MOON PHASE - Short Snapshot Story by Mina J. Moore

Short Story in progress...

*Unedited*

The wolf howled with a terrifying screech, it’s fangs elongated and ready to tear into my flesh.  It pounced and I pushed with all my strength, landing on a sturdy branch about twenty feet up.  My vampire instincts drove me to run hard but I couldn’t risk coming into such close contact as previously. Wolves were dangerously fast and their bite was near deadly for one of my kind.  Would it kill me?  No.  But it would hurt like a motherfucker. 

I studied it as it continued to prowl the base of the thick oak, saliva dripping in steady strings from its snout.  Looking up, I noticed the moon was at full peak and didn’t it suck that wolves were at their most powerful when it was, especially rabid ones.  Its fiery red eyes glowed in the darkness, giving its dark mane the illusion of shadow.   I was well and fucked if something didn’t distract it so I could bolt.  I had used my last bullet an hour ago putting another one down.  A knife would slow it down but not by much.  This was the third rabid case I had run into within a month.  I didn’t want to even think about what that signified. 

Vampires didn’t particularly cohabitate with the furry mongrels nor did we follow the same circles, especially with a full moon.  It made them crazy and frenzied, instinctually hunger for blood, particularly ours.  Funny how we were labeled the bloodsuckers. 

“Fuck,” I whisper-yelled. 

I would be stuck here for a good while.  I pushed my long pain in the ass hair out of my face, cursing Lina for adding the extensions I had rebelled against. I much preferred my original bob, short and out of my way.  What was the point when all it did was get in my way?  Lina was the head tech bitch at quarters and that’s why I loved her.  She didn’t take any testosterone bullshit from the male hunters.

I watched as the wolf circled outward, pawing at the earth as if that would help its plight.  Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a lightening speed only one vampire could achieve. 

Avalon.

Mr. Prick himself. 

Wolfie hit the dirt, dead before he knew what had come at him.  His neck lay at an awkward angle, broken in more than one place.  I stared down at Avalon’s smug face.  I hated that I owed him.  Again. 

“Are you going to sleep up there or what?” He asked with a smile.

“Not bad for an old fart,” I teased, knowing his age was substantial.  At the same time, the vampire was something out of a fantasy.  His looks pretty much got him anything he wanted and he knew it.  So I refused to acknowledge them and spit in his face every chance I got.

“Being old has its merits, like saving that sweet ass from getting chewed.”

I rolled my eyes as I jumped several feet away from him. No sense in landing in his arms.  One kiss had been quite enough the last time. 

“Why don’t you kiss it, Avalon?”

I knew that wasn’t the best thing to say given his tendencies but I couldn’t resist. 

He sauntered toward me as I brushed the leaves and bark particles from my camo pants. 

“Why don’t you bare it? I would love to oblige.” He answered in that damn sexy British accent.

I stood and planted both hands on my hips.  “In your dreams, grandpa.”

By the time I realized what he intended, I was hurled over his shoulder and the forest sped by at an unbelievable speed.  I knew he had me and where we ended up would be interesting. Of that I had no doubt.

***

I hadn’t a clue where I was when I opened my eyes.  Black curtains swung back in the night breeze.  The salty air from the ocean tickled my nose, its pungent aroma strong to one of my keen senses.  The space was huge, sporting an entire wall with a fireplace.  Two ginormous chairs faced the heath, a furry rug running beneath them.  The far wall housed the largest bookcase I had ever seen littered with volumes of hardbacks.  Behind me, the headboard of the double king sized bed was built into the wall, an assortment of colored stone that must have taken weeks to design.  If this was a guest bedroom, I could only imagine what the master looked like.

I began to get impatient and bored.  Being locked in was not my thing.  I was a creature of the outdoors, preferring to sleep under the stars than in cotton, fluffy mattresses.  A hunter’s life wasn’t easy.  Your number one concern was to feed for strength and stamina, the rest you adjusted for.

