World of Azglen (Full Moon Series Book 1)

by P. Mattern

  Charley shook his head. ”Fress I can’t take any chances. I know that in most situations ‘less is more’ but I can’t go back to the way I was. It would totally devastate me to start to lose any ground. Where I came from… well, I hate like hell to call it a “non - existence” - but that’s the truth. When you lack the ability to process things quickly, to have opinions, even to READ, the world is a scarier smaller place. A life in which you have the ability to process less than half of what’s going on around you… I’d call that a “half-life.” I can’t take any chances.

  So - ‘Do Me’ - make me a twice - bitten. And I’m talking today!”

  Fress reached across the rounded glass topped table to take Charley’s hand.

  “I was the one that initiated you, Charley. If I make you a twice bitten it will connect us in big and small ways for eternity. Sometimes it’s better if you choose a different person to do the second phase. Have you thought about Cass or Lux?”

  “See?” Charley threw up a hand in exasperation, ”Something ELSE I didn’t know. Do guys do other guys? I mean on purpose? - I know guys ATTACK guys…”

  Fress giggled. ”You make it sound so dirty, but it is quite common. A once - bitten that has decided on making a permanent change can ask a friend, someone he trusts, to ‘do the honors’ so to speak.” She looked down and with her fingernail scratched on the table glass, ”If the same person initiates you AND makes you permanent it’s usually a kind of vow - like a marriage almost. All of this – your transformation, and our finding eachother - is relatively new. Being together is one thing. But if I make you a vampire permanently we will be connected on some level always. It’s hard to turn off. I will feel what you feel, know your thoughts, be in your head to a certain extent. Do you understand?”

  Charley reached over to take Fress’s other hand as well.

  “So are you ready for my marriage proposal?” he asked, with a cagey grin.

  Fress immediately removed her hands fast enough to smack Charley on the backs of both of his hands. ”I think we should wait. And look for slippage.”

  Charley rubbed the back of one of his hands with a grimace, feigning pain.

  “I’m not waiting.” he said, ”Even though you’re abusive.”

  “AND artistic”, Fress grinned and showed Charley the ornate heart that she’d etched into the glass table top with her vampire fingernails. Inside the heart, written in flowing Victorian script was the inscription’ Fressenda and Charley, Forever in Love’. Fress smiled brightly, ”Then shall we call up Cass or Lux to twice-bite you? They are trustworthy. I’m sure it will be a touching male bonding moment. And – oh - I forgot to tell you - I love to watch!”

  Charley was instantly behind her, bending over he whispered in her ear. ”I’m sorry Fress. The alternatives somehow don’t seem as appealing. I want my girl to do it.” Charley finished by circling his tongue slowly in her ear and breathing, ”Please?”

  Fress shivered pleasantly. ”Oh, I’m not sure Mr. Rabbit”, she answered languidly, ”I think you have far too much power over me now. What’s to become of me if you become immortal?”

  Charley turned her chair around with one motion and pulled her up against him.

  “Let’s find out. The best is yet to come.” He kissed her hungrily. ”It has to be you, Fress. Only you. Am I making myself understood, my darling, thoughtful, hardheaded Fress?”

  She pulled away from him for a moment; her eyes were dark and liquid, her body relaxed in his arms.

  “Okay now. But let’s hurry home or I will take you in the street my love.”

  Within minutes they had reached the cottage where Fress and the twins lived and made their way up the stairs to Fress’s room. Both were silent, totally focused on eachother, as each assisted the other in removing their extraneous clothing.

  It seemed a good mix-the act that would transform Charley permanently into a vampire and the physical expression of their deep love for eachother.

  “Please” Fress breathed moistly against the side of Charley’s throat.

  Charley knew instantly that she was asking permission to bite him the old fashioned way, using her fangs. He knew that his blood would spill on the 300 count Egyptian cotton sheets. He knew that it would be an act that was both spectacularly messy and primal. And in that moment he found that he wanted it that way.

  “Yes, my darling”, he agreed, his voice ragged with yearning.

