Charity Moon

by Deanna Kinney

  “I assure you ladies, I’m nothing to worry about, just a silly girl.”

  “Oh we know,” the fiery red head said, an evil laugh escaping her full, red lips that sent chills up my spine. They began pushing me around, one after another, as though I were some sort of plaything. I was starting to get ticked off.

  “Enough!” a commanding voice shouted from the top of the stairs. The two women hissed, and I actually felt a breeze as they blurred past me and disappeared into another room. My eyes widened in surprise as I looked up to see the man, who I assumed was Raven, gliding gracefully down the staircase. He was a tall, lovely man, not steamy sexy like Levi, but beautiful, with straight, jet-black hair that fell just to his shoulders and very pale skin. His eyes were as black as the bird he’s named after, and his lips were a pale red. I was prepared to be afraid as he approached me, but for some reason I wasn’t.

  “Charity, I am sorry for the rude behavior of my girls. They can sometimes feel threatened by human women, especially one as exquisite as you.” He took my hand and lifted it up to his lips, kissing it gently. Okay, that wasn’t so scary, I thought.

  “I had plans to kill you on site and mail your pieces to Levi in a box in order to break his heart.” Okay that was scary. “But now that I see you, I do not think I want to do that at all. It would be a shame to destroy something so lovely.”

  “Thank you,” I said with a calm in my voice that surprised even myself.

  “Instead I think I will lure Levi here in an attempt to rescue you, then I will capture and torture him—and his elite.”

  “On second thought, let’s go with the first plan.”

  “So, you would rather die than see Levi killed?”

  “Have you ever loved someone, Raven? That is your name, isn’t it?”

  “Yes it is. And yes I have, once.”

  “Then you don’t need to ask me that.”

  “Fair enough. But I think I will go with option number two.”

  “What can I do to make you change your mind?” I asked, my tone desperate.

  “I think my mind is already made up, but you can try to persuade me if you like.” He smiled a seductive smile, and I felt the hair on my arms rise.

  “Raven, Levi was a child when that coven was killed. He and the others were just children, please.”

  “Silence! The Drake pack was responsible for the death of my brother’s coven, and now the pack will pay.”

  Oh boy. I didn’t see that one coming. “Can’t the vampires and the werewolves forgive each other and just live in peace with one another.”

  “Charity, Charity,” he said, amused, “there has been too much bad blood between us to live in peace. Besides, if there is no one to hate then where is the fun in that?”

  “So you fight the werewolves because it’s fun?”

  “In a word—yes.”

  “That’s idiotic.”

  “Careful, Charity. That is no way to treat your host, especially when that host can snap you in half.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry, but that host is planning on torturing and killing people that I love, and probably me too because it’s fun. So I don’t give a rip-roaring rapids how I’m treating you.”

  His eyes darkened, if that were possible, and instantly I knew I’d made a mistake. He stepped closer. “It seems perhaps you have forgotten your place, Mrs. Drake. Shall I remind you?” Suddenly his hand was around my throat, lifting me off the floor. I gasped and clawed frantically at his hand. My eyes widened in horror as his mouth opened, exposing his sharp, ivory white fangs. I did the only thing I could think to do—I kicked him in the groin as hard as I could. He released me, and I fell to the floor gasping for air.

  He regained his composure quickly. “You are a feisty one.” He laughed exuberantly. “I like that; not going down without a fight. Though it is useless, I like it. Most people are really afraid of me. You have a lot of nerve to kick me like that. You have surprisingly earned my respect.”

  “I don’t want your respect. All I want is for my family to be safe, and I’ll do what I have to do to make sure of that,” I said in a hoarse voice, still gasping.

  “Even becoming my bride?” His eyes narrowed, his expression smug.

  “You’ve got to be kidding,” I said, getting to my feet. “First of all, I’m already married and secondly, I hate you for what you’re doing. Your brother knew the risks when he attacked the west pack, and he made a bad judgment call. He lost.”

  “So, if I kill your Levi would you get revenge on me if you had the chance?”

  “Hmm, okay I see your point. I would want to, but in the end, I believe I would make the right choice and let God be my avenger.”

  “So you believe in God, do you?”

  “Yes, of course, don’t you?”

  “Hmm, I guess I do believe in Him, though I do not love Him.”

  “Why not?”

  “Well, no one has ever asked me that before. For one thing, He has never loved me.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Because He damned me.”

  “Maybe it wasn’t Him that did that. I don’t believe that God damns anyone. And God is no respecter of persons, human or not. I’ve seen His love extended to the werewolves with my own eyes. So maybe if you loved Him, you wouldn’t be damned at all. And maybe you wouldn’t need revenge to feel powerful.”

  “I loved my brother! I am doing this for him!” he snapped.

