Full Moon Falling Faster (Full Moon Series Book 3)

by P. Mattern

  And I’m just lucky she wants ME!” He finished, realizing that it was quite a speech - for him at least.

  Avi and Cary looked at each other. Avi cleared his throat.

  “Blue some aspects of phylum characteristics outside of the human one are changing recently - you might even use the term ‘evolving’. There is a large spike in births, for one thing, even inter-phylum births. Pregnancy was a rarity for vampires for centuries. Now suddenly vamps, weres, shape shifters, hybrids-oops ! I mean ‘cave dwellers’ and other phylums and subphylums are beginning to reproduce. Dr. Caligare has had to train some interns - he can’t possibly follow all these females to term, and it doesn’t seem as though there are any recorded resources to study. Right now he’s just plain overwhelmed. Even in our own little group-Mitzi and Cass became parents this year!”

  Avi unscrewed the cap of his Sanguo and took a long swallow.

  “Oh that’s good!” He exclaimed. ”I’m just glad it tastes nearly as good to Shape shifters as it does to vamps. What was I saying? Oh yes - there is speculation that since the advent of the V-net our own Dark version of Mother Nature took notice that vampires were not repopulating themselves by Turning humans anymore, and ramped up fertility to assure the continuation of the phylum. At least that’s the most plausible explanation that I’ve come across. And I said all that to say this:

  WEAR A CONDOM!” Avi finished, with gusto, adding “Any questions?”

  Blue got a thoughtful look on his face.

  “Do YOU wear condoms?” He asked Avi.

  “Absolutely!” Avinash responded, ”My girlfriend is of the werewolf phylum. I’m just crazy about her. We do it for hours at a time…”

  “Or about a minute at a time,” Cary teased, ”A hundred times a day.”

  Avi play-pushed Cary’s face back against the couch.

  “Okay the sessions aren’t lengthy but she’s insatiable - she IS a Were and that’s just the way they are! But the point is I DO wear protection…. because I don’t intend to reproduce…

  And Cary Floyd if you say anything about our having ‘puppies’ I’ll tell Fress what happened to all the whipped cream!!!” Avi finished, cutting his eyes at Cary narrowly.

  Blue couldn’t help but laugh. It felt great to be having a discussion with two guys. He did have a question though.

  “Are they hard to get off and on?” He wondered.

  Cary and Avi looked at each other.

  “It’s sort of an ART FORM, condom wrangling.” Cary answered, ”Better practice before the big night so that you seem like you know what you’re doing!”

  A few nights later, Mitzi awakened with the sensation that someone was standing by her bedside. As her eyes fluttered open she saw one of the twins standing there, his face shadowed by the darkness. She was amazed at how tall he seemed. The twins were 7 months old now-roughly the equivalent of seven or eight YEARS in human terms, and looked at least two years older than that.

  Cass was snoring quietly on the other side of Mitzi’s huge bed, so she didn’t fear that she’d disturb him.

  “What is it darling?” She asked, leaning up on one elbow to brush the fair hair out of her son’s eyes.

  “Can’t you sleep? Should I get Buttercup to read you a story?”

  Her son shook his head. ”I need to show you something,” he said.

  Mitzi sat up and slipped on a dressing gown that she quickly tied at her waist with a ribbon.

  “It’s very late,” she said in a mildly admonishing tone. ”Is it that important?”

  “Oh yes!” the twin assured her in an urgent whisper. ”I wouldn’t wake you up if it wasn’t… it will only take a few moments. Let me show you!”

  Mitzi slipped her feet into a pair of silk house slippers and followed her son out into the hallway and through the Great Room. She was surprised when he continued on to the entranceway and raised her voice, speaking normally now, in protest.

  “My son it’s too late to go outdoors! This will have to wait until morning I’m afraid.”

  The look of desperation in the youngster’s face startled her.

  “Mother I wanted to show you something that I found in the woods… I can’t tell daddy because he told us we were not to go into the woods unless Buttercup was with us… but I did anyway. And I found something. Please!” he intoned again, ”Please come see!”

