The Blood and Light Series (Six Books Boxed Set)

by Rue Volley

  “No.” I said as Josh shook his head and yelled out “Yes!”

  I glanced back at Josh and he glanced at me. I raised my eyebrows and he sat up, swaying a little from the rush of blood to his head. His hair looked a mess and I cleared my throat and he rubbed his hands through it making it look even crazier than it already did. I sighed and looked back to Johnathan as I pulled on my shirt, and I suddenly realized was popped up on to my stomach and I laughed and looked up at Johnathan. Who crossed his arms and didn’t look amused in the least.

  “Not to sound like a Father, but I hope you practice safe…”

  “Oh my god.” I said as raised my hand up and Josh laughed and stood up.

  “Like you would know.” He said as he stared Johnathan down.

  “Well, you just have to careful.” Johnathan said as he looked at me. Josh leaned into his site of view and Johnathan focused in on him.

  “Especially when you do not know where someone has been.” Johnathan added.

  Josh laughed and stood up straight. “What are you saying?”

  Johnathan leaned against my doorway and peeked at me.

  “Well, you ARE older.” He said.

  “Oh, I see. So because I am OLDER, I have been with everyone?” Josh asked him.

  Johnathan shrugged his shoulders.

  “I can’t say, I am just guessing of course.”

  “Oh I bet you are, like you even know about what sex is, I am sure you bought a book.” Josh said as he laughed.

  “Books are not a bad thing.” Johnathan said and I shook my head and watched them both.

  “Ummm, we did not… we have not.” I said suddenly. Johnathan and Josh looked at me, Johnathan with a strange look of relief and Josh looked like “why would you say that?” more than anything.

  Johnathan laughed and looked back at Josh who turned to him, straightening his shoulders up.

  “It’s not because we can’t.” Josh said.

  “I’m not assuming anything.” Johnathan said as he glanced at Josh’s crotch and Josh cleared his throat again.

  “What?”

  Johnathan laughed. “You sound as if you want to say something more.”

  “What more would I say?” Josh said.

  “Well, as a guy… like you are, I expect you to say who all you have been with… ya know, to seal the deal as to what you can and cannot do.”

  I rolled my eyes but then I had to stop when Josh yelled out.

  “Many!”

  Johnathan looked at me and I stepped up to Josh and shook my head.

  “What do you mean… many?” I asked him.

  Josh rubbed his neck and looked at Johnathan who was grinning.

  “I mean… a few; I have been with a few girls.” Josh added as he tried to look me in the eye.

  “Like sex? You mean doing it?” I asked him.

  “Well...” Josh added.

  “Are you serious?” I asked him.

  “I just… I mean, I am older than you Rue, I dated before I met you.”

  I placed my hand on my hip and stared him down, not knowing exactly what to say but as I always do… I opened up my mouth and my thoughts poured out.

  “Why?... why did this never come up?” I asked him.

  “You didn’t ask.” Josh said as he relaxed his arms and they hung at his sides.

  “So how many?... I mean you said ‘many’.”

  “I don’t know… like 5… maybe 6.” He said.

  “You are only two years older than me!” I yelled at him.

  “I am a guy Rue.” Josh said as he stepped back from me.

  “Oh! I see, so the guy thing is why… and maybe 6?” I added. “I mean I would know how many, if I had.” I said.

  “True.” Johnathan said and both Josh and I looked at him and said “shut up!” at the same time.

  “Rue… okay.” Josh said as he held his hands out in front of him. “More like twenty and that is as accurate as I can get.”

  “OMG.” I said as I turned my back to him.

  “Rue… just sex, that was it.” He added.

  “Oh okay.” I said as I started to walk past him and towards Johnathan, who had a look on his face that irritated me.

  “And you… why don’t you make this thing with Brooke work? Why are you always coming here and talking to me about it when you should be talking to her?” I asked him.

  “Yeah.” Josh said and Johnathan and I looked at him and said “shut up” at the same time.

  I walked out, bumping into Johnathan and he followed me and so did Josh. I stopped at the top of the stairs and turned to them both, my voice way louder than it needed to be.

