The Rising Moon (17 page)

Images of the memories I had with Emi before her grandmother’s death, came into mind and suddenly I couldn’t believe what I had done. I dropped her body and ran. I wanted to run away from what I had become and what I’ve done.

Lyle was right all along.

I pushed my way through the hands that tried to stop me and through Ryan’s plea to come back. I found myself living out one of my dreams. The air was damp and chilled. My panting breath was becoming faster and shorter. The rustling sounds of the fallen leaves and broken branches were magnified in the quiet and stilled night. I stopped running when my body had become weak and tired. I closed my eyes and took in long and deep breaths to keep from passing out.

Something moved in the shadows between the trees. I saw a shape that was tall and human-like. I took a step backward, unable to keep running because I no longer had the strength to do so. I recognized the form as it stepped close enough for me to the see the flash of lightning in his eyes.

It was Adam.

I took a step closer to him, but paused halfway when I saw the dark, hungry look in his eyes. I tried to speak but I realized I was still an unrecognizable beast with blood covered white fur. I struggled to remain standing, but collapsed to the ground. His hands were rolled into fists and a flash of anger ran through his face. Before I could find the strength to runaway, he launched at me with full force. Knocking the air out of me and sending me crashing to the ground.

Everything went black.

∞
CHAPTER 21 ∞

“
I’M SORRY,” Adam whispered into my ear.

I opened my eyes and found myself wrapped in his arms. I was human again and lying on the ground with his leather jacket draped around my naked body. I blushingly pulled up the zipper behind me and tied the sleeves together across my chest.

“
I’m so sorry,” his voice was sincere, “please forgive me. I didn’t know it was you.”

Dizzy and unable to focus I shut my eyes to try and block the throbbing pain in my head.

He spoke again, but it was difficult for me to clearly make out what he was saying through the ringing in my ears. He swept me into his arms with one arm hooked around my waist. I grew limp in his arms, sinking my face against his solid and cold chest. He cupped my face in his hand and placed a soft kiss on my forehead. I no longer felt scared or pain.

∞∞∞∞

I wasn’t sure of where I was and how I got there. My memory was a total mess. The order of events of what happened the night we went to the Ulric’s ranch was mixed up in my head. The last thing I remembered was Adam and the feel of his cold skin as he wrapped me in his arms.

The bedroom I awoke in had furniture covered with white fabric and at least an inch of dust over it. The bed was large, king size I supposed and it was elaborately made of a hand carved mahogany wood with tall posts on all ends that rose toward the high ceiling covered in a canopy of lace curtains. When I climbed out of bed, I noticed I was wearing a cotton chemise gown appliquéd with lace on the front. It was very beautiful and soft.

On top of the dust-filled dresser was a basin made of beautiful hand painted porcelain filled with water. Beside it was a vase overflowed with white roses. They smelled freshly picked.
Next to the vase was an envelope addressed to me.

I picked up the crème colored envelope and ran my fingers over the embossed scrolls that framed the pretty paper. Inside, it held a note that read:

You mean more than life to me.

Please forgive me.

Forever yours,

Adam

I looked over to the door as the knob began to turn. I expected to see Adam but instead a short, round woman carrying a tray filled with food stood at the door.

“
Good evening,” she said.

The woman wore a black cardigan sweater and a long black skirt. Her hair was pulled back into a high bun. Her face held no expression.

“
My name’s Anne Musgrave,” she said placing the tray on the edge of the bed, “You have to forgive the dust and covers on the furniture but this room hasn’t been used in many years.”

She removed the fabric off a table and chair and wiped it with a damp cloth before setting the tray on it.

“
My name’s Angelia Lafosse. Where am I?” I asked.

“
You’re at the Ambrose estate.” She replied, as she began to remove the white cloths off the rest of the furniture, “Mr. Ambrose brought you here two nights ago.”

“
I’ve been here that long?” I couldn’t believe it.

“
Yes ma’am.”

“
Are you a relative of Adam?” I asked, taking a slice of bread in my hand.

“
No.” she replied. She opened the window to allow the room to air out a bit. “I’m the caretaker of the estate.”

“
Where is he?” I asked.

“
Mr. Ambrose will be here when the sun sets.” She stood by the table and glanced over to the tray of food, “When you’re done eating place the tray on the table in the hall, nearest to the door.” She glanced at the window, “My duties end at sunset. I’ll be back in the morning with your breakfast.”

And then she walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. My stomach moaned with hunger. I licked my lower lip and looked over at the tray of food. The aroma of roasted chicken, potatoes and vegetables smelled delectable. I cleaned up the tray in five minutes. I wiped my face and hands and carried the tray to the table outside the door as instructed.

The house was quiet, except for the usual settling sounds of an old house. I curiously looked into the dark narrow hallway. The walls were covered in a faded crème floral wall paper. I imagined the hall must’ve looked beautiful in its heyday with its wooden crown molding and crystal sconces. I heard a sound coming from the last room on the right. It sounded like footsteps and furniture being dragged throughout the room. My eyes grew wide with fear. I quickly dashed back into my room.

The sun had already set and the dark of night was all around.

“
I see you’re awake.” A soft voice said from behind me as I stood looking out the window.

“
Adam,” I gasped.

With a wave of his hands, the candles and fireplace became lit and the sconces on the wall were shut off.

