MoonNight (14 page)

 
 
 
The next day I sat through all of my boring classes
Just
staring at Carsons eyes, tattoo, skin, muscles, all of it.
 
My guilty
conscious
kept me quiet most of the day.
 
When I was walking to the Lodge to the
girls
dorm I saw the red
convertible
and remembered,
I didn’t have a car.
 
I took out my phone to dial a number.

 
 
 
“Carson?”
 
I asked.

 
 
 
“Oh hi Leslie, everything all right?”

 
 
 
“For what?
 
Maybe I need to drive you?”
 
he
offered.

 
 
 
“No I’ll be fine.
 
Just going shopping.
 
Dressing rooms will bore you.”

 
 
 
“Ha ha. Not with your body in it!”
 
He joked.

 
 
 
“Can I just borrow the car?”
 
I asked impatiently.

 
 
 
“Yeah sure if you promise to come back in one piece.
 
Love you Leslie.”

“Love you too.”
 
I snapped my phone shut.
 
I really did.
 
That was the whole reason why I was going through with all of this.
 
It was four o’clock.
 
Exactly two hours to pick up the Ricolis and be in that clearing.

The keys were in the ignition, doors unlocked.
 
That is very much like Carson to be the risky hotshot.
 
The car was fast which was
good;
the desolate highways had no speed limit.
 
The way there I almost crashed three times due to nervousness.
 
 
 
The gas station came in to view, connected to a Starbucks.
 
I parked crooked, jammed the keys in to my pocket,
and then
walked inside.
 
I spotted the Ricolis staring at
their
untouched lattes.
 
They were all there.
 
Heather, Jason, Rifle, and Lea.
 
I slid in to my chair nodding to them.

“Hi Leslie.
 
I brought this
flower for
you.”
 
Lea tucked the midnight blue daisy in my hair.

“Thanks,
” I
smiled at her.
 
It was horrible what I planned within the next hour.
 
But I was pretty sure the four of them could take on Alex.
 

“So where’s the party at?”
 
Heather asked in her sing songy voice.
 

“Oh at this park in a nice little clearing.”
 
Death party
, I thought to myself.
 
“Did you bring your car?”

“Car?”
 
Rifle snorted.
 
“That’s for human travel.
 
Although we did take a plane to get across the ocean.”
 

“Okay well we better get going.”

The waitress looked at us strangely as we left the lattes there.
 
Five seats in the car was a perfect fitting for all of us.
 
Of course I would be driving since I knew where the “Party
”
 
was
being held.
 
I made some witty banter hoping they wouldn’t notice the edge in my voice.
 
My fingers were as white as the vampires from gripping the wheel so hard.
 
I could turn back right now.
 
It was only ten minutes away.
 
I could turn around right now and confess everything to everybody.
 
The werewolves Carson, Loren, Regan, Dimitri, and Jeremy, to the vampires, Heather, Jason, Rifle, and Lea.
 
But this was much to needed.

“So what’s this party for?”
 
Jason asked.

“It’s... um... supposed to be a... surprise.”
 
I gave a fake smile.

The car ride there was difficult for me.
 
We finally made it to the parks lot.
 
We would meet in the clearing.
 

“I don’t see a party.”
 
Lea clutched her teddy bear to her chest once we got out.

“I know it’s up ahead just through the trees.”
 
I pointed out.
 
“Just follow me.”
 
I walked the four of them over.
 
We, well, I, tripped and fell swearing bullets.
 
Until we made it to the clearing.
 

“I still don’t see the party,
” Lea
whimpered still holding her teddy.

“I know let’s just-”

A deep growling sound came from deep within
Jason’s
throat.
 
His face darkened.

“The girl lied,
” he
growled.
 
I knew he was talking about me.
 
How did he know?

“Lea!”
 
Heather desperately called out.
 
She was nowhere.
 
Just then Alex came out of the trees holding a knife to Leas throat.
 
The sweet
vampire
still clutched her teddy bear yelling, “Mommy!
 
Daddy!”
 