  Mitzi had mixed emotions-she wanted to please her child but she knew how strict Cass had become with the twin’s comings and goings lately. She didn’t really want to DISPLEASE her husband-but of course the child was with HER, and she was a tribite and could protect him.

  She looked into her son’s face and winked.

  “Okay, but it will have to be our secret.” She replied, as they both stepped outside.

  The stars above them formed a breathtaking illuminated canopy, large and small and almost infinitesimal orbs of light thrown across a night sky that was so lit up that it appeared dark blue instead of black. With her hand in his, Mitzi followed her son to the edge of the woods, and an old worn path that she could barely see even by the profuse starlight.

  Her son switched on a flashlight, and seemed to know where he was going. Mitzi sighed as she realized that her slippers would probably be ruined, but followed after him until they had been walking for five minutes. She could see illuminated in the flashlight beam a huge elm tree of large circumference, with an odd depressed area in the trunk in the shape of an arched doorway. In front of her she heard her son muttering to himself, his plainly spoken words drifting back to her in the stillness of the night.

  “I know this is the one,” he was saying to himself, ”But where IS he?”

  Mitzi was feeling increasingly uneasy.

  “Where is WHO?” She asked, as the boy turned around and placed a hand that was still a boys, but a boy becoming a man, with the fleshy part of his palm on her forehead, and uttered one word that plunged her instantly into unconsciousness.

  “Somnambulant.” He said. It didn’t surprise him that the Tall Man that he had learned to know through a series of visits as his father appeared instantly and caught his mother up into his arms before her body reached the forest floor.

  The boy saw the glint of his father’s smile as he said quietly, ”Well done Argent. Are you ready to come to the castle again?”

  The boy nodded, and sighed.

  “Oh SO ready. You won’t believe how boring it’s gotten around here.”

  “Well then,” Adrastos replied, pleased at his response and chuckling quietly to himself.” Let’s be on our way. I will carry your mother. Stay close as you can-this magic is fickle. When we reach Faquier Hall you may do whatever you please, while I meet privately with your mother.”

  ‘How can you ‘meet’ with her when she’s asleep?” Argent wanted to know.

  Adrastos laughed shortly.

  “You are a very clever young man my son,” he said, looking down at Argent. ”Do you know how babies are made?”

  Argent answered shortly, ”Yes. I found out last week-mother told us about it.”

  “How very timely.” Adrastos responded. “Would you like a brother Argent? A REAL brother? One in whose veins runs the same royal blood as that which runs in yours?”

  Argents’s face lit up in excitement.

  “Yes, father.” He replied. ”Make me a brother. A REAL brother! If you hurry we can be sword fighting each other in a few months!”

  The next morning Mitzi, much to her surprise, slept in so much later than usual that she was ashamed of herself when she finally arose. Cass, who had resumed his teaching duties at the University, had left hours earlier, and Mitzi could hear activity in the hallway as she slowly turned over and looked at her old fashioned Lennox china alarm clock on a table at the side of the bed.

  It was one p.m.

  Hurriedly she took a shower and shampooed her hair as she thought about the crazy dream that she had had. It had started with her son waking her up to go into the woods and ended with her falli
ng into a void. There were other parts also-a vaguely shadowed sexual encounter that seemed to last for hours, the sensation of being carried through the air.

  Smoothing her skin with glistening trails of the floral fragranced French castile soap that she preferred, she noticed some slight bruising on her inner thighs and one breast and smiled to herself. Cass must have made love to her as she slept - it had happened before. She would have to tell him not be be so rough next time.

  Or not. Sometimes it was just what she wanted.

  The double layered shower curtain parted and Buttercup, her eyes as large as saucers, gave a quick curtsey before speaking, her words hurried and tumbling over each other in her excitement.

  “Miss!! We have company! Fugitives! I contacted Mr. Cass at the University and he and Mr. Lux are coming straightaway!!”

  Mitzi felt her jaw dropping.

  “Who Buttercup? Who is here?”

