Before the Moonrise

by Dawn Gray

  “Collin,” he snarled as the word slipped out of his mouth and he watched the two of them approach him from the corner of his eye. “I should have known you would have something to do with what’s going on.”

  The black-haired vampire laughed and continued to move closer, smiling down at Lily. He reached a hand out to her and watched as the light faded out of her eyes. “Yes, child, come to me, where you belong. Not with this animal.”

  She could feel the presence in her mind, the tingle of the vampire trying to connect with her, but she fought it with all she had. Images of her children, harmed and crying, thoughts of what they might do should they get their hands on Kylie, and never seeing Jared again flashed through her mind.

  The panic attack started as it always did, with the rapid thumping of her heart, and slowly it spread to the painful heat that took over her chest and spread out to her arms and shoulders. She wouldn’t let harm come to those she cared about. Slowly, as her breathing quickened and she fought off the nauseous feeling in the pit of her stomach, Lily’s eyes cleared. Defiantly, she glared into the eyes of the vampire not more than inches from her.

  Her own outstretched hand reached for the cold one of the undead, wanting to go there, but her mind had cleared of his hypnotic voice, and the suggestion to come to him was shattered. Lily knew if she glanced back at the commotion behind her, she would give away the fact that she was no longer under his control, and in order to save Jared, she was going to have to play this out.

  She could hear him struggling against someone, probably the menacing twins that seemed to be looking for a fight, but whoever it was held him tightly in their keep. She stopped just before the vampire, and reached into her pocket, closing her fingers around the small canister that she always kept there. It was nothing more than breath spray, nothing holy or sacred, but she had once sprayed it the wrong way and had gotten it into her eye. Dead or alive, that was entirely unpleasant.

  She looked up at him, remaining silent as she ripped the canister out, aiming and spraying in a matter of seconds. Collin’s scream was ear piercing, echoing harshly through her eardrum, and she covered them quickly as the noise brought her to her knees. Within moments, she heard the chorus of howls from the vampires behind her. Luckily, just as they had appeared, their voices faded into the afternoon light.

  Lily couldn’t move, her heart thumping wildly and sight growing black despite her will to stay conscious. She could faintly make out the sounds around her, but Jared’s voice seemed to be the only one to break through.

  “Lily?” he whispered, as he wrapped his arms around her, but there was no stopping the darkness now. She felt herself slumping over into his arms. She couldn’t move to stop the fall, but felt her body cradled in strong arms as the white dots flickered in and out of her vision, eventually fading into the blackness too.

  

  Jared smoothed the hair away from her face as her eyes slowly closed. He felt her hand come up to take his wrist as one last attempt not to pass out was without success. She was limp in his arms as he sat on the sidewalk, her small body cradled in his lap. He looked up at Jean with a sense of confusion.

  “Come, we’re closer to the church than to the Quarter House. We’ll revive her there.” Jared shied away as Jean extended a hand to help him, but the other man seemed to understand and wrapped an arm around Kylie’s shoulder instead as Jared stood and followed closely behind.

  

  Collin’s red-rimmed eyes burned as he walked furiously into the underground cavern. He wiped the blood that flowed down his cheek away with the back of his hand and flicked it towards the floor, scowling as he did so. Quickly, he turned, looking at the other three that had followed behind him. Raising his arms in anger, he howled at the top of his lungs.

  “That little bitch!” he exclaimed as he paced back and forth before his clan, and then he stopped directly in front of the blond-haired Damon. “You! You were supposed to take care of her, to bring her to us long before this.”

  “The animal had her, and he was protecting her,” Damon replied, looking defiantly at the other vampire. Collin lashed out, digging deep with his nail across Damon’s face, baring his fangs as the blood dripped down. “Her blood cannot be the only one we need.”

  “She is the only one that we have seen in more than a century, and I, for one, am sick of living in the darkness, of hiding in the shadows while the animals run free!” Collin snarled, still standing before Damon with the look of death in his eyes. “Find her, bring her to me! This needs to end!”