  There was searing pain for an instant; juxtaposed on the pleasure it was sweeter and more potent than anything he’d ever experienced. He heard himself cry out and then moan as she drank his blood. At the same time the warmth of her venom coursed like lightening throughout his body. It was a powerful drug, an orgasmic wave, and a rebirth all at once.

  Afterwards they lay in each other’s arms, speechless, both shaken to the core.

  When Charley spoke again he quipped gently, ”Is the house still standing?”

  Fress’s muffled voice as she lay spent, with her face in his chest drifted upwards to him. ”Yes and you were right, Charley. Today was perfect. Welcome to immortality.”

  * * *

  Byron Chance stepped out of the shower and towel dried his California Beach blonde hair with one hand as he reached across the sink with the other to wipe the foggy condensation away from the bathroom mirror. Grabbing for a hairbrush he brushed through his hair hurriedly and applied deodorant - more out of human habit than anything else, he certainly didn’t have body odor - and surveyed himself in the generously sized mirror. The face that stared back at him was a handsome one, good symmetry of features, well defined jawline, along with excellently arched dark eyebrows over eyes so light green that they were startling. People, and vampires, alike asked him all the time if he wore contacts. Time for a haircut soon-he hated when his hair grew past his collar-he would have to ask Cass or Lux, his new buds, where to get a decent haircut in this town. The Midwest felt … safer than the West coast had been.

  Somewhere in Orange County posters were being tacked up, emblazoned with the word ”WANTED” above his handsome likeness, which was unfortunate, because he had really done society a favor by beating that perverted, fat son of a whore that had put the moves on him unconscious. Byron had been modeling for a few years in L.A. and environs and was moderately successful at it. When he’d had an amazing offer from the publisher of a popular ‘beefcake’ calendar his agent had been very excited for him - this would mean more money, more work and more recognition. Only when he’d met with his future employer it turned out the perv had other designs on him as well. The fat guys mistake was explaining to him, pompously and with crude attention to detail, the extracurricular activities he expected Byron to perform in order to be signed. That incident necessitated a hasty move and he hadn’t looked back since.

  Funny, he thought to himself, as he carefully dressed in a polo shirt, silk boxers and some dockers, even before modeling came along his photo had been presented to the public : town wide - first when he ran away from his single parent home at age 13. The second time, several years later, after he’d been picked up on the street by a couple that ran a prostitution ring using both male and female runaways. One morning, eating his breakfast cereal, he’d been shocked to see his own face on a milk carton.

  Byron, who looked at least 16, became a favorite with ladies looking for a dalliance with a handsome young man. This was where he had honed his extensive skills in the art of love, becoming a sexual addict in the process.

  He had always felt different from everyone else, even from an early age. His mother had been an addict, emotionally wounded, drifty and neglectful in a benign way, and he had never attempted to find her after he became an adult and left’ the life’ that he had gotten into.

  He had been impressed with the familial feel that surrounded him when he hung out with Fress and the twins. They were the most accepting and least pretentious group of people he’d ever met. And Charley Rabbit-Byron had taken an instant liking to him. When he’d shared h
is ‘story’ Byron was even more impressed-he felt that Charley might be the one person that could understand what it felt like to be an outcast.

  “Belt or no belt?” he asked aloud, and decided on no belt. Maybe he would get lucky tonight - and it would be one less thing to take off.

