Disappointment started to manifest until Jill dropped onto the windowsill. He hurried to open the panes to let her in.
“I was beginning to wonder if you were going to come.” Damien said, his voice betraying the fatigue he suffered from.
“Sorry for being late. One of the clients from my job had me doing some early hour surveillance. You look exhausted. I can come back tomorrow or meet somewhere if you like instead.”
Jill sat down on Damien’s bedside, picking up the textbook off of the floor. “Doing some late night studying?
Damien stretched his arms above his head, his back popping against the uncomfortable way he was sitting. “Yeah. I have a couple of exams tomorrow for my summer classes. One right after the other. I took college classes before but damn I don’t remember them being this demanding.”
A chuckle left her throat as Jill turned the bedside lamp off. “Get some sleep tonight. Tomorrow is one of my days off so we can do something in the evening if you want.”
“Jill.”
“Yes?”
“I hope this doesn’t sound weird but…have we met before? I can’t shake the feeling I know you.”
A knot formed in the base of Jill’s throat. She wanted to answer him truthfully but knew she couldn’t. It was too soon in their relationship to let him know the deeper, darker world he was getting into.
“I don’t think so but it doesn’t matter. We’ve met each other now. Have a good night, Damien. Good luck on those pesky tests.” Jill teased.
Damien rolled his eyes. “Thanks.”
After leaving, Jill stood outside of the house looking up at Damien’s window. He needed to sleep to fulfill his obligations to his school, ending their night early.
Conflicting thoughts of logic met raging emotions as she weighed the options of pursuing or letting him go. Exposing him to her world would put him in severe danger.
I don’t want this life for you but I can’t help how I’m feeling. Dear Luna, am I doing the right thing?
The following morning, Damien's head hurt. The double life he was living was starting to wear on him mentally and physically. There were so many questions buzzing in his mind he wanted to ask Jill but he didn’t want to seem rude.
She was beautiful. The kind of woman any man would give his left nut to be with. There was just something about her.
Something inhuman.
Just like him.
Despite his denial to the contrary, Damien found himself developing feelings for Jill. She felt right to be around. A comfortable presence who seemed to understand him.
He wanted to tell her what happened in his past. He wanted to share his secrets with her. Somehow he knew she wouldn’t judge him.
Their exchange at the cafe was limited to brief small talk and then she'd run once Chelsea came back. The touch of her hand on his leg hadn't left him since the café like it had been imprinted on his skin.
Night after night, even sometimes during the day, Damien found himself wanting to see her.
What’s wrong with me? I didn’t even think I could feel things like this anymore. The feeling of aggravation rose in his chest as he rubbed his face, brushing his fingers up through his hair to try and get a grip on his raging feelings.
“D, hey!” Rob snapped his fingers in front of Damien's face. “You still having those headaches?”
“Yeah, they've been pretty much a constant. I hadn't been sleeping well either,” Sarcastically, he added. “Think I’m being haunted or something.”
Damien ran his hand down his face to the back of his neck. His double life seemed more insane the longer he'd even allowed himself to think about it. Something straight out of Supernatural.
There was no way he could hope to explain it to Rob or Chelsea. Hell, he didn’t fully understand it himself.
Using Rob’s love of the creepy and paranormal seemed like a good way to distract him from probing.
“Nah, you know me, D. I'm not one to put anything past the supernatural. Remember when we were kids? We debated on becoming a cryptozoology team. Investigating the mysteries unknown to humanity.” Rob put his arm around Damien's neck, his other outstretched and moving across the sky. His voice slowing to match the pace and tone of Rod Sterling from the Twilight Zone.
Chelsea smacked Rob's arm. “Come on, Rob. You were the only one who wanted to go through with that nonsense. Damien and I wanted nothing to do with it.,” She turned her focus on Damien. “Tell us about this mystery woman you keep seeing?” Chelsea didn't have to try to hide the disgust in her voice.