  “It’s Mr. Ian-the Welshman, and a woman, a right pretty woman who said her name was Ruthie Lily. They looked terribly tired so I put them up in the spare bedroom. At least it has it’s own bathroom so that they may have some privacy. I had Maia bring some food for the Fay lady and blood beverages for the vampire gentleman. He looked terrible, as if-as if he’d been starved Miss!!!”

  Buttercup shuddered involuntarily as she described the state that Ian was in. Because she was a Wetnurse Clone, she was very sensitive to the dehydration levels of vampires.

  The state that the vampire Ian was in was about the worst she’d ever seen. As soon as he’d stumbled into the doorway, exhausted from both flying while carrying Ruthie Lily and because he’d been nearly starved to death, she had wordlessly loosened her clothing and insisted he feed on her until he was revitalized enough to stand. He had thanked her profusely, relief in his eyes, and she’d known then that he must have been through quite an ordeal.

  Mitzi hurriedly dressed and then tapped gently on the door of the last guest room.

  The woman answering the door was petite, with beautiful coloring and the features of an Irish beauty. Since she was a tribite, Mitzi knew instantly that the woman was a half Fay, and curtsied in welcome.

  “Welcome to my home,” she said. ”I don’t want to exhaust you by making you explain your circumstances twice, but we always welcome V-net vampires and those who come to their aid .Please let me know if I can get either of you anything. My husband Castor Noble will be home soon and will wish to speak with you.”

  Ian came up behind Ruthie Lily then, slipping his arms around her waist from behind, and giving Mitzi a familiar smile.

  “Hello Mrs. Noble,” he said, his accent a soft burr as he smiled at her, ”I see that you have met my betrothed, Ruthie Lily.”

  Mitzi’s mouth started to automatically drop open but she caught herself and was able to arrange her features just in time. From the twinkle in Ian’s eyes she knew that he had seen her reaction and was amused by it.

  “Congratulations to both of you!” Mitzi said, taking the hand of the Fay woman and squeezing it gently.” I am so happy for you!

  “But for now I will let you rest … as my husband should be home soon. I hope that you are both hungry I had Maia set extra places for dinner.”

  As Mitzi hurried down the hallway toward the kitchen she passed the Great room and noticed that Phoebe, the hired nanny for the boys, had fallen asleep on one of the huge velvet couches, and Cory and Ab were in the process of stacking books up on one of the other couches so that they could swing on a giant chandelier.

  “PHOEBE!” she cried ”Please wake up! And BOYS STOP THAT THIS INSTANT! And clean up this mess!” she added, never breaking stride and shooting them each a harsh glare.

  “So much to do, so little time!” she thought to herself as she hurried along with Buttercup following her.

  But in her mind, that was the way it was supposed to be. And she was happy.

  The alleyway was dark, but it was in the bar district, and he knew that he wouldn’t have to wait too long before the prey - HIS prey - came walking through it.

  He was stronger now-at 8 months in human years he was the size of a 10 or 11year old human, and looked like a pre - adolescent, as did his brother. His mother Mitzi bemoaned the fact that both the twins were taller than she was by several inches and looked not so much like children as young men heading to adulthood.

  Even so, like a security blanket, he still carried a copy of Sam Saddlebags with him .It had become his talisman. This time it was tucked inside the long pocket that ran down the side of his black cargo pants and it gave him courage every time he touched it lightly to make sure that it was still there.

  He didn’t have to wait very long. A young woman wearing a halter top and jeans, her long blonde hair flowing past her tattooed shoulders was tapping down the alleyway in stacked heels. She had on so many necklaces and bracelets that she jingled as she walked.

  He was leaning against the brick wall of one of the buildings that flanked the alleyway, equidistant from either end. It was dark enough so that she started at first when she noticed him there.

  “Oh!” she said. Even standing still looking down at him she appeared inebriated. She seemed to be having difficulty adjusting her balance.

  “You startled me! Hey - Aren’t you a little young to be out this time of night?”

  A frown of concern creased her otherwise flawless forehead.

  ‘The maternal instinct’ the boy thought to himself, snickering. ’Just another stumbling block for women, though a virtual boon for mankind.’

