Ties to the Blood Moon 2nd Edition Read online

  I couldn’t help but feel sad. She was my mom’s sister. She was my blood. And maybe it hadn’t been her fault. For all I knew, Zane could have mesmerized her somehow. I remembered how I had been entranced by him in New Mexico, and I wasn’t even a human. I felt sure it would be much easier to get a human under his spell. William didn’t seem to have any trouble mesmerizing humans.

  Aunt Bev laid on the cave floor in a warm pool of her own blood. She looked so peaceful and innocent it was hard for me to keep from falling apart. It was like her betrayal no longer mattered. All the fun times we had shared streamed through my mind like a home movie.

  I took a few uncertain steps, and slowly knelt down next to her. “I’m sorry I couldn’t save you,” I whispered, feeling responsible for everything that had happened. When I leaned in close, gently kissing her on the forehead, she moved and I jumped. I had heard a faint heartbeat, but had mistakenit for Williams.

  “She’s alive!” I shouted at William, and when I looked at her again her eyes were cracked open. “Aunt Bev, you’re going to be all right. You just have to hang on a little longer,” I uttered, stroking her hair.

  She tried to say something, but her whispers were barely audible, and it was hard to hear with the water noise.

  “Shh, don’t try to talk,” I said, smiling sadly at her. “Save your strength.”

  William rushed over and dropped to his knees on the other side of her. He peeled back her blood soaked shirt while I watched and held my breath. He gently covered it back up, looked at me, and shook his head. “I’m sorry, Gen. She’s lost too much blood.”

  “Can’t you give her your blood?” I asked desperate to save her. “You know … turn her?”

  He furrowed his brow. “She’s lost too much blood, and the smell of death has already set in. I’m sorry, but I can’t. It’s too late.”

  Aunt Bev heard him, and opened her eyes again, forcing a smile through the pain. “It’s okay. Let me go,” she stammered and I knew she was almost gone. “Your mom,” she uttered.

  “Zane took her, Aunt Bev. He got away.” I lowered my eyes, wondering if he might kill my mom as soon as he’d gotten away safely.

  “I know where …” she trailed off coughing. Her breathing was labored and her words came out broken, which made it harder to understand what she was saying. “Prague … to …” she whispered, then let out one more short breath, and was gone.

  Chapter 59

  Luna and her brothers went back to the reservation to talk to their grandfather and William and I returned to the cabin. I wanted to confront him myself but they convinced me it wouldn’t do any good. Even Joseph said he would tell them before me.

  I hugged Luna and made her promise to call me after she talked with her grandfather, but that was one call I definitely didn’t expect to get.

  “Oh my God, it feels good to be home,” I sighed, dropping onto the couch and kicking off my shoes. William dropped onto the couch next to me and threw one of his legs over mine. He picked up the remote and switched on the stereo. The light from it glowed softly in an otherwise dark room. The impact of everything that had happened hit me all at once, and I couldn’t help but cry. Tears may not have fallen, but I cried all the same—from sadness and exhaustion and fear.

  William put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close to him. His heartbeat was slow and faint, and mine started beating in sync with his. “Everything’s going to be all right.” His voice was calm and quiet as he ran his fingers through my long tangles.

  I thought about what he said and looked up at him, furrowing my brow. “How can you even say that?”

  “Because,” he answered softly. “You’re here with me.” His smile was filled with love. He kissed me once, tenderly, then I closed my eyes, listening to Avril Lavigne’s, “When You’re Gone.” William let his head fall back against the top of the couch, exposing the large vein in his neck. I didn’t have to physically see it to know that with each slow, steady pulse his skin rose and fell over it. The sound of his heart combined with his scent instantly triggered my memory of his delectable tasting blood, and my mouth began salivating.

  I needed to feel William’s touch more than I had ever needed anything. I used my knee to push his leg from atop mine and flipped myself around until I was sitting on his lap, straddling him between my legs. My heart sped up to match his. I felt his eyes on me as I pulled my hoodie over my head, and he reached up to help, tossing it to the floor.