“Avalon!” I yelled at the surrounding walls.  Movement brought my gaze toward the wide wooden doors. 

The hinges creaked as it opened and I scrambled back, unsure of whom it would be.

“Aw my little shrew.  I see you are back to consciousness.”

I snarled at him. “Fuck you, Ancient.”

He smiled and I wanted to jump him. 

“And now for payment,” he started.

“I am not kissing you again.  It was bad enough the first time.”

Avalon had pulled my ass out of another pickle over a month ago.  Bastard had been at the perfect place at the perfect time.  I had been sent out to hunt a pack of rabid wolves and had gotten attacked by an alpha.  Only the strongest of it’s kind.  If not  for Avalon, I would probably be dead or in really bad shape.  His payment had been a kiss, of which at the time, I had thought rather small for such a feat as defeating the most powerful member of the wolf variety. 

His green eyes flashed and then his smile followed.  “It didn’t feel that bad to me.  You did manage to wrap that delicious body—”

“Shut the fuck up!”

He came closer. “Such horrible manners for your elders.  I am going to have to report this behavior back to the Coalition.

My eyes must have bugged out of my head or maybe I gaped at him.

“Did that strike a cord?

I scowled. “What the hell do you have to do with them?”

He studied his nails.  “Oh just everything.  I was recently inducted to the board and now I have a vested interest in the hunters.  I want to make sure they are doing a good job.  We’ve had some near misses in the past couple of months.  The lieutenant wants me to shadow you for the next several weeks.  

Shit. Fuck. Shit.

I was screwed.  Sitting on this bed while he got the upper hand wasn’t going to cut it.  He might be older and stronger but he wasn’t a hunter.  There were thing I knew. 

I stood.  My boots were full of mud from my trek through the forest.  I stomped them clean right on his expensive rug.  At least I hoped it was his.

He tilted his head and studied my hair.  “I think I like you better short.  Girly isn’t you.”

He moved his gaze down to my chest.  “Except for some areas.”

I crossed my arms and leaned into my hip.  “Pervert as always.  So lets cut to the chase here.  Tell me how miserable I’m going to be so I can begin my adjustment.”

He smiled then turned to leave. “I will leave that up to your imagination.  Dinner is at six sharp.”

The door slammed behind him.  “Fuck.”

I glanced around the room and then rummaged through the closets.  My bag was somewhere in the forest with my weapons and a change of clothes.  I had lost it when Wolfie had decided to climb over me.  He came off along with my stuff.  There hadn’t been time to circle back for it and that was a damn shame. 

The next closet proved to be just as useless.  Gowns and pretty sparkly stuff I wouldn’t be caught dead in.  Ha…I was already dead. 

Digging deeper, I managed to find a pair of jeans discarded on the bottom shelf and a white tank top.  Those would have to do.  I removed my boots and sauntered into the bathroom.  The entire space mimicked a medieval castle.  The shower was carved out of stone and the only modern fixture were the sinks, jutting out of the vanity like giant bowls. 

My favorite camo pants came off and placed in a corner for future use.  I would need to wash them.  My black tank was trash.  Large gashes from where the wolf had grabbed and streaked the entire side with gaping holes.  I hurled in into the wastepaper basket. 

Stepping into the monstrous shower, I turned the dial totally to the hot side, wanting to clean away all the nasty wolf crap lingering on my skin.  The glass clouded and my senses must have done the same because I didn’t hear the extra body walking into the room. 

“Enjoying my shower.”

I jumped and rubbed at the steam blocking my view from his smug voice.

“You fucking mind?”  Apparently he didn’t because the side of his lips twitched and his arms crossed a very broad chest. 

His gaze lowered and I prayed the bottom half of the glass was just a foggy as the top.  The slight tightening of his hands told me it wasn’t.  Damn.