  “I’m lost.” He said plaintively, thinking that it was good that his voice hadn’t changed yet.

  “Can you help me miss? I ran away from home because my Dad was beating me with a coat hanger. He started out beating my little sister-she’s only 6 - and when I tried to stop him he started in on me! I just ran and ran to get away from him…

  And now I-I’m LOST!” He wailed, manipulating his voice so that it sounded as if he were choking back a sob.

  The drunk girl immediately encircled him with her arms. He had never been as close to a woman (besides his mother) before and he found her proximity so intoxicating that it made him dizzy. She smelled of cigarette smoke, and perspiration - floral perfume. Beneath all that he smelled a tantalizing musk scent, and something else that was mouthwatering and held the fragrance of ripe strawberries and melon.

  It was her blood.

  In her stacked heels she was taller than he was, but she was drunk and off balance. Moving so quickly that the woman never knew what had happened, he twisted her neck until it snapped with a sound that reminded him of tree branches snapping off in a high wind.

  As she collapsed he knelt over her body, pulling her to him. She lay half in his arms and half sprawled on the cracked asphalt of the alleyway. The first thing he did was to rip the costume jewelry off her neck, the beads bouncing across the alleyway with a pinging sound. A powerful surge of lust went through the core of his being as his fangs extruded and he sank them into the young woman’s neck to feed while she still had a pulse.

  It was euphoric.

  When he was finished he felt wonderful-immensely powerful and with a sense of completeness and well-being that he had never experienced. He even felt taller. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and as he looked up he was startled to see a small figure standing in shadow backlit by the light coming from the streetlamp at the opposite end of the alley.

  It was Jaxon.

  Since their growth spurt the twins and Jaxon were nearly the same height. Jaxon was older, and with the growth treatments from Dr. Caligare was sure to reach a decent adult height, but it had been a slow process.

  Jaxon walked to where the twin was standing over the lifeless body of the girl. His eyes were huge.

  “YOU KILLED HER!” He said with incredulity in his voice. ”She - she’s dead isn’t she?”

  “I sincerely hope so!” the twin hissed at him.” And what are you doing here anyway? Spying on me?”

 
“I followed you… I saw you float down at the end of Parisol Street. I’m not supposed to be out - Fress would be mad. But I was bored and couldn’t sleep. So I walked here from Amulet.

  Are you out of your mind? Why did you kill her? You get plenty of fresh blood at home with Buttercup around!!! Are you NUTS?” Jaxon finished, glaring at the younger boy.

  “Clone blood is NOTHING compared to what this bag of blood in high heels just gave me! It’s like the difference between Koolaid and fine wine. Here - I didn’t drain her completely - try some!”

  Jaxon visibly shuddered. He automatically started to turn and run back to Fress’s as quickly as he could, a look of pure fear on his face as he glared at the younger boy.

  “I can tell on you, you know! You’ll be in so much trouble with your parents-not to mention the V-net authorities! And I don’t really see why I shouldn’t. There is something really wrong with you if you think what you just did is alright! You give vampires a bad name!”

  The boy, his blonde highlights shining like silver even in the dim light of the alleyway, looked at Jaxon contemplatively for a minute. He wanted to say a lot of things. He wanted to tell Jaxon that his REAL father told him to do it… and would be proud of him when he found out that he had. He was also annoyed that Jaxon had shown up when he had… he’d been planning on ‘playing doctor’ and checking out some of the dead lady’s body parts at his leisure just to get a close-up view of what a female looked like underneath their clothing. Jaxon had ruined that. Not to mention the fact that he wasn’t in the mood to be threatened by anyone, especially Fressenda’s new ‘pet orphan.’

  “You look here,” he said in a low voice. ”It’s your word against mine who did this!” Pressing his hands to either side of his cheeks he began fake sobbing, saying ,” I’m sorry - I know I wasn’t supposed to leave the Farm - but Jaxon had been bragging about how he was fanging all these strange ladies-and I was worried that he wasn’t just making it up! And then I saw him DO it!”