  We gazed into each other’s eyes as he placed his hands firmly on my sides, unhurriedly running his hands upward guiding my arms straight up in the air, then reaching down he pulled my shirt up and over my head.

  I felt his hardness under me, his hands gently moved to my hips. He pulled me closer, tenderly kissing the fronts of my bare shoulders, causing my heart to beat even more wildly. He stopped long enough to tug at his own shirt, but too eager to wait, I ripped it from his chest, and ran my fingernails across the rippling muscles that lined his chest and stomach.

  Wrapping his hands under my legs, he kissed me hard, picking me up and carrying me into the bedroom, his lips slowly dotting my neck with soft kisses. Standing beside the bed he released me, and my legs slowly dropped to the floor. His fingertips ran upward along the outsides of my arms until they were underneath my bra straps, gently guiding them off of my shoulders. Even though I welcomed his touch.

  He had one hand holding the small of my back while the other released my bra clasp, then he pressed his bare skin against mine. Although our skin was normally ice cold, once our bare flesh touched, the temperature of our skin quickly grew hot to the touch.

  My fingers trembled nervously as I fumbled with the button and zipper of his jeans, before finally getting it and they dropped to the floor. He swooped me up into his arms, gently placing me onto the huge pedestal bed, then straddled my knees while he unbuttoned and unzipped my jeans. I raised my hips, helping to make it easier for him to slip them off.

  William moved up to the pillow next to me and I turned to face him. “You don’t have to do this just for me,” he whispered, gazing deep into my eyes, gently running the back of his finger down my jaw line. “I can wait if you’re not ready.”

  I wrapped my tongue around his finger. “I am ready, William. I’ve never been more ready than I am right now,” I smiled nervously, wondering if I was really ready, or trying to rush it because I loved him so much I wanted him to be my first. I didn’t have to tell him I was a virgin, he’d already sensed it, and I knew he would be gentle.

  His eyes glistened as he leaned in to kiss me. He slipped his fingers under the straps of my panties, sliding them down and then using his toes to kick them off. His hands moved along the small of my back, sending chills down my spine. After gently rolling me onto my back, his lips worked their way along an imaginary line that went from the warm softness between my breasts down to the center of my stomach, peppering me slowly with soft moist kisses that made my skin tingle. It was such intense pleasure I kept forgetting to breathe.

  As he worked his way to my mouth, my body trembled nervously. When our lips finally met, I grabbed fistfuls of his hair, kissing him greedily. His mouth was hungry for mine, but in a gentle way. I tasted blood through his skin, and excitement raced through my veins.

  I heard a faint ringing noise that sounded like it was coming from under the bed. William heard it, too.

  “Is that my phone? I asked, sighing heavily.

  William kissed my shoulder before reluctantly reaching over the side of the bed. He dug my cell phone from the pocket of my jeans. The darkened room quickly became illuminated by the screen. Luna’s name was lit up in bold letters, along with the words, “ urgent 911.”

  “You better call her,” William said, sounding so frustrated it was almost funny.

  I took the phone and dialed her number. “This better really be good,” I grumbled when she picked up.

  “Yeah, it kinda is,” Luna said, sounding anxious. “Gen, it was Grandfather th
at stabbed you, but wait until you hear why before you go off.”

  “I’m listening,” I said severely, tapping my foot on the bed.

  William sat up, silently mouthing the word “what,” and I held out my phone a bit so he could also hear.

  “His reasoning was if you killed Zane without permission from the Amalric, then you would be hunted down and killed, leaving the Adlet people without a leader.”

  I furrowed my brows. “What? Technically, I stopped being an Adlet when I chose to drink William’s blood,” I said sarcastically. “So, I don’t see that it really matters anymore.”

  There was a long moment of silence. “That’s where you’re wrong, Gen. You are still an Adlet. Grandfather saw you in your new form. He called you … hybrid.”