“Very nice, Kia,” he drawled before turning and leaving me gasping and sputtering.  I flipped the white fluffy towels over to my side and wrapped it around my blushing body as quickly as I could.  My feet pounded the cold stone floor and my nostrils were probably blowing fire.  I was done with his condescending attitude.  The next several weeks were going to be hell.  For him.

***

Exactly ten minutes later, I was totally and utterly lost in this mausoleum he called home.  I knew it was his by the way he had marched into his shower.  I should have known.  What other vampire would choose a castle? 

After a few turns, which all led to a dead end, I was about to scream for help when a staircase finally came into view.  How many rooms did this place stock?  More than a modern day hotel for certain. 

Avalon waited at the bottom of the stairs.

“It’s about time.  I was about to send the guard for you.”

I smirked.  “Sorry but I forgot my map.”

“Cute.  Now hurry.  I’m hungry.”

I cringed at what would be waiting for us at “dinner”.  Vampires rarely dined and it tended to be of the bagged variety for hunters.  We didn’t have the time or luxury to hunt a human, bleed them and bury the body.  Although, not all vampires killed when they fed.  Some were kind to the humans who were labeled cows.  I was one of those.  Why kill when we could just compel them to forget?

Avalon walked ahead, his back encased in a tight fitted silk shirt.  His slacks were tailors and hung perfectly from his lean hips down his muscled legs.

“I can feel your eyes on my ass.  Behave, Kia.”

I growled, wishing my dagger was handy.  It would be protruding from his big fat head at the moment. 

“I need my weapons.  They are out in the—”

“Your weapons are currently being polished and restored.  Now sit.”

We stopped in what looked like a huge parlor, the kind from back in the day.  This place was a medley of eras. 

Two beautiful women sat by the fire, fanning themselves as if nothing were wrong.  Their dilated pupils told me what I didn’t want to hear.

They had been compelled.

“I am not fucking feeding from them.  You can forget it.” Even as I spoke the words my canines pushed against my lips and my gut clenched with need.  It took every ounce of strength I had not to…

He turned and smiled at me.  “You need your strength.  It’s part of the reason you’ve failed in your latest missions.  Bagged blood isn’t going to sustain you.”

I came very close to his face.  “I am not doing it.”

His gaze bore down on me, eyes flashing with command. 

“You will.”

I resisted the pull of his eyes.  He was a strong bastard, strong enough to compel another vampire.  My legs felt like jello then the rest of me faded away, the darkness enveloping everything.

***

I came to in a flurry of legs and arms.  My head spun and my eyes fought to stay closed.  Avalon was front and center, his gaze searching my face.

“What the fuck!” I yelled surveying my surroundings.  The scene before me was worse than a horror movie.  The two women were thrown like yesterday’s trash on the floor, their throats torn and.  My hands flew to my mouth and came away bloody.

“No,” I whispered. 

Avalon tried to hold me but I rebelled like the animal I was, pushing and kicking my way free. 

“You were ravenous, Kia.  You couldn’t have stopped.  If I had known…”

“You bastard!”

He grabbed me with brute strength this time, pinning me beneath his body.  “I didn’t fucking know you hadn’t fed for that long.  How could you have even fought that wolf off tonight?  You should be in a coma!”

I tried to reach up and bite him, anything to release my rage.  I almost made it before his superior speed won. 

“You should have never compelled me!”

He rose and left me there, broken and on the brink of tears.  Tears and me didn’t work well together.  I glanced over and caught Avalon running a hand through his long dark hair.  He was rattled.  Served him right.

“You shouldn’t have waited that long to feed!  No wonder you’ve almost gotten torn apart in battle.  You’re weak and malnourished,” he yelled, pointing at the ravaged bodies on his rug. 

I rose slowly. “Fuck. You.”

He moved and in a split second was inches from me, his hand closing around my jaw.  “No Kia.  Fuck you.  This is not going to happen again or so help me I will go to the Coalition and hand you over as an insubordinate.”

My eyes flared with heated anger.  “I will cut your balls off with my dagger and stuff them down your throat,” I growled. 