  “I don’t believe that. If you loved him then you would respect the choice that he made and the consequences of that choice. Instead you’re making the same mistake that he made.”

  “You have a lot of faith in this pack of yours considering that I have the upper hand.”

  “It seems that way now. But I have faith that everything will work out to my advantage. I have to believe that.”

  “I am sorry, Charity, but this will not end happy for you. However, once your family is dead, I might just give you the option to become one of my brides instead of death.”

  “Gee thanks, but I don’t share well with others.”

  Selena stifled a laugh.

  “Very well, though most people would change their minds once death is staring them in the face.”

  “Well, I’ve stared death in the face, more closely than you think, and death itself doesn’t scare me. It’s actually a quite peaceful experience. Living is harder.”

  “Hmm, you puzzle me, Charity. It is too bad you are making me destroy you. We would have made an interesting pair. Take her to her room, Selena.”

  Selena stuck her gun in my side and forced me up the stairs. She led me to a room at the far end of the hall. I noticed that the house was very run down and creaked with every step I took, which would make escape difficult but not impossible. Once I was through the bedroom door she turned to leave.

  “Selena, what’s going to happen now?”

  “When Raven gives me the okay, I’ll call Levi from your phone and tell him I have you and for him and his elite to meet us here, alone. Once they’re here, the vampires will ambush them like they did mine, and well I guess you know the rest.”

  I sighed. “Selena is this Raven really as bad as he pretends to be?”

  “Don’t fool yourself, Charity. He can’t be saved, and besides, if he fails to avenge his brother’s coven, he has a more ruthless brother, Griffin, who will finish the job.”

  “Are you saying there are two brothers to deal with?”

  “Yes, and Julius, the father, is pulling all the strings.”

  “Oh great. A whole psycho leech family.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  I paced about the room for hours trying to figure out how to get out of the mess I was in. I thought about the last night I spent with Levi. He snuck in my window and stayed with me, insisting it was too hard being away. Then an idea hit me. I walked over to the window overlooking the front porch and pulled hard—it opened. Okay, what are the odds? It had already turned dark, so I gave no more thought a
s I climbed out of the window and onto the roof. I was so glad I had on my jeans and sneakers instead of some stupid, white dress. I looked around carefully before climbing down. I was partway down when I lost my grip and fell the rest of the way, landing hard on the ground below. I moaned quietly, shaking the pain off as I stood, wiping my dirty hands on my jeans. I looked around before making a desperate dash for the woods. If I could just get to the werewolves territory I knew, with Levi’s scent as my ally, I would be safe no matter whose pack it was.

  I was cautious as I ran, since there’s no way I could escape vampires easily. My suspicions were confirmed when I heard women’s laughter above and around me, but my steps didn’t falter as I darted between the trees. Suddenly something hit me with enough force that I crashed to the ground. I couldn’t see her, but there was no mistaking her menacing laughter. I got up and started running again. She hit me again. I fell on my back, moaning as I landed on something hard. I reached around and felt a stick under me. It was sturdy and had a sharp tip, and I grasped it firmly in my hand as I turned and stood. Please God, help me to have the courage to send this demon to Hades, I prayed.

  “Show yourself, you coward!” I yelled, though I was so scared my insides were knocking together. The redhead appeared in front of me and grabbed my shirt, lifting me off my feet and into the air. When she did, without hesitation, I jammed the stick deep, impaling her through the chest, so hard in fact, it poked out the other side. She screamed and fell to the ground, writhing in pain. I gazed down at her in shock. That’s it, no bursting into flames, or exploding! I felt cheated until she slowly began to disintegrate, leaving a pile of ash in her place. Now, that was more like it. I then stared at my hands and her blood that covered them. I wiped them vigorously against my jeans, trying to rid myself of any trace of the evil wench.

  “You’re going to pay for that!” the other vampire screamed, appearing beside me and slapping me to the ground. She pulled me up and hit me again, and I slammed hard into a tree. I was beginning to develop an animosity toward trees.

  “Levi!” I screamed, just hoping he would hear me.

  She hit me again. “He’s not going to save you, sweetheart,” she mocked. “He’s going to die, and so are you.” I took off running as fast as I could through the trees, calling for Levi and Hector, in case, by some small miracle, they could hear me. I had no idea how close I had to be for them to hear, but still I called. But the vampire kept coming too. I came to a complete halt as she appeared dangling from the tree in front of me. She did a back flip and kicked me on the side of the head, sending me flying to the ground and moaning in defeat.

  She then grabbed a handful of my hair, pulling my head off the ground and balling her hand into a fist.

  I squeezed my eyes shut—waiting.

  “Stop!!” I heard Raven’s voice call out.