  Damon bowed, anger in his eyes, and began to walk away.

  “And, Damon,” Collin spoke up, his voice calm and collective, making Damon turn in his direction. “Fail me again and it will be the last moonrise you ever see!”

  “Yes, my sire,” Damon hissed as he turned and walked away, his eyes glowing crimson red.

  

  The room was cool and comfortable, untouched by the mid-afternoon sun and the eighty-degree weather outside. As Jared sat quietly by the bed, all he could think about was the woman in it. They hadn’t wanted to wake her, afraid of what might happen if she awoke in a strange place, but he flatly refused to leave her side.

  He finally took the time to think about what she had said to him. It had been her inside his head all those months ago. He could feel her panic, the pain that she went through most evenings after her children were tucked safely in bed, and it kept him alert. He helped her through the discomfort, calming her racing heart as he had done in front of the square that afternoon. While he did this, he grew to feel something for her that he had never felt for a person before.

  Unsure of what would become of this dream state he lived in every night, Jared had begun to distance himself from the sweet voice in his head. She hadn’t called out to him, but he had found a path to her during the full moon, when his telepathy was the greatest. She was full of pain, but also love and light, and that attracted him more. However, unsure of where exactly she was, or even if she existed at all, he gave up hope of ever connecting. There she was, lying on the bed in front of him, filling him with a sense of need and hope. He sat forward, placing his face in his hands, and prayed that he would be able to keep her safe now that he had found her.

  “I swear so far all I’ve done on this vacation is eat, sleep, and wake up in places that I don’t remember closing my eyes in.” Her voice played over him, tickling his senses as he tried hard to hold in the laugh, but as he sat up and looked over her face, he couldn’t hide the smile. “And, oh, if I get to wake up with such a gorgeous thing next to me all the time, please let me do it more often.”

  “Flattery will get you nowhere, little girl,” he whispered. Standing up, he moved closer to her. Then he leaned over the bed, one hand on either side of her head, and kissed her gently on the lips. “You frightened me.”

  “You can’t believe how frightened I was myself. The thought of what they might have done to you. I just couldn’t—” Jared’s fingers caressed her lips, quieting her gently.

  “Shh, don’t think of that right now.” He smiled, running his hand over her skin that was exposed to his wandering fingers. “You were very brave.”

  “What if it hadn’t worked, I was very stupid!” Lily replied, watching him come closer to her, a smile splitting her lips. “You’re not going to let me do this are you? Beat myself up over what could have happened.”

  “I’ve been beating myself up for even letting it happen, so there is no need for the two of us to play the same game.” Jared kissed her cheek softly, brushing his lips down over her skin as she closed her eyes and leaned her head further back. With ease, he slid onto the bed, lying beside her as he slipped his arm around her waist. “Where did you come from?”

  “Massachusetts,” she replied sarcastically and felt him nip at her skin in response. She drew in a loud gasp and grabbed his shirt with one hand and the back of his hair with the other. “Do that again.”

  “Really?�
� he whispered with a smile in his voice, and he felt her nod in response.

  Gently, he opened his mouth and bit down on her neck, as it sloped down to her shoulders. Softly he suckled the skin, drawing it into his mouth and nipping down with his teeth, but he wanted so much more as her small responses turned into moans of pleasure. He released her quickly, not able to take much more, and closed his eyes as he felt the fire in them burning. He moved over to rest between her legs and leaned down, touching his lips to hers.

  He captured her lips with everything he possessed, moving deep into the warmth of her mouth. Shaking, he released her, slid off the bed and stood over in the corner of the room, his hands over his mouth. Lily sat up, unsure of what was going on. Completely aware of his confusion, she moved to the end of the bed.

  “What about your nature are you hiding from me?” she questioned softly and watched as Jared shook his head. “Do you think showing me would make me want you less?”

  “I may harm you,” he replied, closing his eyes, “and that would be something I couldn’t live with.”

