Insolita Luna

by M. J. O'Shea

  I trailed a trembling finger down the contours of his chest. Slowly, hesitatingly, I leaned over and followed my hand with my lips. It felt like the first time again. As if we’d never touched at all. I couldn’t believe how scared I was.

  Get a grip. He loves you. It’ll be fine.

  I wanted it to be so perfect. He tugged on my hair when I sucked gently on his neck. It was something I’d done so many times before, but I felt awkward and shaky and new.

  He moaned and lifted his hips, which gave me a little more confidence. “Touch me, babe, please. I need to feel your hands.”

  I reached over to my nightstand and pulled out my little bottle of lube. I coated my fingers and gently started to work him open, getting him ready for my body.

  “God, that feels amazing,” Noah choked out. It probably didn’t hurt that I had fastened my lips to the side of his neck and was sucking as hard as I could on his favorite spot. “I’m ready,” he finally murmured. “I need you.”

  “You sure?” I whispered.

  He nodded and clutched at my arm. My stomach jumped, but I nodded too.

  Trembling, I spread Noah’s legs as far as they could go and guided myself slowly. He cried out and arched up into me, wrapping his legs around me. I couldn’t believe how good he felt. I tilted him up and tried to angle my hips the way he always did so I’d hit him in exactly the right spot. It took a few tries, but finally I got it right. I knew the second he convulsed and nearly screamed that I’d done something different.

  “Did that feel good?”

  “Yes. Please don’t stop….” I was happy to oblige. Over and over I stroked deep into him, kissing his face and threading our fingers together on the pillow.

  It took me a few minutes to finally be able to draw in a complete breath after it was over. When I could, I rubbed Noah’s flushed cheek with my thumb.

  “Thank you,” I whispered, a satisfied hum in my throat.

  He laughed softly. “Thank you.”

  I slipped gently out of him and rolled us so we were facing side by side. I wrapped my arm around him and slipped my thigh between his. “I adore you, Noah Harper,” I murmured softly and brushed a small kiss on his lips.

  His eyes went wide and sweet. “I’m not sure there’s even a word for how I feel. Maybe someday there will be. For now ‘I love you’ will have to do.” He snuggled as close as he could and pulled my arm tight around him before wrapping his own arm around me.

  “Let’s go to sleep for a little while longer. Then we’ll get up and visit the others,” I suggested.

  “No complaints here,” he answered and closed his eyes.

  Chapter Eleven: Perfect…. Almost

  THE NEXT few days were my version of paradise. We slept, kissed, cuddled, watched movies, talked about books. It was like those weeks at the lake, except we were really on our own like I’d always dreamed. Sometimes I felt like I had to shake my whole body just to keep it from floating off.

  I realized the year apart, both trying to find replacements and failing miserably, made us appreciate each other that much more. At least, it did for me. Plus, we’d become our own people when we were alone. I think I loved the new Noah even more than I’d loved the kid he used to be. The complex guy who’d grown out of his experiences was just that much more interesting, that much hotter than the Noah I’d been in love with for so long.

  There was one obvious thing that kept our lives from being perfect. The vampires. The stupid vampires. I could deal with the vengeful Harpers. All we had to do was stay out of their way. But the vamps were different. Noah wanted to go looking for them. I knew the others already were investigating, but they’d been unsuccessful so far. And the body count was growing. The cops had kept it quiet so the city didn’t start to panic, but the missing persons reports were starting to make their way into the papers. It was only a matter of time before the hunters caught wind of the rogue vamps… if they hadn’t already.

  It was obvious Noah was dying to be part of the search, no matter what he’d promised Sabina. It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him to join the others. But what if he got hurt, or worse? I didn’t want to be the one who told him to go out hunting on the night something happened. So I kept my mouth shut and watched him squirm.

  On the surface, he was wonderful, amazing, and attentive, but I knew it was there, just centimeters under his skin. It was as if part of him just knew the vampire out there was the one he’d been looking for since his parents died. I hated those rogue vampires with everything I had.

