Before the Moonrise

by Dawn Gray

  “After all these years together, you never even told me,” he bellowed, the anger in his voice echoing around the partially empty room. Jean sighed, placing his folded hands in front of him.

  “There was no need to tell you,” Jean stated, glancing over at the body that lay on the bed.

  “No need? No need? You’re a vampire, Jean, no matter which way you look at it! Light or not. You felt no need to tell me?” Jared roared, clenching his fists. “Who was she? Which one of them gave you the light?”

  Jean shrugged, looking up at his friend before shaking his head. “A beautiful woman a long time ago, that is all that you need to know.”

  “Agh! I’m getting a little irritated with that answer,” Jared howled, his anger growing by the minute, but his attention turned quickly as Lily stirred on the bed. He knelt down beside her, inspecting the purple scar on her chest. As he watched, her hazel eyes opened and she drew in a deep breath. “Lily?”

  “Jared.” She smiled as she turned her head to look at him. He felt the affection in her eyes, as they burned into his soul. She reached out for him with her hand. He took it gently in his and ran his lips over the top of her knuckles. “Why do you look so sad?”

  “I nearly lost you,” he said softly, brushing her hair from her face. “The thought of that alone breaks my heart.”

  “How did I get out of there? Where is Damon?” Jared sat back at the sound of the vampire’s name on her lips, a questioning look in his eyes. “Did you kill him to get me out? Is he dead?”

  “Do you want him to be?” Jared whispered.

  “Yes,” she answered, “and no.”

  “Why no?” Jean inquired, but her eyes never left Jared’s face.

  “I understand what I carry in my veins now. When he took my blood, his heart started to beat and his soul returned to his eyes. The stench of death left his body, and I saw the remorse for every sin in his face,” she explained, smiling slightly at the thought. “He didn’t harm you, did he? He gave me to you?”

  “Yes.” Jared sighed, and watched her blink slowly.

  “I knew he would.” Lily breathed in a deep breath and looked at Jean. “That’s what she did for you, wasn’t it? She gave you the light and you protected her.”

  “I did the only thing I could think of at the time,” Jean replied quietly, as if he were reliving the past. “I gave her back the freedom she longed for, the life she deserved, and in return, she gave me a child.”

  “The vampire that Madame LaQue told us about?” Kylie whispered, looking up at him. “That was you?” Jean nodded and put his hands in his pockets. “How old are you?”

  He gave a dry laugh. “I’ve lost track of the centuries. I only came back here because I knew that the ones who carried her magic in their veins would be attracted to this place, unconsciously or not. I wanted to be here to help them survive. I knew there was a vampire destined for you to find, but I never guessed that Jared would find you first, or that the two of you would be made for one another.”

  “You kept him safe all this time, and yet you never knew?” Lily questioned, wrapping her fingers around Jared’s large hand. She stared at Jean as he shook his head. “The moonrise is tomorrow night. I don’t know if I have the strength to fight them off again, or to battle Damon if he tries to take me.”

  “You must,” Jean spoke vehemently, stepping up to the side of the bed. “For Jared and yourself, you must fight with everything you have to save your future.”

  Lily turned back to Jared, touching his cheek with the tips of her fingers. Slowly, Jean and Kylie exited the room. Jared leaned down, licking his lips as he paused a breath away from her mouth. He glanced over to the exposed skin of her breast. His fingers brushed the discolored mark lightly, and he could feel her breathe in deeply. Not from pain, but the pleasure of his touch.

  “So you have been marked by us both,” he whispered, turning back to look deep into her eyes, his mouth brushing gently against hers. “Which one of us do you choose? Which one do you want?”

  “You,” she whispered, her eyes closing as his knuckles brushed the bruises harder. “Always you, Jared.”

  His lips were soft and warm against hers. He tasted sweet, like honey. Lily wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing him closer as his gentle brush became a demanding brand on her. She parted her lips, feeling his tongue slip in. She moaned against the feel of him dancing inside her, tasting her as if wanting to memorize every inch of her inside and out. When he backed away, his lips red and swollen from the passion of their kisses, she could only see the love in his eyes.