  “Joshua Barrington… I think you are a whore and even though I actually considered doing it with you, I have a lot of doubt now and Johnathan!

  Get your shit together and tell Brooke that you are sorry and do her already… I know you are a virgin, you told me! And I know she is… because she told me… maybe doing it will just make all this fighting and stupidity go away!” I said. Johnathan swallowed hard and Josh looked like I had slapped him in the face and then I took a deep breath and Johnathan tried to grin.

  “What did you want anyway?” I asked him, still completely irritated.

  Johnathan waved his hand towards the stairs and I then had a terrible feeling in my stomach. I peeked around the corner and looked to see everyone in the living room, party hats on, party poppers in hand and a banner that said “Happy Birthday Rue” strung across the living room. Kai yelled out “Happy Birthday” blew his party horn and Samantha took it out of his mouth and stared at him. I spotted Brooke, whose noisemaker in her mouth had fallen out and hit the floor and I stood up quickly and closed my eyes, rubbing my now sweating hands on my jeans.

  “Oh shit.” I whispered under my breath and Johnathan shook his head and mouthed the word … “yep”.

  The party happened anyway but it was more than awkward to say the least. Brooke said all but two words to me, which consisted of her only mandatory ones, that of ‘Happy Birthday’…that I could tell by the look on her face, she did not even want to say to me. I didn’t blame her. I had just announced to everyone the most sacred of things… something she had said to me in confidence. I mean the whole ‘virgin thing’. She had admitted it to me months ago and I had told her to and we laughed, knowing that at least we felt better to have said it. But we had promised that day that it was between me and her and now I am a traitor. Super Suck.

  My parents, on the other hand seemed fine… in fact I think they were relieved to hear me say it… that I had not done anything with anyone, even with Josh. I guess it was a win for them, but as the ‘party’ wound down and people started to leave, the gravity of what I had screamed at the top of the stairs started to sink in and I felt like crap. More than crap… lets upgrade that to shit, because I think anyone would.

  All the extra people who had been invited had left and it had whittled down to me, Joshua, Kai and Sam. Johnathan had left with Brooke and if I had not seen them inching towards the door, no goodbye ‘thank you for coming’ would have happened at all. It did though, and my hat is tipped to Brooke, who in true Brooke fashion met my ‘thank yous’ with grace. I would have said sorry, but maybe just letting it go would serve the whole awkward situation better. I don’t know.

  I dropped onto the couch and looked up at the banner in my honor and sighed, placing my face in my hands. Josh leaned over to me and I looked at him like the leper I would prefer he feel like right now and he opened his mouth and shut it, I guess deciding to give up. I looked at my Mom and she grinned and glanced at Josh.

  “Very well then.” She said and with that she took my Dad’s hand and walked up the stairs, down the hallway and to bed… as I should too. I leaned back and looked up at the ceiling and then I heard Kai’s voice and clinched my fists expecting to be aggravated.

  “So…” he said.

  Sam tapped him on the arm and shook her head.

  “So what?” I said as I looke
d at him and Theo grinned, covering his mouth.

  “The party was fun.” He said.

  “Oh yeah… it was a blast… right from the time I yelled out the word virgin to avoiding Brooke all evening.” I said.

  “She doesn’t care.” Josh said and I looked at him and raised my eyebrows.

  “What? I mean, she should be more concerned that Johnathan has never… you know, than having someone say that she is a virgin.”

  “Oh okay… yeah, I am positive that she was just doing back flips over the announcement.” I said.

  “Well.” Theo said and we all looked at him.

  “Perhaps Joshua is right.”

  I stood up and shook my head.

  “I am an asshole… that is the only thing that this surprise birthday party proved to be good for.”

  “Oh my, well… if you truly feel so distraught over it, then pay her a visit tomorrow at the library. Take her a ahhh, gift of some sort, something to appease.”

  Kai laughed out loud.

  “Yeah… a condom.” He said as Sam giggled and hit him on the arm.

  “I am not going to give her that! That would be like sticking my finger in a wound.” I said.