  It wasn’t just the fear that Noah was going to go off and do something stupid; I was frustrated too. Noah had decided that as long as there was some known but unseen predator out there, he wouldn’t change me. He said he didn’t want the chance that something would happen while I was in the middle of changing and unable to run away. So I couldn’t move on with the life I wanted to live, and he couldn’t find the closure he needed to deal with his parents’ death once and for all. I wanted them gone.

  EVERYTHING CHANGED on a rainy Thursday in the second week of August. The air had been heavy and unpleasant all day. I felt like I’d changed shirts a million times and no matter what I was or wasn’t wearing, there didn’t seem to be any relief. I was sorely tempted to fill our bathtub with ice and just lay there until my hot, sweaty skin was cold and numb. It sounded fantastic. Noah came out of his fourth cool shower of the night looking only slightly more comfortable than he’d been before.

  “God, this is awful,” he groaned and smiled wanly at me. He looked pale. It had been nearly a week since he’d fed, and that last time was only for about half as long as usual.

  “Babe, do we need to go out and get you some blood? You’re getting really pale.”

  He smiled ruefully. “I do need to feed, but PC says there’s been a few groups of unfamiliar vamps at the usual place where I go. I probably shouldn’t be seen there.”

  I reached up and cupped his whiter-than-usual cheek. “How can I help?”

  Fifteen minutes later, I was in a cab on my way to Park Avenue. Alone. I didn’t like it at all, but it was the best solution we could come up with. He couldn’t go there, but he was fairly sure there would be no one there who would recognize me. I had instructions to find the bartender named Dan, who would supposedly have blood we could buy for Noah. I’d tried to convince him to feed off me, but he refused. He said he was too hungry. It was too dangerous.

  My trip felt illicit, so underworld black market. It was a bit of a thrill, but not enough of one to make it fun. I was terrified. I couldn’t believe I was going to a vampire bar by myself. I’d argued with Noah that I should bring Leila, or at least PC, but he didn’t want me to be associated with them. It was well known they were hunting the rogue vamps. I just wanted to get the damn bag of blood or whatever I was picking up and get out of there and back to Noah.

  The bar, my third vampire bar, was again completely different than the other two. The first was all sex and blood, the second just plain gross. This third one was, strangely enough, exactly what you’d expect of an Upper East Side watering hole. The clientele looked snobby and designer-clad. My arty, rocker-boy Village look got more than a few disdainful stares.

  Ugh. Stuck-up vampires. I had no idea how Noah put up with them.

  I made a quick beeline for the bar, wanting only to talk to this Dan guy, get the blood, and remove myself from the glacial atmosphere of the bar.

  You better have called ahead, I grumbled silently at Noah. He’d promised he would. I knew how humans were generally received in these kinds of places.

  The man at the bar was handsome in a manicured kind of way. His skin was pale as marble and his shiny dark hair fell artfully over a perfectly shaped brow. I could see how he’d be popular with the sort of crowd that hung at this bar. I was only interested in what he could give me.

  “Are you Dan?” I asked tentatively.

  “You Noah’s boy?” I wasn’t sure if the tone was slightly insulting or if I was being over
ly sensitive.

  “Yeah, I’m his boyfriend. Do you have…?” I didn’t want to say it out loud.

  “I do. Come around to the side of the bar for a minute.” The transaction was easy enough. I gave him the cash Noah had slipped me right before I left, and he gave me a black messenger bag that I slipped over my head.

  I was making my way to the door as quickly as I could without drawing notice when I bumped up against a wall of muscle.

  “Sorry,” I squeaked and tried to get around him. A thick bicep reached across my chest to block my way.

  “Watch where you’re going, human.” The voice was cold and slightly wild. I felt the hairs all up and down my back stand on end.

  “I’m sorry.” I looked up. Big mistake.

  A sly grin spread across the face before me. I supposed, like the bartender, he could be considered handsome. All I saw was a snake. I tried again to move but again, he stopped me.

  “I know you,” he said, still smiling.

