Moonlight (9 page)

I took a deep breath, hoping to calm my racing heart. “I’m not afraid.” I hoped I sounded convincing. Weakness is always frowned upon.

The wolf snapped its jaw in response and crouched low with its front paws, ready to attack.

If there had been anything left in my stomach, I’m sure I would have thrown it up. My nerves were shot. I couldn’t hide the trembling in my legs, but I still managed to stand tall. I looked the wolf in the eyes and said, “Do it.”

The wolf leaped into the air.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, readying myself for the pain.

Sharp and vicious, the first bite tore through my shoulder, narrowly missing the critical jugular vein in my neck.

I let out a cry but it was muffled by thick fur. The wolf toppled me over and pinned me to the ground. I thought that would be the end of it. I’d been seriously injured. I prayed that it would be enough, but the wolf wasn’t done with me yet.

It snarled and took another bite, digging its teeth into my already ruined shoulder.

Agony rang out in my voice. I howled louder than any wolf I’d heard in the past. Still the wolf would not stop its assault.

Though this was part of the process, my instinct to survive outweighed any thoughts I might have had at allowing any more of this torture. I threw my good arm around the wolf, grabbed as much fur as I could grip, and pulled. Clumps came away, but the wolf wasn’t fazed at all. It towered over me, biting at my shoulders and chest as if playing with me, purposely avoiding the deadly blow, dragging out the moment of death.

Adrenaline fueled me, giving me the strength to continue through the raw, angry pain. I reached out and grabbed a fallen branch lying near my head. Swinging as hard as I could, I slammed it into the wolf’s back. I fought back the best I could, popping my knees up into the underbelly of the beast.

Nothing I did had any effect. The wolf would not be moved. My throat was hoarse from retching and screaming already; the only sound I could manage was a raspy squeal. “Enough, please.”

Diving for another deadly blow, the wolf’s teeth dug in hard around my collar bone. I felt something snap, and I lost all control of my left arm. It should have been a different level of hurt, but I was already too overwhelmed with pain to feel the new damage. Warmth rose up through the pain. A mild and sticky heat. It oozed over my shoulder and dribbled down my neck. I knew it now. I was bleeding to death. This was the end.

Through watering eyes, I looked up at the wolf. “That’s enough!” I choked. “Stop now before you kill me.”

But the wolf didn’t respond. It pawed at me and dug its massive claws into my chest. If I didn’t know better, I’d say it was actually trying to ensure I did die and would not turn.

How much damage could I really endure? I’d already thrown up, even though Aiden had told me not to.

Blood loss and pain were finally taking their toll. I’d burned through all of my adrenaline. I couldn’t fight back any longer. My limbs went limp. I watched the wolf open its mouth one last time, ready to strike the final blow that would end my life.

Goodbye world. Goodbye Aiden.

But thankfully, the blow didn’t come. A dark gray blur swept across my vision. I’d recognize Aiden anywhere. There was a yelp, and then a thud on the ground next to me.

Though woozy and ready to pass out, I still managed to turn my head to spy what was happening.

The two wolves were tangled together, looking as if they were hugging before falling to the ground and rolling around in the dirt. Each wolf, it appeared, was lunging and snapping its jaws at the other’s neck. Then a third appeared. This one was a two-toned masked wolf with a dark line down its snout. Three wolves turned into four and five. Was I seeing things or were the wolves actually multiplying? I was losing it. Dizziness struck hard and fast and the world faded into cold darkness.

Scratch what I’d said before about the worst headache ever.

Though thankful to be alive, part of me wished for death when I awoke. Every muscle in my body screamed with rage. My chest felt as if it were on fire, throbbing, aching, and burning all at once. I didn’t dare try to move my left arm. If it was still there. Last I remembered, it looked as if the wolf wanted to tear it off. I wouldn’t have been surprised if all that was left was a ruined stump.