  “But she killed Rachel, Master,” she responded in a whiney voice.

  “Leave now!” he demanded, and just like that she was gone.

  I wanted to run from him, but I couldn’t seem to make my limbs obey. He slid his arms under me, picking me up and carrying me through the forest. I lost track of time but recall him laying me on the bed in the same room as before. He went over to the window and shut it with force, causing the glass to rattle. He then turned and scowled at me.

  “You have been a naughty girl, Mrs. Drake.” He moved so quickly he blurred, then without warning, was leaning down beside me. “You are bleeding.” I froze in horror as he leaned in and began licking the blood from my face. “Mmm, you taste delicious,” he said, his tongue tracing the blood until he reached my lips where the blood was heaviest. I could taste it. My brain became clouded. Was he doing something to my mind?

  I gasped and pushed him away. “Stop that! Whatever you’re doing, stop it now! In case you’ve forgotten I’m not just a happily married woman—I’m an incandescently, happily married woman, and if you come any closer I’ll hurl all over you, and take pleasure in doing it. Got it, Bucktooth Boy?”

  He laughed, but it still sounded menacing. “You cannot resist me forever, Charity. After your husband is dead, you will want me of your own free will. Then you will be devoted to me and I to you.”

  “No thanks. I’ve seen your degree of devotion. You didn’t even flinch when I killed your bride. And besides, my devotion to Levi is stronger than death. I will never bind myself to anyone else—ever.”

  “Then I will manipulate your feelings, cause you to become pliant. I will make you love me.”

  “And I will die.”

  “So be it.” He rose and walked to the door then turned to me again. “You are a stubborn woman, Charity, but you are right about one thing. I was not devoted to Rachel nor am I to Cassie. They are merely companions to keep me entertained. But you could be different.”

  “In your dreams flyboy—in-your-dreams.”

  “Yes, I am sure, and vampires do not fly.”

  “Gee, I’m sorry. It must really suck being a vampire. Pun intended.” I smirked.

  “That is funny,” he said with no trace of a smile. “Please do not try to escape again. There are nine of us in this house. Next time you might not be so lucky.”

  “You call this lucky? I can’t move.”

  “You will be a lot better after a good night’s sleep. Then tomorrow night, we will have some fun with your Levi and his friends.”

  “You can’t win this, Raven, and I’m going to enjoy watching Levi smash you like a mosquito.”

  “Oh, we will see about that.” He smiled and closed the door.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  I didn’t sleep a wink, but when morning arrived I felt surprisingly good, physically anyway. I got up easily, and though every inch of me ached, it wasn’t nearly as bad as I had anticipated. I went into the bathroom and washed my face. When I looked in the mirror I noted the wounds on my face were red and swollen, but that’s better than scabbed and bloody looking. Actually, I looked remarkably well for a girl who got the snot beat out of her by a redheaded, psycho leech. I had a good bit of blood on my shirt though. Then I was reminded, I grabbed my chain and pulled it out, sighing in relief as I noted my ring secured safely to it.

  There was a knock at my door, causing me to jump in response.

  “Yes.”

  Selena opened the door and entered. “I brought you something to eat. I know you’re hungry.”

  “Thanks.”

  She turned to leave.

  “Please don’t do this, Selena. There has to be another way to free your werewolves. We can kill the vampires. I killed one of them last night.”

  “I heard about that. That’s quite impressive for a human and a woman on top of that.”

  “Did you doubt I could do it?”

  “No, not really, but there are nine of them, Charity. It’s suicide to even think it.”

  “Please, Selena. If you could get word to my pack then they can come rescue us and kill the vampires.”

  “It’s too risky. I can’t take chances with my pack, Charity. I’m sorry, but this way is safe for me.”

  “No, Selena, please.” She turned and left the room without another word, closing the door behind her.

  I looked at the food but was too distraught to eat, so I tiptoed quietly to the window and opened it.

  “Stop,” Raven said, appearing behind me. Okay, this guy was just plain creepy.

  I turned quickly in surprise. “You can’t stop me. It’s sunny outside.”

  “It might hurt, but I would stop you.”

  “You’re such a jerk.” I grabbed the window and slammed it shut.

  “Well, I see you are feeling better this morning.”

  “Listen, Raven, I know you have this bad boy thing going on here, but just between you and me, I’ve seen something in you that contradicts that. I’m asking you to please not do this to my pack. They’re good people. They don’t want to fight you. They just want to live in peace. Your brother attacked them. I’m begging you, please le
t them be.”

  “I might be persuaded to leave if—you come with me to settle the score.”

  “Absolutely not! I won’t do that to Levi. It would destroy him anyway. It would be for nothing.”

  “Not for nothing, you would not watch him suffer.”