Behind Alex snaking her hands around his shoulders.
 
She brought her lips close to his ear and whispered something.
 

“Yes, she says she still want your death for killing her Damen.
 
I’m guessing your other werewolf friends didn’t tell you everything about our transformations.
 
We can transform at any time we want, but we’re still forced at the full moon.
 
So once I change you I am no longer responsible for you.”

“Leslie?”
 
Leas sweet
high-pitched
voice rang out in the silence.
 
“Is it true?”

“Tell her,
” Tarun
slithered flicking her tongue like a snake.
 
“Tell them you’d rather be turned then save them.
 
Tell them you planned this out.
 
 
Now we get the vampires and
i
get your death to myself.
 
What does your lover-boy think?
 
Does he
know of this?
 
Don’t you think that if he really loved you he would turn you himself?”

I tried no to show that her venom in every word had stung me, although they really did.

“He loves me,
” I
said.
 
“He told me.”
 
My voice was cracking.

Tarun burst out laughing.

“Enough!”
 
The other protector barked.
 
“Alex you will give the girl what she wants and me and Tarun will take care of the vampires.
 

Alex handed the knife along with Lea over to the protector.
 
In a split second he had me pinned up against a tree, loomed close, then forced me to the ground.
 
He knelt by me, placing his mouth on my neck and an iron grip around me.
 
I could feel every pair of eyes still in the clearing trained on me.

“Is this what you really want?”
 
HIs raspy voice asked.

“Yes,
” I
tilted my head back revealing my neck.

He bit down just as Carson Lund entered the clearing.

“Nooooo!”
 
He screamed.

The bite was a pain beyond belief.

All hell broke loose.
 
Jason tackled the protector, knocking the knife from him, and stowing Lea safely in a
tree.
 
Leaving her teddy bear behind.
 
It was all so fast with
their
super natural speed abilities.
 
Heather was Tarun off.
 
Carson knocked Alex off of me.
 
Rifle stood frozen.
 
Staring at me with complete horror.

“No Leslie,” I heard him say.
 
“I won’t let you be one of them.”
 
He ran towards me.
 
I knew his intentions.

“No!”
 
I screamed at him.
 
“Don’t Rifle!
 
Please!
 
Please!
 
Please
!”

It was
hopeless
.
 
He lowered down and bit me right on tip of
Alex’s
bite.
 
What?
 
Had?
 
He?
 
Just?
 
Done?
 
Quickly I scrambled to my feet.
 
My shirt snagged a branch tearing it, exposing my stomach and back.

“Leslie!”
 
Carson yelled.
 
“Get out of here!”

I just fell to the ground having a
seizure
.
 
My whole body was convulsing until I curl up and lie there motionless.
 
I could feel myself dying.
 
Watching the chaos around me until my last breath.
 
Tarun was pouncing everywhere in her
Victorian
dress and that gruesome grin.
 
Carson was now shouting at Rifle for what he did.
 
He was mad beyond belief.
 
Deep
crimson
as they both threw blows at
each other
.
 
The two protectors were trying to fight off Jason while Heather snuck away with Lea.
 
I managed to pull myself forward still on my stomach and reached the stuffed animal.
 
But someone yanked me to my feet.
 
Carson.

“Leslie I need you to run now.”
 
His voice was thick.

“No.”
 
I wouldn’t.
 
Couldn’t.

“Get in the car and get the hell out of here.”

“No.”

“Leslie you walked us in to this and I’m
going
to get you out.”

“That doesn’t even make sense!”
 
I shouted.

“I know it doesn’t!
 
Just run!”
 
He swung his fist at the right moment, missing Alex by mere inches.
 

By this time I could barely lift myself up.
 
The venom from Rifle and the bite from Alex
were
killing me.
 
I needed to get to the car where my phone was so I could call for help.
 
Just then Dimitri, Jeremy
, and
Loren burst through the
tree line
.
 
Loren crouched low.
Bared
her teeth, cocked her head letting her red hair spill out in front of her saying, “You wanna go?”