“Mystery woman? Wow, D, you're seeing someone? Really?”
It was no mystery that Damien was attractive. However, he never really asked anyone out and was quick to shut down any woman who tried.
Damien sighed. He knew anything he said regarding Jill would make him look more like he needed a strait jacket.
“She's not really so much a mystery anymore. I learned her name when she sat with me while we were getting lunch Chels. It was only for about five minutes and then she disappeared when I looked away. Up until then, I'd only seen her around campus.”
There was no way he was telling either of them the truth. Rob would probably make some dumb, “princess in the castle” joke which would make Damien have to slug him to protect his own pride.
“Dame was spaced out by her when I ran into him on campus. She vanished then too. I never saw her.” Chelsea said as she filed her nails, the sharp tone of disappointment in her words.
“Damn, seems like you’ve got a stalker. Maybe a spirit from the sound of it.,” He leaned in close. “Hate to mention it bro, but do you think it could just be the old southern border overreacting? Maybe your woman-deprived imagination creating the perfect woman for your fantasies?” Rob elbowed Damien in the ribs.
“I’m pretty sure that’s the furthest from what it is. Believe it or not, I don’t honestly run to the idea of getting into a woman’s pants, you pervert. There is such a thing as dating and getting to know the other person first.” Damien wasn’t the sleeping around type. His biological mother made sure of it when he was growing up before Charlie and Sarah saved him.
“Yeah Rob, Damien’s not a man-whore. He's into girls with more class and dignity.” Chelsea commented as she flipped her blonde hair, raising her nose in the air to act more upper class.
Damien and Rob looked at each other then back at her, both confused to learn Chelsea considered herself classy or dignified.
They'd known her since she was nine. If a guy looked good, Chelsea was flirting with him, often earning jeers from her classmates. Most of the time her escapades had been attempts at making Damien jealous. It never really worked.
“Hey, what if we go bowling? It'll get your mind off of your spirit woman and give us some time to catch up since you've been gone, Dame.” Chelsea offered and leaned into Damien's chest, wrapping his arms around her.
“Yeah! Sounds fun! D, you in? I remember you used to bowl some killer games.”
Damien ignored Chelsea's antics, looking around him. His mind ventured off into thoughts of where Jill could be.
A sharp elbow to his ribs brought his attention back to the moment. “Yeah, sure. I hadn't gotten to school you in a good game of bowling in a long time, Rob.” Damien unlatched Chelsea to put Rob in a playful headlock.
The bowling alley was all decked out in its Halloween décor. A giant grim reaper with a dark, creepy voice stood sentry at the front, spooking the children and making them jump as they walked up to the sliding doors.
Their parents had to calm them down before they even entered. Some even ran into the parking lot forcing their parents to keep them from getting run over by the cars entering and leaving.
The walls had paint capable of glowing green when hit by the black-lights every hour accompanied by a Halloween dance tune.
Rubber bats hung from the ceiling and paper pumpkins decorated every table.
Chelsea jumped, squeaking when she went to get her ball an
d saw a rubber rat staring back at her, taking the opportunity to run into Damien's arms.
“Strike!” Damien pumped his fist in victory.
“Damn, D, I'll never figure out how you do that. It's creepy as hell. Almost like you're a pin whisperer or something.” Rob's mouth was agape in amazement. “Alright, my turn. Watch and learn, sisters.” He rolled the ball, knocking down all of the pins over save for two on opposite sides of the box.
“Oof, vampire fangs. Those are never easy to recover from.” Chelsea commented with a slight mocking chuckle. She took a sip of her soda and picked up another nacho to munch on.
Rob rolled his ball hard enough it managed to hit one of the pins, knocking it into the other earning him a spare. “Ha! Eat that, Chels. Your turn.”
Chelsea stood up to bowl. She struggled as she tried to awkwardly roll the ball down the lane, only knocking down the center pins.