  “You scared the hell out of me,” he said, a slight smile playing on his lips.

  “I promise I will try not to do it again.” She ran her thumb over his bright red mouth. “I knew you would save me.”

  “You have much faith in someone you have only just met,” Jared teased.

  “I’ve known you forever, in my heart.” Lily sighed as she kissed his nose. “I want to go out.”

  “After what you’ve been through, you want to go out?” he inquired, questioning her sanity. Lily laughed.

  “Take me out, Jared! Take me to a safe little place, any place. I want to see New Orleans. I want to finish seeing the French Quarter, with you,” she explained, gazing deep into his eyes. “And I want steak and cheese.”

  This proclamation made him laugh wholeheartedly. “You want me only for food?”

  “If I wanted you for food,” she replied, looking at him with seduction in his eyes, “I wouldn’t be asking you to take me out. And you certainly wouldn’t be in any mood to go anywhere when I finished with you.”

  “Temptress!” he exclaimed, rolling out of bed. He stood looking down at her and smiled. He placed his hands on his hips, unsure that he wanted her to leave, not for fear of meeting up with the vampires, but because he wanted to ravage her as she lay there. “Agh! You need clothes.”

  “You don’t think that this is stylish enough to go out in?” she whispered, stretching out on the bed. She moved her legs, exposing the soft patch of skin between, and he growled deeply at her, his smile turning sly.

  “Woman, you do that again, and you aren’t leaving this bedroom … ever,” he replied and quickly moved out of the room.

  Standing in the bathroom with his head against the wall, he breathed in deeply, a smile crossing his face. He desperately tried to keep the beast under control, but the raging erection in his jeans was doing nothing for his disposition. Jared moved out into the hallway and looked up at Jean and Kylie.

  “She wants to go out.” He smiled when Kylie tried to cover the grin that spread across her face as she observed his state of being. Jared rolled his eyes and bit his lips. “She has no clothing; at least none fit enough to step outside the bedroom with.”

  “Completely evident by the smile on your face.” Kylie laughed, unable to hold out on commenting. Jared shook his head, placing one hand on the counter and the other on his hip. “I saw a place just down the street where I could get her some clothes if you have a few dollars to spare.”

  “Here,” Jean said, placing three twenty dollar bills in her hand. “Actually, let me go with you, just in case.”

  “That would be wonderful,” she replied, grinning up at him. The two of them walked by. Kylie went on ahead when Jean stopped and put a hand on his shoulder.

  “Good luck, my friend.” Jean’s shoulders shaking with laughter as he walked by.

  Jared grinned, listening to the door close. He turned and walked back to the bedroom, where he found an empty bed. His heart thumped hard in his chest as he looked around, but the ache eased when he heard the shower going in the next room. Casually he opened the door and walked in. The warm steam filled his lungs, bringing in everything around him, including the scent of the woman behind the curtain. He gently drew it back, revealing her naked, wet body to him. She smiled, as he looked her over from head to toe.

  “You know, if you come in here you’re never making it out, and we are nev
er going to get out of here to eat. So just stay where you are.” She grinned as she grabbed the curtain from him. Jared laughed, taking her by the wrist and pulling her close, even as the water dripped off her skin. “What are you doing? You’re going to get soaked.”

  “There’s something that’s bugging me and I have to take care of it,” he answered, wrapping his arms around her waist. She stood a few inches taller than him now, and as she watched he lowered his head towards the bruise on her breast.

  “Jared, don’t start something you won’t be able to finish,” she whimpered as his mouth came down upon her skin. With a sigh, she closed her eyes and let the feel of his soft tongue washing over her skin take her beyond her thoughts. He was gentle with her, even though any touch to the sensitive spot sent her reeling. He touched her only to heal, until he couldn’t hold out any longer. His mouth latched onto the warm, wet nipple just below her bruise. She drew in a deep breath and slapped him on the shoulder. “Tease! Cut it out.”