“
I didn’t mean to startle you.” He cupped my face in his hand. The cold feel of his skin made my face flush red. “Do you forgive me for striking you the other night?” His voice was soft and sincere.

“
Yes.” I replied. I was a wolf when he found me. Maybe knocking me out was the right thing to do. God knows what I could’ve done to him if he didn’t.

“
I’m glad to see you’re feeling better, but you really should get some rest.” He held my hand and walked me over to the bed.

“
But I feel fine,” I protested. He smiled and pulled the covers up to my chin and dragged a chair beside the bed. “Thank you for saving my life the other night.”

He nodded, never taking his eyes off me. “Who or what were you running from?”

“
I wish I could remember. My memory is shut I just remember bits and pieces of what happened that night. I do know we went to the Ulric ranch because earlier that day, we discovered that my boyfr…,” I stopped before completely saying
boyfriend
. “Lyle was responsible for nearly killing one of my friends.”

Adam never took his eyes off of me. Then he asked, “So, Lyle’s your boyfriend?”

“
Uh… we never made it official, but I did care for him a lot. I felt he was someone I could trust with not only my feelings but with my heart as well. Until I saw what he did to my friend.”

“
So you don’t care for him anymore?”

“
Not the way I once did,” I turned my eyes away from him and began to tug on the blanket. “I’ve always been a closed person. It’s not easy for me to trust people. And Lyle made me feel as if I can tell him anything and he would understand.”

We sat in silence for a little while. His eyes were on me once again. I stared right at him wanting to know more about him. Who was he? Was he really a vampire? He surely didn’t look or behave like the vampires I’ve seen on T.V. or read about in fiction novels. He didn’t wear a cape. Instead, he wore a black leather jacket, T-shirt and jeans. His hair wasn’t slick back and dark, it was silver, short, and wildly styled as if he rolled out of bed and bang!...his hair was done. His face was smooth and pale. Everything about him was perfect. And I also didn’t see sharp fangs in his mouth when he spoke.

I knew I shouldn’t be so stereotypical, but it was true. Nothing about him was scary.

“
Can I ask you something?” I asked shifting my body to the side and resting on my right elbow.

“
Sure.”

“
Are you really a vampire?” I just came out and asked him.

In the past, it would’ve scared the hell out of me if I knew I would’ve been sitting this close to someone I thought only existed in folklore or horror movies, but my world has changed a lot in the past several months. Hated by a witch, loved by a werewolf and having a best friend who transforms into a raven---I guess you can say I’ve become immune. I no longer couldn’t go on believing these creatures were fictional characters created to spark fear and curiosity. I myself have become a believer. I couldn’t escape it. For I myself am one of those creatures. A child of the moon, as Lyle had put it. I was a werewolf. A reincarnated, immortal werewolf nonetheless.

He took a deep breath, “Yes.”

I swallowed hard, “For how long?”

“
Too long,” he replied, leaning back on the chair. He ran his fingers through his hair and scratched the back of his head.

“
Have you ever had the feeling of déjà vu? As if you know someone you’ve never met or you find yourself in a place you know you’ve been in before, but maybe in another life? That’s how I feel right now, as I sit here with you. I can’t help but feel a deep connection to you and this place…” I began to say.

He sat up, again. He tilted his head to the side, examining me closely. “Yes. That’s why I can’t seem to take my eyes off of you. You look just like her.”

“
Who?” I asked.

“
Zaria,” he began to say. “She was beautiful, sweet and very brave.”

I began to regret not reading her diary. The night Ani gave me the diary I rewrapped it in Veena’s quilt and buried it in the far side of the closet beneath a pile of outdated clothes. I couldn’t convince myself to read it. I was afraid of whom I was in a previous life and worse of how I lived my last days on earth before I died. But as I laid beside Adam, I wanted to know everything about the two of them.

I plumped down on the puffy pillows, “Sweet, I’ve been called before. Brave, only recently. But as far as being called beautiful…” I shook my head. “You loved her very much, didn’t you?”

“
Yes, with all my heart and soul,” he promptly replied.

“
Can I ask you something else?”

“
Sure.” He replied smiling his slow easy smile.

“
How did you become a vampire?”

The smile quickly wiped away. It took him a moment to finally answer. “I was bitten.”

I rolled my eyes. I knew that’s how a person became a vampire, but I had hoped for something more detailed than that. My dreams about the night Zaria took her life always ended the same. I wanted to know what happened after she plummeted to her death.

“
I know what the wolves did to you the night Zaria died. I’ve relived it in my dreams.” I paused and caught the sad expression in his eyes as he relived that night. “How were you bit by a vampire if you were already dead? Didn’t the werewolves kill you?”

He took a deep breath and stared into the distance, “I did die that night.”

I sat up and crossed my arms across my chest. “How can that be possible? I thought vampires only drank blood from the living?”

“
I died in the hands of a vampire, not the werewolves. You see, after the werewolves left me for dead, I managed to crawl several feet into a hallowed tree. What I didn’t know was that the tree was the resting place of a vampire.”

My brows wrinkled in confusion.

“
Not all vampires sleep in houses or in coffins,” he said. “As I was lying on the ground, close to death, my blood drenched the soil and awoke the vampire that was buried beneath it.” Adam leaned back against the back of the chair. A frown appeared between his eyes as if he was recounted the moment, “He broke through the ground, grabbed me by the throat and locked his fangs on my neck taking with him what little life I had left.