lifetime. And it would also take lots of money—money he did not have, thanks to his father's love for and bad luck with games of chance.

Mrs. Sedley faced him bravely, tilting her head to look him in the eye. "Marry my granddaughter," she said succinctly. "Turn her into a young woman worthy of her station by her twenty-first birthday, and you shall have your own ship from the Sedley line, a worthy crew, supplies, and whatever funds you need to get your studies underway."

Julian's heart thudded. He was not so sure he would be able to hide his excitement. "When is her twenty-first birthday?"