  * * *

  Chapter 14: Flying Lessons

  The ‘tribe’ - because that’s what Mitzi had come to call her new family - was gathered in the same scenic spot in which she’d picnicked a few weeks earlier. They were gathered for what Fress euphemistically termed ”flying lessons”. Along with the twins and Fress were two female vampires that Fress introduced as “Ariel” and “Celeste”. Ariel was a statuesque strawberry blond with grey green eyes and an appealing impish grin, dressed in a flowery top and shorts. Celeste was a striking Nordic blonde with piercing blue eyes and her hair cut in a trendy, shaggy razor cut dressed in tomboy garb - white tee, docker khakis and tennis shoes. The women were expert ”floaters”. Fress explained to Mitzi and Charley that although vampires appeared to ‘fly’, what was actually happening was an electromagnetic reversal. This was an innate internally activated ability that vamps had, similar to the mechanism of hovercraft except instead of a captured cushion of air they channeled their body electricity to repel the earth’s electromagnetic field, creating the “lift”. When this ability was practiced with expertise, vampires were able to rise to great heights and use the wind currents that were ever present in the upper atmosphere to ‘fly’. When done badly - usually by new twice - bittens who’d had no instruction - the owner of the gift bounced around like a ping pong ball on crack. ”It really is a matter of concentration and practice. ”Fress finished.” And Ariel and Celeste are naturally talented experts at it. Simply amazing - they are able to float higher and transition more rapidly than any vampires we’ve ever seen ”Turning to the couple she asked,” Ladies - would you like to give us a demonstration?”

  “Be glad to”, Celeste said grinning and showing off a dazzling and endearing slightly crooked smile. Ready Ariel my love?”

  As the group watched ,spellbound, the women joined hands and rose smoothly and slowly until they were about 30 feet in the air, looking down beatifically at the upraised semicircle of faces staring upward at them. Abruptly, with a single flawless movement, the women separated, still slowly ascending but in a V-shaped formation.

  Then, as if on cue, they faced each other and with raised arms began to swing back and forth in wider and wider arcs, their hands clenched on invisible ropes in an excellent pantomime of high wire artists standing on rope swings under the circus big top. After a few moments of swinging closer and closer to each other, Ariel shouted something in French and they somersaulted through the air past each other, landing equidistant but continuing to swing as if their hands were clenched on invisible swing bars. Still swaying, they flipped gracefully in midair to again face each other, still swinging in arcs. It was a circus act with invisible equipment-no big top canopy, no swings, and no wires - and certainly no net - yet executed so perfectly that the nonexistent props were seen perfectly in each spectator’s minds - eye.

  For the finish, the two met in midair and drifted gently down while rotating on an angle as if they were riding a tilted carousel.

  Mitzi’s breath that she’d been unconsciously holding as she watched the airborne pair came out in a “whoosh”. The spectators applauded enthusiastically, with Charley and the boys shouting, ”Bravo!” and whistling.

  On the ground now, Ariel and Celeste smiled modestly. Ariel gave a quick curtsey while Celeste bowed deeply. Their eyes were sparkling.

  “Okay”, Celeste said, still slightly breathless from her exertions “Who’s up first?” Charley started to step forward, then stopped short and looked over at Mitzi.

  “Mom, do you want to try?”

  Mitzi shook her head, laughing.” That’s a hard act to follow-how about you go first, Charley. I think I need to observe a little more.

  “Okay.” Charley faced his tutors.

  “What do I do first?”

  Ariel said ”Well first you need to find your dormant hovering mechanism. It’s kind of like a muscle that hasn’t been exercised in a long time. First it will be weak - but the more you concentrate on feeling for it, the more you will rise. Some find it easier if they close their eyes. Have you ever floated Charley?”

  Cass at that point stage whispered in falsetto, ”There’s no place like home, there’s no place like home” until Lux punched him in the ribs.

  Charley threw a glare in Cass’s direction, and then spoke to Ariel, looking slightly embarrassed. ”Well, not intentionally. A couple mornings when I woke up my nose was about six inches from the ceiling - but as soon as I woke up I fell back onto the bed.”

  Ariel clapped her hands together with delight. ”That’s a good thing Charley! Very promising. Mitzi - how about you?”

  Mitzi bit her lip thoughtfully. ”Well I was reaching for something on a high shelf in the kitchen cabinet the other day, and stretching for all I was worth - which wasn’t much because I AM only 5’2”… and suddenly I realized that I could reach out and pick it up because it was at eye level - and I looked down and realized that I was two feet off the floor. As soon as I realized that I dropped back down - but more slowly than I was expecting to. That’s happened a couple of times.”