  My heart all but stopped completely. How could that be? Zane was considered a hybrid, but when he transformed, he still looked like a wolf. So, then why hadn’t I been able to do that since William turned me? I climbed down off the bed, and picked up my clothes.

  “So what you’re saying is I can kill Zane if I get permission from the Amalric?”

  “Yeah, I guess so,” Luna answered hesitantly. “Why?” She asked, but I didn’t respond. “Gen? Answer me. What are you going to do?” She asked, frantically.

  “I’ll call you back,” I said, and pressed the end button while Luna was still talking.

  I looked briefly at William, chewing on my lip. “Get dressed,” I said, not unkindly, after picking up his jeans and tossing them onto the bed. “I need you to take me to my aunt’s house, and then to the airport. I’m going to Prague.”

  William jumped off the bed, and tried to put his legs in his jeans while hurrying around the bed where I was putting on my clothes. If I hadn’t been upset I probably would have laughed seeing him hop around the floor.

  “Wait. You can’t just go flying half way around the world on a whim.”

  I stopped putting on my clothes briefly. “Are you saying you won’t take me?” I asked earnestly.

  “No … I’m not saying that at all, but you’ve got to plan out a trip of that magnitude.”

  I was in the process of trying to brush out my long tangles, so I didn’t answer.

  “Look, Genevieve. You’re a vampire now, and you have to start thinking like one. You need enough blood to last you on the trip. What if something happened and you couldn’t get blood right away when you got there?”

  I stopped brushing and looked at him, raising my eyebrows. “I’m sure I would find something to eat. You said there are blood banks and doctors everywhere.”

  “Yeah, that’s right,” he nodded. “But you have to know where to look. Besides, there are other things as well … like money, credit cards, identification, passports, and the most important … the Amalric. You don’t know how to find them. It’s not like trying to find a post office or something. Even if you did get lucky and find them, they won’t see just anybody.”

  “So, what are you saying, William?” I asked, and pulled my hair into a messy bun. “That I shouldn’t even try to save my mom? That I should let that monster hurt my mom and others, too?” My eyes felt hot and started to sting.

  “Of course not.” He went into the other room, and returned a few minutes later on his phone. “Thanks, Dad. Appreciate it.” He quickly snapped his phone shut, and walked over to a large walk-in closet.

  I slipped on my shoes and stood in the middle of the room with my hands on my hips.

  When he came out, he had a backpack thrown over his shoulder. “Okay. Let’s run by your house,” he said, smiling brightly.

  I just stood in the middle of the room, staring at him in disbelief. “What do think you’re doing?”

  “Exactly what it looks like. I’m going with you.” He walked to the bedroom door and turned to face me, holding out his arm. “Let’s get a move on. The jet will be ready in an hour, and after we leave your house, we still need make one more stop on the way to the airport.”

  I was stunned, so it took me a minute to move. He had thought of everything. Was his love for me so great he was willing to risk his life for me? In the end I hoped to prove myself worthy of that love, but for now my focus was getting to Prague to save my mom, and to kill Zane.

  Three hours later, we sat side by side, fingers entwined and my head nestled against his shoulder. The song, “Marry Me” by Train played softly in the background. William stopped kissing me and gazed into my eyes. “I love you, and I promise I’ll never let anyone hurt you as long as I have a breath in me.”

  I traced my finger along his strong jaw line and pulled him closer. “You better.” I smiled and kissed him softly. “I’m counting on a whole lot more of that.”

  ###

  Keep reading for chapter 1 of the second book in the Ties To The Blood Moon series.

  Book 2

  Chapter 1

  Someone was following us. I knew it and William knew it. He didn’t say anything, but I watched from the corner of my eye as he continuously checked his mirrors. I had the distinct feeling it had everything to do with a man I spotted openly eyeing me standing at the curb just outside the airport exit. The same headlights had been behind us since we left the airport. Staying back far enough to be inconspicuous, but close enough to never lose sight of our car.