Avalon threw his head back and laughed.  Fucking laughed!

Then he was prowling toward me, his eyes glowing with power and determination.  I cursed as I felt my eyes closing and the darkness engulfing me once again. 

Motherfucker.

***

I awoke to the same nightmare, breeze blowing the onyx curtains and the salty air tickling my nose.

“AVALON!”

I think the stonewalls shook with the pitch of my scream.  Prick had shut me down again like a fucking ragdoll.  The silence that followed had me leaping from the bed and tearing the room to shreds.  Let the mighty Avalon stop me now. I might not be able to overpower him but I could sure fuck his shit up.

 I kicked the crap out of his chairs, sending them crashing against the fireplace.  The huge, very expensive looking mirror on the mantle dissolved into a thousand pieces as it hit the floor. 

The bedroom door slammed open and a very angry vampire was on the other side.

“What the fuck, Kia?”

I stomped toward him.  “I should be saying that, not you, you fuck!”

Avalon’s look was incredulous.  I guess he wasn’t used to his lessors continuously cursing him out.  Placing my hands on my hips, I dared him to come closer.  He would definitely beat my ass but I wasn’t going down without a fight. 

He approached and I stood my ground.  Not until he was within an inch of my lips did he pause.

“You needed what I gave you last night.”

I scowled. “You might enjoy killing innocents but I don’t.”

His generous lips pressed in what could only be frustration.  I wasn’t going to make this easy.  I was pissed.

“I would have never escalated if you had fed properly.  That is your own negligence.  Any human in your radar would have been a target.  I just happened to lay them at your feet.  They weren’t innocent.  I picked them up and saved the child they had just finished torturing.  They were the monsters—not you. ”

The truth of his enlightenment stunned me.  He was absolutely right.  I could have gone crazy on the next human to cross my path.  My eyes narrowed and I refused to admit he had a point.  The guilt eating at my gut lessoned knowing they were filth but I wasn’t about to let him know that.

“Fuck. Off.”

He smiled, pacifying me for the split second it took to swing me over his shoulder and drop me on the bed.  Next thing I knew, his hard body was crushing me into the mattress. 

“What are you doing?”

“Exactly what you just told me to do.  I’m fucking off.  Right now.”

I pounded on his chest, twisted and turned as he wrestled me to the bed.  The bastard had the strength of ten vampires.  Finally admitting I wasn’t going anywhere, I lay still and stared daggers into his brilliant green eyes.  I had forgotten he had the most gorgeous eyes with tiny specks of…

“Your nipples are hard.”

“I fucking hate you.  Do you know that?”

“Only because I say it like it is.  You are attracted to me.  I could smell you.”

I smirked at him.  “It’s only because I’m hungry. “

“Sure.”

He lowered his lips and pressed them softly to mine.  I didn’t respond, hoping he would just give it up but the fucker had other plans-- His tongue.

I sighed into his mouth as it opened over mine, sucking and licking until I had no choice but to give in.  The vampire was a master at kissing.  He did it with ravenous passion and skill.  Who could resist? 

I admitted it had been a long time since I had felt the touch of a man.  A hunter’s life was lonely and not many were trusted in our line of work.  I fucked sparingly and with a dagger at arms reach.  Somehow, I felt safe with Avalon.  He knew exactly what I was.  There were no misconceptions with him. 

My arms swung around his back and my breasts crushed against his body.  I was held so tightly, it bordered on discomfort but the heat of his skin and those lips…

“My God, Kia.  I could devour you right this second.” He whispered against my neck.  And I would let him.  Certainly felt good enough and I was so damn ready for it.  I moved against him and pulled his lips back to mine. 

We kissed deeply, even roughly.  My hands ran the length of his back until they grabbed his ass.  I hadn’t forgotten how perfect it looked the night before.  At the insistence of my touch, his hips pushed into me, making me squirm to wrap my legs around his waist.  That first push against my core had me moaning into his mouth.