  Celeste nodded approval. ”Great. So you know you’ve got the ability to elevate, and to float! Remember that as we’re training.”

  Next, Celeste and Ariel had Charley close his eyes as they flanked him - Celeste shot Cass a look that clearly threatened him not to make any more jokes.

  “Push, Charley”, said Ariel. ”It’s about pushing and releasing at the same time. Concentrate and then let it go.”

  Charley’s eyes remained closed and a high level of concentration was reflected on his face. For about 90 seconds nothing happened.

  Then without warning Charley left his teachers and shot up into the atmosphere with the speed of a rocket. Nearly as immediately Celeste shot upward after him, both vampires becoming tiny specks in the upper atmosphere, barely visible to the naked eye, as Mitzi looked on in horror.

  “OH!” Mitzi’s heart sped up as she strained to keep her eyes on the speck that was Charley. Ariel patted her on the shoulder. ”Don’t worry Mitzi - he’s in really good hands. Celeste is a very competent instructor.”

  Mitzi became aware that Cass and Lux were rolling on the ground laughing so hard that tears were running from the corners of their eyes. They ceased laughing at once as soon as they noticed her icy glare, stood up and brushed themselves off.

  “Er - sorry. ”Cass said apologetically.” That was just so unexpected. Sorry Mitzi.”

  “Yeah - sorry,” Lux echoed, trying to rearrange his expression to a contrite one and failing miserably. ”But he IS really safe - you’ll see. Celeste can carry him down if she needs to.”

  Mitzi again glanced heavenward and was relieved to see two separate specks in the sky getting larger as Charley and Celeste descended. Celeste wasn’t carrying her son either - Charley was managing to descend on his own, and at a fairly even speed also. By the time Charley and Celesste touched down it was evident that Charley was elated. His eyes found Mitzi’s.

  “Mom it’s just the best - better than dreams, it’s - it’s magical. You have to try.”

  Sighing Mitzi assumed her position between Celeste and Ariel. The idea of flying, without some sort of parachute or harness made her feel extra vulnerable. Following Ariels instructions, and searched for her invisible, hibernating, floating ‘muscle’. At first nothing happened - a full minute went by that was perceived by Mitzi as an eternity. Surely, she thought to herself, the sound of Cass and Lux laughing like hyenas would start any minute… but just as she was about to give up, she instead dug down deeply and found it.

  It was like a steel feather, located somewhere in the direction of her diaphragm. And, activated, it felt like gentle tickling, only not as annoying. Sor
t of like the prickles that a person feels when their leg falls asleep, she thought.

  “She’s rising,” Ariel whispered. Mitzi could feel Celeste’s slightly smug nod rather than see it.

  It was a curious feeling - buoyant but with slight movement as if she were bobbing on an ocean of air. And the air actually was better up there, she could feel a slight breeze blow tendrils of hair around her face. From some distance below her - 25 feet? 35 feet? She heard Ariel call “Open your eyes, Mitzi - but keep the pressure on.”

  Mitzi slowly peeked out from between her lashes and gave an involuntary gasp at the scene below her. She had elevated much higher than she’d thought. She could see over the tops of the trees to the countryside beyond, and past some hills to the highway beyond that. Below her Charley and the others seemed like miniature people.

  Suddenly she heard a whoosh in the air next to her as a mockingbird swooped dangerously close, eyes glittering, and emitted a territorial sounding squawk. Startled, Mitzi felt her concentration breaking - the unseen feather-muscle contracting in on itself. She began to descend, slowly at first, and then more rapidly as her anxiety leapt out of control. To make matters worse, she was spinning dizzily.

  At that instant Celeste and Lux appeared on either side of her, each one holding her from descending farther,

  “Concentrate, Mitzi!” Celeste commanded” You’re still engaged. Float!”

  With a supreme effort that surprised even her, Mitzi channeled her energy and concentration toward her center of gravity. Immediately she ceased spinning, and rather than continuing to descend, remained in the air about 20 feet above the ground. The breath she had been holding as she exerted maximum concentration released with a whoosh and she laughed.