  “I don’t think a condom is what she needs… maybe, a boy who can party pop her…” Josh started to say. I looked at him and placed my hands on my hips.

  “You shut up… this is your fault… a party popper?” I said, trying to not laugh.

  “Oh party poppers are awesome.” Kai said as he looked at Sam and I ‘ewwwe’d’.

  “TMI.” I said and Kai grabbed her and planted a kiss that would look hot to anyone but me… who happened to be his sister.

  “Gross.” I muttered under my breath and Theo laughed and tapped Kai on the shoulder and he stopped and looked at me as I grimaced.

  “What?... I can kiss, pretty good actually.” He said as Sam messed his hair up and smiled at me.

  “Sorry… he is a dick.” She said and, he ‘hey’d’ her and we all laughed.

  I looked back at Josh who mouthed the words ‘party popper’ and nodded towards the stairs and I rolled my eyes.

  “I am going to bed.” I said and up the stairs I went and away from yet another fantastic birthday.

  Chapter 4

  New Kids In Town

  Michael broke through the surface of red woods lake with the fury of a hurricane and quickly his wings reseeded into the cracks in his shoulder blades. He took a deep breath and then started to swim towards the shore slowly at first and then picked up speed, losing patience quickly. He felt soft sand beneath his feet and stood up, water tracing his muscular stomach and rolling off of him as if it had never been invited to stay. He shook his head, water splattering to the sandy shore and then took a step, then another, navigating the sudden rocks that protruded from the shoreline. He sliced his foot and stopped to look down as he lifted his leg and placed his hand over the cut and it disappeared, leaving any trace of its existence with only a tiny amount of blood on his hand. He stared at it and then licked it quickly, shuddering from its sweet taste on his tongue and smiled, remembering his need for blood, that had hit him with a force when he first had arrived on the earth a millennia beforehand.

  Michael looked up and took a deep breath, sucking the clean smell of Calvary into his lungs and let it out slowly. Then he continued to walk until he reached grass and looked across the open field and towards the tree line. With one quick movement, not at all traceable with the human eye he flashed towards the trees and disappeared deep into the woods, he dodged and weaved… missing trees and hopping over dead tree stumps and forest floor until he reached a clearing. He stopped and titled his head as he looked at a small body of water… seemingly out of place and focused in on a flower of much beauty, sitting at its base. He grinned and walked to the flower and leaned down, smiling at it and then he smelled it, making the flower appear to shudder from his breath as he exhaled.

  “Clytie.” He whispered and then he plucked the flower and held it up, staring at the long stem and the small trace of blood dripping from the base. He placed it to his mouth and started to drink the sweet blood and the water in the small body of water started to churn and he stopped and walked to the edge and stared into the water until an image appeared, just beneath its surface. He knelt down to one knee and grinned, waving the flower in front of his face and the image moved, looking more distraught than happy to have a visitor.

  “My dear… still trapped I see?” he asked the girl beneath the water’s surface, she moved and small bubbles rose from her nose and mouth as if she was trying to say something. He bit into the stem of the flower and a hand reached out of the water… fingers tight and fist clinched showing pain. He stopped and took his mouth from the stem of the flower and smiled again.

  “I have a proposition for you love.” Michael said and the hand sank beneath the surface and the girl watched him as he stood up and stared her down.

  “It seems that I need a guide of sorts… you see I am on the hunt, for Rue Volley.” He said.

  The girl beneath the surface of the water thrashed about and Michael smiled.

  “Oh, I see you are familiar with this girl… let’s see, how about this? I let you live and release you of your prison, and you help me in my endeavor.”

  The girl stopped moving and slowly nodded and Michael smiled.

  “Oh that will be excellent… let me see.” He said as he held the flower in his hand… then he placed the pedals into his mouth and chewed… the girl beneath the surface thrashed about and then as he swallowed and his wings expanded in a flash the girl was lifted from the water in one quick jerking motion and she hovered in the air above the surface… back bent, head hanging back… hair dripping. She trembled and tried to speak as her eyes rolled in her head and Michael moved his wings in a graceful motion and his feet lifted from the ground. He moved above her and looked down at her body… he reached out and gently placed his fingers on the base of her throat and slowly moved his fingers down, across her chest and then onto her stomach, staring at her breasts through the translucent white dress she wore. He grinned again and then grabbed the back of her head and made her look at him. She moaned as his hand went lower and he touched her in a way that would make any girl tremble. She sucked in her breath in short spurts and he sighed.