  After we had stepped off William’s father’s jet, we walked arm in arm inside the airport and waited in line to go through customs. We had depleted the last of our blood supply while in flight and he acted somewhat worried. He had good cause though. He knew I would be getting hungry soon.

  Vampires normally ate only every five to seven days. But newly turned vampires craved blood much more often. And for some reason with me it was even worse. It was like I just couldn’t get enough. The more I drank, the more I wanted. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that before William turned me I had been an Adlet werewolf. A werewolf’s sense of smell was many times more sensitive than even that of a bloodhound.

  William said it would take my body some time to adjust. Until then, being around humans would almost certainly prove to be a challenge. All the different smells of fresh blood drove me mad. Just thinking about it made my mouth water and my heart beat faster.

  “Remember what you learned? Hold your breath as much as possible to help block out the smell,” William nudged me and whispered as we neared the line of people.

  He had spent time on the plane helping me to train my mind to accept the fact that vampires didn’t need to breathe nearly as much as humans. But, at the same time we held our breath, we still needed to move our chests in and out to simulate breathing, just in case someone took notice. I really had to concentrate hard to make my chest move while also remembering to not take in a breath.

  The airport was so crowded and the smell of fresh blood lingered everywhere. Each time I did take in a necessary breath my mind went crazy with excitement. William quickly took notice and squeezed my hand so tight I thought my fingers would break. He was only doing it to help keep my mind off of a slightly older couple standing in line in front of us.

  “Concentrate, Genevieve,” he whispered. “We’ll be through in a few minutes.” His soft lips tickled my ear as he spoke, and the woman who stood in line in front of us, glared at me over her shoulder when she heard me giggle.

  Once we made it through customs William scooped up our bags and started leading me through the crowd. There really wasn’t much difference between Prague’s International Airport, and LAX except I could understand most of the people at LAX. I couldn’t understand anything these people were saying.

  I stopped when I spotted the same woman who had been so rude in line walking into the bathroom. “William, I have to go to the bathroom.” FYI—vampires still pee. Blood is a liquid, and our bodies don’t absorb all of what we drink.

  William hadn’t seen her enter the bathroom or he would never have allowed me to go. His forehead wrinkled when he kissed my hand and then reluctantly turned it loose. “Remember, don’t bre
athe,” he said, staring intently into my eyes.

  The bathroom was much different than in the states. They were small enclosed closet-like rooms instead of regular stalls. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply through my nose and knew instantly which room she was in. I walked over to the sink and pretended to wash my hands while I watched the doorknob to her stall through the mirror.

  When I saw the knob begin to turn I flew across the room in a blur, my hand covering her mouth as the door opened, pushing her back inside. The moment she looked into my eyes she stopped trying to fight. As I sank my teeth into her neck her body went limp. Her blood was richly thick and tasted as sweet as honey. I had only meant to drink a little, but the taste of fresh blood was much more delectable than bagged blood. I continued to drink and probably wouldn’t have been able to stop before killing her, but a sudden terrifying vision of torture and murder quickly brought me back.

  I sat her on the toilet, propping her against the wall and hurriedly cleaned her neck with tissue before disappearing from the stall. My saliva would make the wound heal in a matter of seconds.

  I stopped for a second just inside the door, smoothing my hair and wiping traces of her blood from my mouth. I tried to act calm when I exited the bathroom. “Okay,” I said to William while forcing a smile. “I feel much better now,” I said, purposely avoiding his eyes.

  I felt his eyes on me for the longest before he quietly grabbed my arm, jerking me through the airport, not saying a word until we were safely outside. That was when he spun me around to face him. “What did you do, Genevieve?” He had this wild look in his eyes. A look I had never seen before, and it frightened me.

  I wrinkled my brow trying to appear confused. “What are you talking about?” I asked with my most innocent voice.