In order to avoid embarrassing her, Damien choked back his own laugh while Rob burst out laughing.
“Damn, I'm still no good! Next time we go to a movie or something. I suck at this.” She stomped her foot in frustration.
The game went on with Damien scoring the highest as usual. They took a break from bowling to go sign up for the next laser tag session. Chelsea chose to sit it out, saying it was more of a guy thing.
“Your loss. Course if you shoot as well as you bowl, our team would lose anyway.” Rob laughed, earning him a smack on the arm so hard, even Damien hissed through his teeth in pain.
Damien shook his head at his friends, enjoying his hamburger, fries and soda. They really hadn't changed much in the time he'd been gone. Rob was still his goofy, nerdy self and Chelsea still paraded around like a prima donna.
Not much had changed in Big Timber at all since he'd been gone.
Jill leaned against the bar, watching the three of them as they ate. Her nights together with Damien were doing well to help her form a bond of friendship with him but she still yearned for more.
However, it was becoming obvious that balancing the late hours with his school schedule were wearing Damien down.
Jill didn’t know what to do in order to help. He’d texted her before they arrived, asking her if she wanted to go bowling. She’d refused because of the light of the full moon.
In order to address her needs as a lycan, she had to answer Luna’s call. The late nights were affecting her as well since she worked during the day.
“Hey gorgeous, how about I buy you a beer?” Here we go again. Another stubborn male thinking I’m remotely interested in entertaining him. A quick glare at him sent him running, his tail between his legs back to his friends.
“That him?” The bartender, Alexander Kain asked while cleaning the cups and organizing bottles. He was a fellow lycan and one of Jill's oldest friends from the past.
“Yes. I'm sorry I was late Kain, how long has he been here?”
“I just got on shift. They were here when I arrived so it had to have been two hours at least. You sure about him? He looks more like a vampire.” Kain replied, obviously suspicious.
“It's him. If I was honest though, I don’t really care. I’ve come to love Damien as he is. You got my texts in regards to the late schedule I’ve been keeping lately,” Jill replied, her voice indicating her fatigue. “It’s really starting to wear on me. I’m having to meet the needs of the man I like while trying to keep the lycan in me satisfied. I know it’s starting to hurt him too. He’s having to handle summer classes and our late night talks. I want to be more than a friend but I don’t want to push him too early.”
“I can only imagine how frustrating this experience has been for you, Jillian. Usually we have to fight them off of us. Give it time. He'll come around. Maybe try courting him? It isn’t any different for humans as it is for us.”
Kain always seemed to know what advice to give at the right moment. Though she chose to remain a lone wolf, Jill liked having him around and valued him and his pack as close friends.
When Damien and Rob left for laser tag, Kain sent his adopted son in to fill for the last slot on the team. Clint worked at the same bowling alley as his father. It was his off day so he went in to keep an eye on them.
“Thanks, Kain. I have given thought to courting him but let’s face it, he’s from a different world.” Jill replied, her voice downtrodden, her gaze directed at the floor.
“Don’t stress out over it too much, old friend. Let things take their course. I’m sure it will work out for the two of you,” Kain’s tone made Jill think he might have been let down. “Are the vampires aware of him, yet?”
“Not to my knowledge but you know Demetrius as well as I do. He doesn't stay blind for long. He even has humans working for him to get into his good graces enough to be turned. I've been informed there are some of them serving as bleeders for the vampires now. Makes me sick to think about.”
Demetrius Stone, the current vampire lord of Big Timber’s ruling family, continued his crusade against the remaining lycans even after their arrival in the new world. His constant killing forced them to either become permanently human or hide in order to survive.
“Thank you for being my eyes when I can't be around, Kain.”
“I'm still in your debt for getting as many of us out as you could after we were cornered. You know humans Jillian, they're afraid of their own mortality. They will do anything to stall death and aging as long as they can.”