  Jared smiled, looking up at her as he flicked the peak with the tip of his tongue and backed away. She glanced down at the spot where the purple bruise once was and smiled at the flawless skin that was now there. Then she looked up at him.

  “Thank you.”

  He ran a hand through his hair. “You’re welcome, but hurry up … I need to take a nice cold shower before we leave the house.” Lily giggled as she pulled the curtain closed.

  

  The clothes were lying neatly spread out on the bed before her. A tight, lime-green t-shirt with a ‘Bourbon Street’ sign screened onto it sat above a pair of what looked like well-worn blue jeans. Beside them was a bra and panty set that she knew a man had to have something to do with, for it was lacy and looked as though it wouldn’t cover much. Lily smiled at the selection and started to dress, having gotten on everything but the jeans when the first wave of panic hit her.

  She saw it clearly, the dirt walls of the hole she had been tossed in. With shaky hands, she reached out to touch it, unsure of whether it was real or not. It sifted through her fingers and she breathed in quickly as the burning pain began to fill her chest. Breathing became laborious as a weight came down on her. She could hear the voices that surrounded her, and her heart quickened as she moved to look at the dark shapes above what looked to be a grave.

  “Jared!” she screamed, reaching her arms up to the shapes … but she couldn’t move, couldn’t feel her legs.

  The door to the room burst open and she felt arms wrap tightly around her as her head began to spin. In desperation, she disconnected herself from the scene that surrounded her and looked in as if she was an observer.

  He looked deep into her eyes with his brown ones. Blood trickled down from the wound on his forehead, and he reached out to her as the dirt came down over his waist. Lily shook her head, feeling it on her own body as if she lay in the earth with him. As tears ran down her cheeks, her fingers touched his. For an instant, their minds were one.

  Let go of me, Lily, let go of my mind or you will suffer my fate! Damon ordered, his strong voice echoing through her as if he stood before her.

  They’re doing this because you helped me escape, Damon! I won’t let you suffer here and die because of me, she answered back, shaking her head, trying to hold on to him.

  What’s done is done, woman! You have your mate, so you need to stay with him and he needs to keep you alive. His voice told her of his frustrations as the dirt reached his neck, and the breath in his body was gradually squeezed out.

  You’re a vampire, Damon, you don’t need to breathe. I’ll save you! I swear I will get you out! she mentally screamed. He roared at her, much like Jared had done when she wouldn’t listen, and it made her smile.

  Don’t you dare come back here! If you save me, if you come back to this lair, I swear when I am out I will finish the job that I started! he barked at her, but the connection was already fading. The tingle of his mind on hers was disappearing and suddenly Lily could breathe again. Stay safe, stay with your mate. Live through the moonrise. Live.

  DAMON! she bellowed one last time, but he was no longer there. Her world was now becoming a bright, white light. With a deep breath, and a sharp pain in her chest, Lily came back to the arms that held her. She examined Kylie and Jean, and then turned to see the worry on Jared’s face.

  “Where were you?” he whispered, brushing the tears from her cheek. “Where did you go that you couldn’t find your way back?”

  “Damon,” she answered, shaking her head. She waited to see the look of anger on Jared’s face, but he knew her choice and believed it heart and soul. “They buried him alive, somewhere in the cavern. He took me there to say goodbye.”

  “Why would he contact you?” Kylie questioned. “Why?”

  “She is his light, she gave him back his soul and he took her blood,” Jean replied. “The bond is strong, but not true, like hers and Jared’s.”

  “He told me to stay safe,” Lily murmured, reaching up to hug Jared around the neck. “He told me to stay with you and to stay away from where he is, but he’s not dead! They buried him alive and he won’t die.”

  “Then we need to do what he says,” Jared said gently, cupping her face in his. “He’s trying to protect you and he must know what they want from you. Maybe they knew that if they did that to him, that you would come and save him.”