The all-over pain was so acute that it drowned out all other senses. My body screamed so loudly that I couldn’t hear anything else around me. I didn’t dare open my mouth, fearing the sound would actually escape my body and give away the agony I was in.

Aiden’s deeply concerned face appeared above me. His dark eyes pleaded for forgiveness without having to hear him speak the words. He shook his head and gently swiped a hand across my forehead. I might not have been able to hear, but I read his lips well enough.

“Sleep, babe,” he told me. “It’s going to be all right.”

I wanted to believe him, but I knew my body had taken too much damage.

Aiden brought a cup of what felt like boiling liquid to my lips. He tried to pour it in, but the moment my mouth opened the sound I’d been fearing came roaring out. Without wanting to, I was screaming at the top of my lungs. The hot liquid bubbled and gurgled in my mouth. It stung my cheeks but never made it down my throat. I screamed and screamed while Aiden frantically tried to silence me. Eventually, someone else entered the room. I felt a pin prick and something cool traveling into my arm. The cold spread up to my shoulder, then into my chest. With the pain numbed, for the moment, exhaustion could finally take hold; and being too weak, I succumbed and fell back into the abyss.

***

That unrelenting pain woke me, but it took all the strength I had just to open my eyes. Alyssa stood over me this time.
How long had I been out?
The effects of whatever drug I’d been given had worn off, but I still felt raw. My body was done. Spent. Used up. Trashed. Useless.

“Can you hear me?” Alyssa said.

I couldn’t hear, but I read her lips loud and clear. I tried to open my mouth but my lips wouldn’t move. When that failed I tried to nod my head. Nothing worked. I found the simplest of movements to be impossible.

Why can’t I move?

“Can you talk?” she asked me.

I struggled just to blink my eyes. I couldn’t move a muscle, but every one still ached. Pain was the only thing holding me conscious.

Alyssa turned away from me. She was talking to someone, but I couldn’t move my head to see who.

This was unnerving. I hated this painful state of limbo. I couldn’t do anything. I couldn’t react to anything. I couldn’t even blink my damn eyes. Was I going to remain in this perpetual state of pain and nothingness? Was I a vegetable? My heart began to race. At least one part of me was reacting properly.

When Alyssa turned back to me, she looked as if she were about to cry. Her jaw tightened.

I’m going to die.
I just knew it. This was the end. I was too injured to heal. My body was finished. I should have never agreed to do this. Where was Aiden? Maybe I could find some way to tell him I love him before I died?

As I was mentally saying my goodbyes Alyssa did something strange. She lifted her wrist to her lips and bit down. Blood dribbled out of the side of her mouth and down her chin. She pulled her wrist away and let the blood drip down on to my chest.

What the hell? Alyssa is a vampire. Why is she bleeding on me?

Before I could put two and two together, I felt a tingling sensation. Where her blood touched my skin, it brought relief. Cooling relief. Strange, but also so wonderful. I tried to forget that the source of this relief was blood, vampire blood, and just revel in the respite it brought..

“We’re trying to heal you.” Alyssa looked me in the eye as she said this to ensure I could read her lips.

We?

Then I saw him. Lysander. He stood next to Alyssa, unbuttoning the collar of his shirt. He smiled at me, and I caught sight of his sharp fangs. For a brief moment, I wondered if he were going to attempt to turn me to save me; but instead of biting me, he bent his head to my chest and began lapping up the blood Alyssa had dribbled on me.

If I hadn’t been in such agony, I would have most certainly found the sensation arousing. Lysander’s tongue was magic. Each tender lap of it soothed my inflamed skin. Every stroke accompanied a tingling that caused my whole body to buzz.

I’d experienced this kind of healing once before. Vampires have some healing properties in their blood and saliva. As long as it isn’t ingested, it works like a miracle salve. When I’d been shot by the Acta Sanctorum and was bleeding to death, Nicholas had not only sucked out the bullet but also licked my wound clean. By the next morning, you couldn’t have spotted the entry wound, though my muscles still ached from being torn apart.