“It wasn't a problem, Kain. It was the least I could do to thank Pentacost for giving a mangy stray like me a home. We look out for our own since there are so few of us left.” Jill replied, smiling.
She looked over to see Damien and Rob heading back to Chelsea to pack up and leave.
“It looks like they're done and leaving. I have somewhere I have to go so I'll be on my way. The vampires may have been dormant for a while but they are still hunting us so keep your senses strong.”
“We will. Good luck, Jillian. May Luna always shine on your back and hear your song of praise.”
“You as well, old friend. Tenebris watch over you and yours.”
****
After the bowling alley, Jill took her spot in the tree overlooking Damien's bedroom. He'd gone through his routine of taking his shower, pacing his room with his nose deep in what appeared to Jill to be a textbook.
Damien always looked so adorable to her as he read. The expressions on his face changed depending on what he was reading. Sometimes he would actually talk to the book as though the characters or words could respond.
Well, now’s as good a time as any. I hope he still wants to see me. Jill dropped onto the ledge, making Damien jump at her sudden appearance.
He opened the windows to let her in. “Christ, you about gave me another heart attack. A little forewarning would have been nice.”
“Sorry. It looked like you were studying again so I didn’t know whether or not you would want to see me.” Jill dusted her jacket off, sitting on the bench in front of the window sill.
Damien set the textbook down on the bedside table. “Nah, just brushing up on some medical terms. I start my internship this semester. Wanted to make sure I knew what I was talking about when I met the physician in charge of signing the hours sheet. I didn’t think you would come by. I know it’s late.”
A soft smile fell across his chiseled jaw as he averted his eyes to the floor. “I’m glad you did though.”
A few moments of silence passed between the two of them as Jill tried to come up with some ways of making small talk. She was thankful Damien broke the silence.
“I was wondering,” Jill couldn’t help but chuckle at how cute Damien looked as he struggled to find the words. “If you aren’t too busy, that is. I know you like books. Would you like to head to the book store sometime? I can’t go this weekend since Rob and I are going to be heading out on a fishing trip…”
Jill softly placed her fingers on his lips. “I would love to. I wouldn’t be able to do it this weekend either. A client
of mine has me pulling a late night shift both nights. See you Monday for lunch? We can discuss our bookstore date then, how about that?”
“Sounds like a plan.” Damien replied, relieved Jill helped him since he was almost tripping over his own words.
Neither one of them noticed how fast the time flew by. They talked about things like favorite foods they liked to eat, what they did and didn’t like about Halloween and what their favorite music was.
“Wait, why don’t you like the werewolf costumes? Some of them are pathetic, I admit but some are pretty good.” Damien inquired, his curiosity peaked at the frustrated look on Jill’s face.
“I don’t think they’re accurate. I mean, what would a human know about…those anyway?” Jill smacked her head with her fist, realizing what she said, regretting it the minute it left her mouth.
Damien tilted his head to the side, wondering what she could have meant. He glanced at the clock, sighing. Tomorrow was the day he was heading out with Rob he needed to get to sleep.
Jill rose up from her seat, turning for the window to prepare to leave. “I should go. I’m glad we were able to talk even for a short time.”
Damien got up from his seat on the bed, his hand reaching out to grab Jill’s wrist. “Wait.”
The surprised look in Jill’s eyes at the sudden action reminded Damien he’d acted without even realizing it.
“Jill, why don’t you stay? At least until I pass out.”
Her heart raced in her chest as she analyzed Damien’s face. She couldn’t believe he was asking her to stay with him.
Damien withdrew his hand, feeling suddenly embarrassed and upset with himself at what he’d just done. “Sorry. Too frontal?”
“Not at all. I’ll stay until you fall asleep but then I have to be going, okay.” A flirting smirk snaked its way across her mouth.
Damien’s heart leapt in his chest, his eyes widening with joy at Jill’s acceptance. “Really? That’s great.”
Blessing of Luna (Wolfgods Book 1) Page 3