  “N-No you don’t.”

  “Tell your little cupcake boyfriend that I’m coming for him and his friends; you too, if you’re dumb enough to get in my way. They’re fools for thinking they’re faster or smarter than me. “

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  The vampire scoffed. “While you’re at it, you can tell him to quit blaming me for his parents’ death. It’s his fault they’re dead, not mine. If he’d have minded his own business, they would have never found me in the first place.”

  My eyes grew wide. Suddenly I felt a hand on my elbow.

  “C’mon. Curb service.” Dan herded me quickly through the front door. I was more than grateful to follow. “Stay the hell away from him,” he snapped as soon as we were outside.

  “I was trying to get away. He wouldn’t let me.”

  “Then get in this cab and run like hell for your door when you get home, okay? Tell Noah he’s got trouble.”

  Trouble? There sure as hell was trouble, and I had no idea what I was going to do about it. I trembled the whole way home. Lying in bed as the sun was starting to rise, I tried to sleep. I cuddled up to Noah’s peaceful form and hoped to absorb some of his quietness, but I couldn’t. I decided right then that I needed to go to the others. I was going to call PC the second I awoke. I squeezed my eyes shut and concentrated on other things—Noah’s skin, how nice it was to lie next to him on the super soft bed. Eventually the adrenaline wore off and the stress of the night left me drained. My eyes closed naturally and when I finally fell asleep, it was nearly noon.

  “PC?” I whispered into the phone, I peered into our room to make sure Noah was still asleep. I saw the lump of his body under the blankets and took a deep breath.

  “What’s up, Zack?” He was his usual boisterous self.

  “Listen, I need some advice. I’ve got a situation I don’t know how to handle.”

  “What happened, dude?”

  “The vampire. He knows who I am. I ran into him when I was getting blood for Noah. I don’t know how he knows I’m with Noah, but he does. He said he was going to come for us. PC, I don’t want to hide things from Noah, but I don’t know what to do. How do I deal with this?”

  “Wait, what vampire?”

  “The vampire. The one that killed Noah’s parents. He knows you guys are after him, and he wants to kill us before you get a chance to kill him. God, PC, I’m lucky I got out of there last night. If the bartender hadn’t walked me out to the cab, I’m not 100 percent sure I’d still be talking right now.”

  “Listen, you need to tell Noah. He has the right to try to protect you. I’ll get Leila and we’ll come over and get him and we can all deal with this asshole together. Go wake him up right now. We’re on our way.”

  I walked into the room to wake Noah, scared for him but ready to let him defend us. My breath caught in my throat the second I turned the corner. The lump I’d seen in the bed was gone and the window to the fire escape was open, curtains flapping in the breeze of the late summer night.

  Shit, shit, shit.

  Noah was gone. My hands shook and I sank to the floor, clutching my phone. I did the first thing I could think of. I hit redial.

  “Zack? Dude, keep your pants on. We’re leaving in a second,” PC told me when he picked up the phone.

  “PC?” I could barely choke out the whisper. “He’s gone.”

  Chapter Twelve: I’ll Follow You Into The Dark

  I’D BEEN pacing back and forth for nearly two hours. I would have been out sprinting up and down the streets of Manhattan screaming his name if I’d thought it would do any good.

  Damn it, Noah!

  Why did he run off on his own? Of all the stupid things to do. Did he think I was going to forbid him from trying to find his parents’ murderer? I wouldn’t have loved it, but if he’d just waited for the others, then I wouldn’t be wearing a hole to China on the floor of the apartment and he’d probably be safe in my arms. I should have known. Whenever the rogue vampires were mentioned, he’d get that damn look in his eyes—the one that always resulted in him doing something reckless. I wanted to scream and punch things.

  If he’s dead, I’m going to find his body and kick his butt.

  Immediately, I felt guilty. I didn’t know what I’d do if Noah didn’t survive.

  No, he’s going to be fine. Don’t even think it.

  The door slammed open suddenly, almost flying off its hinges. I’d been wound so tight that I nearly screamed.