Just as before, the sensation was exquisite. Lysander’s velvety tongue smoothed over my angry wounds. It felt so dirty. This was Alyssa’s mate tonguing my wounds… in front of Aiden. It felt so wrong to take any enjoyment from it, but I couldn’t help it. The relief it brought to my agony was heaven on earth.

Though I couldn’t see it, I felt my skin tightening and pulling itself back together.

Other senses were coming back as the tension released. I tried to imagine that it was Aiden and not Lysander tending to my wounds and caressing my skin with his skillful tongue, though I had to admit, Lysander had quite a lot of skill. No wonder Alyssa was head over heels for him.

The two worked in unison. Alyssa would pour more of her healing blood over me and Lysander would eagerly lap it up. My other senses came back into focus. Not only could I feel the cold sticky blood coating my chest and shoulder, but now I could smell it. A rich, tangy, mineral-y scent. It should have bothered me, but there was something appealing about it. It made me think of steak. Rare steak, hot off the grill, dripping with juices. My stomach, no longer churning, began growling. It occurred to me that I was hungry. Really hungry.

I certainly couldn’t be too bad off if I was feeling hunger pains. That thought was positive enough to bring a smile to my battered face.

I tested my muscles again, but they still refused to respond.

Alyssa must have noticed. She turned her head to me and I saw the ghost of a smile begin to spread her lips.

“Relax, Fallon. You’ve got a long way to go.” I still had to read her lips, but I wasn’t as bothered by it now. Deep down, I knew I would be okay.

***

I woke again, in Aiden’s bed, feeling almost back to my old self. Almost. My muscles were still tender, but at least this time they responded. I lifted my left hand, which was an amazing feat considering it had previously been rendered useless. I rubbed my head and groaned, more to test my voice than out of frustration. And, I was happy to know that was working too. Things were beginning to look up.

“There she is… Back from the dead.” Alyssa sounded chipper, though I could see the deeply trenched lines of worry creasing her forehead. She stood from where she’d been sitting at the end of the bed and walked to the dresser and grabbed a wet washcloth from a small basin of water.

“Someone get the number of that truck that hit me,” I grumbled.

“Don’t joke! Do you know how lucky you are to be alive?” The anxiety in her voice scared me. Alyssa sounded like she was on the verge of tears. She wrung out the small towel and walked it over, placing it on my forehead. “I thought we were too late.”

The cold rag felt nice and refreshing. “Thanks,” I said with a smile. “Seems to me that you and Lysander got here right in time.” Flashes back to images of Lysander licking my wounds had blood rushing to my face. “Not that I’m complaining, but do you want to tell me what the hell was happening with you and your boyfriend? Was that some kind of vampire foreplay or what?”

Now it was Alyssa’s turn to blush. The crimson rush was very pronounced against her pale skin. Her cheeks almost matched the red in her hair. She turned away from me and retook her seat at the end of the bed. “We had to do something. Your wounds were pretty bad. You were bleeding uncontrollably.”

“So you had a little snack while applying first aid,” I teased as I scooted up, leaning my back against the headboard.

“Not me—Lysander.” She stuck her tongue out like a child. It was nice to see the playfulness coming back. Worry did not suit my free-spirited friend. “Seriously though, Lysander was the only one who Aiden would let touch you…. like that.”

“I’m really surprised at that. Why not you?”

She looked away sheepishly. “I was afraid I wouldn’t have enough restraint. I hadn’t hunted in a while and there was no time, we broke every traffic law in the book to get here.”

“Got it.” I didn’t understand bloodlust, but I knew something of addiction, so I could empathize with how hard it might be. “So, did I turn?”

“Probably. I mean you didn’t die, so… maybe?” Alyssa shrugged.

“Well, that’s comforting… Maybe? I’d hate to think I went through all of that for nothing.”