  “But you may not, and I’m willing to take that risk.”

  He moved quicker than she could see, and suddenly he was towering over her as she lay flat against the bed. He hovered there, resting on his hands and knees as his eyes began to glow a bright silver color. His lips peeled back, exposing his teeth, which reminded Lily of the vampires, but what she saw was quite different. He had sharp canines, not only on the top, but also the bottom of his jaw. As she reached up to touch his chin, they parted slightly, his eyes sliding closed.

  “Stop, Lily, before I cannot,” he begged, but she cupped the sides of his face and drew him down to her, his muscles shaking under the strain of holding back. He held his lips inches from hers and breathed in her scent. “There is no going back if you continue this, I have no control.”

  “I don’t want to go back, Jared,” she moaned against his wet lips, closing the space between them.

  Fire exploded, light and heat filling the air around them as he kissed her passionately, coming down to rest on her body. Lily grabbed his shirt by the end and pulled it hurriedly up from his waist and over his head. The definition of the muscles of his chest left her breathless as she ran her hands over every hill and valley of his features. Jared moaned softly as her heated hands touched his skin, sending the animal nature in him exploding around him.

  He wrestled with the blue t-shirt she wore, wanting nothing more than to have it off and out of his way so that he might look upon her. She smiled as she helped him pull it, but he caught her hands in the tangled fabric before she was able to let it go. His lips descended upon the swell of her breast as his eyes locked on hers. She closed her eyes, giving into the pleasure of having him so close. The feel of his hot lips against her sent shivers through her and she wrestled her hands out to bring them down on his bare shoulders.

  Jared moved the lace of her bra, exposing her taut nipples to his feasting eyes, and he brought the tip of his tongue across the peak. Lily moved under him, pressing her hips up and against his belly while she ran a hand over his black hair. Teasingly, he moved lower, unbuttoning her jeans and sliding them off with practiced ease. His mouth descended upon the small area covered only by her light cotton panties, and released his warm breath against her.

  “Take them off, Jared,” she pleaded, and watched him smile as she unhooked the bra that she still wore.

  He gleefully obliged her and removed the small barrier that separated him from the warmth and wetness of her sex. With a sly smile, he moved, catching her off guard as he ran his tongue along her folds. Lily squirmed against him, giggling at the feelings he was giving her, having no other way to react to the pleasure. He caught her hips squarely in his hands, holding her there while he parted her and pressed his tongue deep within her.

  Lily closed her eyes as the shattering orgasm took over, shaking her to the very core of her being. It had been so long since she had felt such passion that she no longer had control of what she did, her fingernails digging into his shoulders. Jared growled low in his throat, rolling his eyes at the pleasurable pain that she was inflicting on him. He heard her moan loudly, just before easing her grip on him.

  Jared moved up to her, removing his own jeans as he came to rest between her legs once again. Gently, he slipped a hand under her shoulder and grabbed a handful of her hair, entangling it in his fingers to feel the silkiness in his palm. Lily smiled, arching against him as the satin steel of his erection pressed against her. Jared kissed along her collarbone, languidly moving down near her chin before capturing her lips with his. The small sounds that Lily made against him aroused him to the point of no control, but he didn’t move to enter her. He wanted it to be the right time, wanted it to be her decision.

  Her hand slid down his body, bringing with it a trail of fire that set him more ablaze than he could have ever dreamed. Jared closed his eyes tightly as she reached down to the front, cupping his soft roundness.

  “Lily,” he gasped, clenching his teeth together as her hand traveled up to wrap around his thickened shaft.

  Gently she moved, gliding up and down over his moist tip as he continued to caress her neck with his kisses. When she placed him within the folds of her velvet sheath, he stopped and drew in a deep breath. With eyes filled with wonder, he looked down at her, feeling her waiting as he licked his lips. Slowly he pushed past her barriers, entering into the core of her womb.