  “If they believe the legends of the moonrise to be true, then yes. They would expect her to come back for him, but they would expect her to come back because of what he would be to her,” Jean replied.

  “I can’t leave him there.” She closed her eyes tightly. “I can’t leave him in that hell just because of something passed down by my ancestors.”

  “If you go back before the moonrise, they will have you just where they want you!” Jean argued, crossing his arms over his chest. “Is that what you want?”

  “He’s like you now, Jean!” Lily argued, standing up as Jean left the room. Jared held her hand as she took a step after him. “Doesn’t that count for something? He has a heart and a soul and he is stuck in the earth to rot because of a gift passed to me by some grandmother of mine … and you!”

  “Enough!” Jean yelled, turning in her direction. Jared saw his approach as a threat and stood up beside Lily, shielding her behind his own body. Jean stopped two feet from her, and pointed at her in anger as his lips moved to form the words. “What we don’t need right now is some martyr running head long into a vampire coven to save some damn fool who chose to take the light for his own selfish purposes. What we DO need is a plan.”

  Jared stopped and looked at him in confusion as a smile formed on Lily’s lips. She glanced up at the man beside her, while Jean turned and walked back into the living room, still pointing and waving while speaking under his breath. Jared shook his head, unable to figure out what just happened, and Kylie glanced down at her friend’s bare legs.

  “Get finished getting dressed, I’m starving,” she said, closing the door as Jared also glanced down at Lily’s bare skin.

  Jared handed her the jeans and watched her hop into them, then lay on the bed to button them up. As she lay there, he gently placed his hand on her bare mid-drift before leaning down to kiss her on the warm skin of her stomach.

  “You don’t seem upset by what’s about to happen.” She gave a soft moan as he made small patterns on her skin with his lips.

  “Is there a reason I should be upset?” he questioned, pushing the material that covered her higher with his nose, kissing along the same path. “You told me that I was the one and I believe you. Jean explained to me that there might be a connection between you and Damon, one that might evolve into a telepathic one or just stay the way it was, as if you were able to sense him. I understand that you didn’t ask him to do what he did, and that you don’t want him.”

  “No, I want you!” She ran her fingers up the back of his scalp, through the thickness of his hair. “And I want food.”

  “Always thinking with
your stomach.” He laughed as he listened to the gurgles from under her skin. He sat up, grabbed her gently by the wrists, and pulled her to her feet. Kissing her wholeheartedly, he held her there. Then he tilted his head towards the door. “Come, let’s get you something to eat. The faster you eat, the faster we can come home so I can eat you.”

  “Pig!” Lily laughed as she moved out the door before him. Jared slapped her on the backside as they reached the other two, and the four of them headed out into the evening to find a place to eat.

  

  Lily looked over the balcony rails as they sat around a table at the Crescent City Brewery restaurant, taking in the neon lights and the sounds that made up Decatur Street. She was enjoying the sights of the hundreds of people that wandered the sidewalks, entering and exiting the many different souvenir stores and bars. Jared leaned over and kissed her on the cheek, taking her attention away from the people below. She smiled at him as he leaned close and whispered in her ear.

  “Are you enjoying yourself, my love?”

  “Very much so,” she replied as she looked up at Jean and Kylie, who seemed deep in conversation. “It’s hard to believe that there is a darker side to this place. It seems so full of life.”

  “Indeed it does,” Jean said, glancing in her direction. “But you’ll find throughout history that most places that hold the most life also have the darkest side.”

  “London, for instance,” Kylie added.

  Jean nodded, focusing on the long, black-haired bartender that they had passed on the way up the stairs. The man—not much taller than Jared and just as young looking—bowed slightly, in Jean’s direction, his hands behind his back.

  “Pardon the intrusion, Mr. Morton.” He spoke quietly, as if they were surrounded by other people, yet there was only one other table that held guests on the balcony. “I don’t mean to interrupt your dinner, sir, but this just arrived for you.”