  “Flesh is such a tantalizing thing, of which I have missed as I was imprisoned in the ground.” He whispered.

  He leaned up, still gently touching her between her thighs and whispered into her ear.

  “I will need for you to change your form my love… and perhaps we should give you a new name.” He leaned up and gripped her tightly, making her cry out in pleasure and his wings started to spark with light, the small strands of light raced along the span of his wings like veins and as they reached the tips his body started to hum as did hers. Clytie cried out again as his vibration tore through her and caused her to come to a climax and Michael threw his head back and moaned as he too felt the climax surge through him. He slowly lowered his head and Clytie’s image had changed… her red hair was gone, it was now shorter… a light brown and her body had morphed to that of a girl probably the age of 18, her eyes changed to brown, her lips became pouty and her skin became as pale as the lightest of snow. She looked perfect, as Michael has envisioned her in his mind. A boys dream and obviously the vision of what Michael desired.

  He smiled as he grabbed her gently and moved to the side of the small body of water that had held her imprisoned and let his wings gently move as he lowered them both to the ground. He laid her down and she mumbled something and then her eyes started to flutter. Michael’s wings retracted into his body and he leaned down, gently touching her face. He leaned into her ear and whispered.

  “Jessica.” And the newly formed girl who once was known as “Clytie” awoke and smiled at him as he returned the smile to her.

  “Michael.” She whispered.

  “Are you okay? I just found you here.” Michael said, weaving his lie
.

  “Yes… I don’t remember what happened… I was walking, in the woods and then… I… I cannot remember.” She said.

  “I think that you must have fallen, hit your head and fell into the water… I just pulled you out.” He said.

  “Oh my god... thank you Michael.” She whispered back to him.

  “Well, good thing I came along… we need to get back to town now.” He said as he smiled and Jessica hugged him tightly around the neck and Michael grinned, knowing that this once powerful water nymph now believed she was “Jessica” and that he was her brother Michael… new to the town of Calvary… but in truth, he hoped that Jessica would serve him best by befriending this Rue Volley, bringing him that much closer to understanding what had happened in his beloved city of Valon. Michael looked up as the light continued to brighten, on this morning, the first day of his quest.

  ***

  Sleep is a funny thing, funny to me anyway. I tend to sleep well some nights and others I toss and turn. I so had reason to this time. I had laid in my bed, hand above my head, thinking about apologizing to Brooke, handling Johnathan and his constant tormenting of Josh… and Josh of course. What an ass. I mean ‘many?’… Come on!

  I had laid there on my bed for at least two hours… my eyes aching and my mind racing and then sleep came… but not without a price. My dreams were horrible and consisted of old things that I thought I had shed. Fear, water… mirrors… a feeling of separation and oddly enough a deep heartache… like someone had left me or I had left them. Not cool in the least. When I awoke, it was a ‘sit straight up in the bed’ moment as I grabbed my throat and tried to suck in air. I was drenched in sweat which immediately grossed me out and I rolled out of bed and headed for the shower right away as the dreams and bad images faded almost immediately, leaving me hungry… oddly enough.

  I showered and dried my hair and pulled it in a ponytail, not worried about putting any real effort into looking cute. Josh always tells me that I look beautiful without make-up or much effort at all, I don’t exactly agree but it feels good when he says it anyway. I smiled as I thought of him and his lips and then immediately lost my smile when I thought about the fact that he had been with other girls. I guess I should not be all pissy about it, but any girl will tell you that when they meet what they think is their soul mate… that fleeting hope of them being a virgin does float into your mind. The thought of it being the first time for them too, makes it that much more special. Guess I should not dwell on it… but I am an expert at dwelling on things and over analyzing things… almost to the point of annoyance.