  She felt him fill her, as if created just for her body, and clenched down around him. It had been so long since she felt so complete and taken to the edge of control, and that was just what Jared was doing to her. Even as he slipped in slowly, she felt him in every pore of her being.

  His mind seemed to explode into a thousand different colors as she closed around him, taking him to a height that he hadn’t been to in so very long. He could hear her sigh as he pulled back. She smiled up at him, as he thrust deep, penetrating her very soul. This began the rhythm, a wonderful dance of highs and lows that took them to the edge and back. She wrapped her legs around his hips, allowing him to delve deeper, to fill her more and to bring her over the top.

  He could feel her tightening around him, as her body trembled in his arms, and her breathing became so much more. She clung to him inward and out, as she gripped his arms, trying to hold on. Feeling the need to let go with him as he hardened inside her, she decided that she could wait no longer.

  The ecstasy ripped through her like lightning, and she felt herself release everything to the wind. She bit her lip, trying hard not to make so much noise, and the pain of the bite only added to her pleasure as she gripped Jared tightly. His sighs told her everything that she needed to know … he was on the verge of letting go. She grasped his face with her hands, bringing him to her as he felt the warm release jetting from his body.

  Sated and sleepy, he came down to rest against her slick body, and listened to her rapid heartbeat as it slowed along with her breathing. Her fingers gently ran over the side of his face, tracing his hairline from his temple, down behind his ear, and to the back of his neck.

  “Did I hurt you?” he whispered, feeling very vulnerable as he lay in her arms.

  “Not in the least.” Lily giggled. “I didn’t think you would.”

  Jared propped himself up on his elbow and looked into her shining hazel eyes. “How could you be so certain?”

  “A woman knows.” She winked and reached for the covers as she shivered. Tucked under the warmth of the blankets, and with the feel of Jared’s heat around her, Lily faded off to sleep once more.

  Chapter Four

  Lily stood looking out one of the large windows in the library of the church, a cup of steaming coffee in her hand. She left Jared sleeping soundly in the bed they shared to collect her thoughts on the events of the afternoon. Kylie had left a message, saying that she had gone out with Jean for a walk around the town. This helped Lily to relax, knowing her friend was safe, but it was the eerie thought of th
e vampires that brought about the nervousness.

  With a deep breath, she placed the cup down on the table and turned to the bookshelves that surrounded her. There was so much information there, but none that seemed useful to her, for Jean had told them that they were waiting on an informant to find out the reason for the events of the last few days. However, as she moved around the bookshelves, her mind turned to the story of the DeLaCroix family that Jean had expounded on their first meeting.

  If Jared wasn’t a vampire, what was he? Why did he have the strength and the abilities that some of these creatures did? His fangs weren’t quite the same, having ones on the bottom as well as the top, and he certainly didn’t smell the same as the one he had called Collin. All of these things made Lily’s mind work, spinning different theories until she came to the same conclusion. Just as the shocking revelation came to her, Jared—who wore an unbuttoned dress shirt and jeans—walked into the room.

  He stopped, noticing the knowledge gleaming in her eyes. Drawing a deep breath, he forcefully sighed, looking around as he placed his hands in his front pockets.

  “Go ahead,” he said.

  “Go ahead what?” Lily questioned, sitting up on the desk. Jared smiled sarcastically, as he looked at her and moved closer.

  “It’s written all over your face, Lil. I know that you have questions so just go ahead and ask.” He sat down in the soft leather seat in front of her and put his feet up on the chair.

  “And what do you think will happen when I ask and I get everything answered exactly how I wanted to hear it?” She sighed, crossing her arms over her chest.

  “Just like every other female that has come and gone in my life, you’ll run screaming in terror and straight out the door,” he answered. The sarcasm in his voice made her heart ache. “So, go ahead.”

  “You’re him, aren’t you? Gerard du Claverack?” she asked. Jared closed his eyes at the sound of that name and he nodded. “So, you’re over two hundred years old? How can that be?”