  PC came rushing in with a mostly unconscious Noah draped over his shoulder. Noah was bleeding from several deep gashes on his torso and neck. I cried out and rushed to them, helping PC put Noah down on the dining room table. The cuts on his body continued to bleed in slippery red rivulets that dripped to the floor in growing puddles. I waited for the wounds to start knitting themselves together, but they only gushed more.

  “Why isn’t he healing?”

  “The wounds are from a vampire. There’s venom in them. He needs blood to regenerate. He’s too weak to do it on his own.”

  I didn’t hesitate. I stripped off my shirt and held my arm out, gently cupping Noah’s head with my hand to bring it close.

  “Drink, babe,” I coaxed. “You need the strength.”

  He tried to pull away from my flesh. “Not you,” he mumbled, shaking his head weakly.

  I looked at PC.

  “He can’t drink my blood,” he said. “It would probably kill him, not save him.”

  I turned back to Noah, determined. “You’re drinking from me. There’s no other choice. I refuse to lose you. PC’s here. If you can’t stop, he’ll pull me away, okay?” Noah looked so bad, I wasn’t even sure if he could get his fangs to come out, let alone use them. Suddenly, his eyes rolled back in his head and his upper body collapsed against me.

  “Get me a knife!” PC looked at me blankly for a second. “From the kitchen.” I pointed with my free hand toward the chef’s knife that was balanced on the edge of the dish rack. As soon as PC realized what I was planning, he scrambled toward the counter.

  When he handed me the knife, I took it and made a deep slice on the inside of my arm. I opened Noah’s mouth and let the first trickles of blood drip between his lips. That’s all it took. Suddenly his teeth were clamping down on my arm and his eyes, white with bloodlust, were wide. I felt the usual thrill for the first few seconds and then a shock of incomparable agony flashed through me. I tried to ask what was happening, but my mouth was frozen. I couldn’t scream, I couldn’t move, I couldn’t tear Noah’s teeth from my arm. Little black spots blurred my vision.

  I made a whimpering noise, the only thing I could force out of my frozen lips.

  It lasted for long minutes, or at least that’s what it felt like. Every beat of my faltering heart echoed like a booming base drum in my ear. I wanted to scream so badly, to release some of the burning pain. That had to be the worst part, the silence. It would be better if only I could do something other than lay there frozen and help
less.

  After what seemed like a fiery eternity, Noah ripped himself away from my arm, and through my pain, I saw the horror on his face.

  “Oh no, no, no, babe. No. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for it to happen. Not like this.” He stroked my face, crying, kissing my forehead.

  But I couldn’t feel any of it. My world was fire.

  I heard the last of his voice trail out; my senses grew blurry, numbed by the constant pain coursing through my blood. I wanted to tell him it was okay, that I would do anything to save him, that I loved him more than I ever thought possible, but I couldn’t say a word. The black spots in my eyes grew bigger and more frequent and the pain, the unbearable pain, crashed over me in boiling waves. Finally I could feel myself fading, my body unable to endure the shock, the ceiling spinning drunkenly above me.

  I love you, Noh….

  And then there was nothing.

  Chapter Thirteen: Awake

  I WOKE up a little bit before I remembered what had happened. I felt the heat of the room, but in a weird way. It was almost as if the air was solid. I could sense it against my skin, more like a blanket than like regular air. I could feel every little change in the direction of the breeze. It was a distracting sensation. I floated for a few moments, concentrating on the air and its changes. Then I shifted and realized I was lying in bed, covered only by a thin sheet. The cotton of my well-worn sheets rubbed against my skin, changing my focus. I felt every fiber of the fabric, some soft and some irritatingly rough moving against me. I squirmed, trying to find a spot with only soft fabric and none of the itchiness.

  Why does everything feel so weird?

  As soon as my brain could process my surroundings enough to ask that question, I knew. I remembered pacing the floor of my apartment, Noah being carried in the door bleeding and unconscious, the bite, the pain.

  Oh my God. Am I really a… vampire?