Ties to the Blood Moon 2nd Edition (30 page)

William felt the passion too. He moaned and started grinding his body against me, his free hand caressing my thigh. I dug my nails into his back, trying to force him closer, but I knew nothing I could do would get him close enough. I would never be satisfied until I had all of him, and even then I didn’t know if that would be enough.

A sudden shock rippled through me, and I realized William had pulled his arm away. At first I had this awful feeling of separation, but after a moment I began thinking clearly again and I lay back against him, smiling, completely satisfied.

I heard a pounding noise and I thought it was coming from inside my head, but then when I heard Joseph shouting, I remembered Luna and her brothers were outside. I was so weak I could hardly move, and so sated I didn’t want to.

“Oh my God,” I moaned. “You definitely made me forget all about them.” I smiled and started to move when my strength began coming back.

“That was the whole point. If you wouldn’t have fed from me, you probably would have killed at least one of them.” William sat up and straightened his clothes.

“I would never hurt them,” I said, shocked he would even say that to me.

“Not intentionally. But trust me, until you can get your bloodlust under control, no one is safe around you. Especially not a human.”

I knew William was referring to my mom but I refused to believe I would ever hurt her.

“Coming,” I called out after Joseph threatened to break down the door.

Chapter 49

“No. Actually
we
didn’t,” William said ominously, stepping out from behind the door. He glared at Joseph, his body language daring him to say something else.

I rolled my eyes. “Really? Are you two really going to do this right now?” I snapped at them both and they promptly changed their expressions. “Come on in, you guys,” I called over my shoulder, totally annoyed, and lead the way into the den.

Luna sat next to her brothers who were sprawled on the couch. I was on the loveseat, and William chose to stand on the far side of the room. Leaning against the wall, arms folded tightly across his chest, and glaring at Joseph. I twirled my ring around my finger, but kept my gaze fixed on the floor. I tried not to make eye contact with Luna or her brothers, especially Joseph, but every time I glanced up all eyes were on me. I felt like I had “I’m a vampire” stamped on my forehead. When I glanced at William, I spotted a few droplets of drying blood on his sleeve. I sang the alphabet song in my head, trying not to think about his blood and how wonderful it tasted.

Nobody was talking at first and that made me even more uncomfortable. I had the distinct feeling they were on to me. I tried to shake it off, but what Luna said next made my fear an almost certain reality.

“Gen, I need to talk to you in the kitchen.” Luna stood up, weaving her way between her brothers’ knees and the coffee table. “Why don’t you boys play nice and try to come up with a plan to rescue Gen’s mom and aunt.” She glared at her brothers, probably mentally warning them what she would do if they got out of line. When she was satisfied she’d gotten her point across she headed for the kitchen. I followed Luna, but shot a worried look at William as I passed by.

I pushed through the kitchen door behind her and let it swing closed. She was looking at the food and papers still thrown about the room.

“It was worse. I picked up the furniture already. It was upside-down and tossed all over the room. Zane really did a number on this place.” I kinda smiled, in a sad way. I was nervously rambling and she knew it.

She looked at me for the longest time before saying anything and I realized if she was trying to communicate mentally, I couldn’t hear her anymore.

“Gen … what’s going on?” she asked skeptically.

I shrugged my shoulders. “What does it look like? Zane broke in, trashed the place, and took my aunt.”

Luna’s brow creased, her suspicious look made her appear older than she really was. “That’s not what I mean,” she scoffed. “What’s up with you? You’re definitely not being yourself.” She folded her arms tightly across her chest, and started tapping the toe of her shoe on the floor.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, but then it quickly dawned on me she had probably been trying to talk to me in my mind. I promptly started rubbing my temples. “I’ve got a terrible headache.”

Luna nodded, only slightly and pursed her lips. “I guess that’s why you can’t hear me mentally, right?”

I grimaced, trying to play up the headache lie. “Yeah. It’s really intense.” I closed my eyes and kept rubbing at my temples, but I could feel her watching me. I heard her heartbeat speed up, and in a flash William rushed through the door.

He stopped abruptly when he saw everything was okay. “I was just, uh …” he trailed off, then turned around and left the room.

“Can I see your ring?” Luna asked, in a calm tone; one that I thought said her anger had left the building.

When I held out my hand, she grabbed my fingers with one hand and my wrist with the other hand. She stared intently at something, then looked me in the eyes. I scrunched my brows. “What are you looking at?” I asked, totally confused.

“Oh my God,” she said quietly. “You did it, didn’t you?” Luna asked, with a repulsed look on her face. “You actually went and did it.” She dropped my hand and backed up to the counter. An expression filled with hurt and betrayal covered her face.

“Did what?” I asked. I wasn’t about to admit that I had William change me to a vampire. I wasn’t ashamed of being a vampire. I was ashamed that I hadn’t been truthful with Luna. I was afraid if I would have confided in her, she would have never agreed to cover for me.

Her eyes filled with tears at first, but she quickly grew angry. “Cut the crap, Gen. Don’t treat me like I’m stupid. An Adlet’s middle finger and index finger are the same length. See?” She shoved her hands up at me, showing me her fingers. “Your pulse is way too slow, and your skin is like ice,” she shouted.

I jumped up from my chair. “All right. Yes … I did it.” I lowered my eyes, and stared at the floor.

Luna wiped away her tears before looking at me. “What have you done, Gen? How could you betray us like that? How could you use me?”

It broke my heart to see her so upset. Her words stung, but only because they were true. Luna was right. After everything they had done for me, I had betrayed them.

I tried to comfort her, but she jerked away. “Don’t touch me,” she snarled quietly, glaring up at me.

“Luna, I didn’t mean to hurt you or your brothers, but I didn’t have a choice. I promise I will still help take the throne. Maybe not in the way it was intended, but I won’t let Zane become ruler.”

I pleaded with her to try to see it from my point of view. “I had to do it to rescue my mom. And now he has my aunt, too. Don’t you see? It was the only way I could defeat him—”

“No! We would have helped you defeat Zane, and rescue your family.”

“We would have lost,” I uttered. “And you know it. He is much stronger than the Adlet clan, but he won’t be expecting me to be a vampire. Your grandfather told me the only way I would win was if I outsmarted Zane.”

“My grandfather would never say that.” She shook her head “You’re lying.”

“No, Luna. I’m not lying. He told me no one could ask this of me. I had to make that decision on my own, but he did say if I did it, I could win.”

When I reached to put my arms around her again, she didn’t move away. We were hugging when I suddenly realized how delicious her blood smelled. I closed my eyes and inhaled deeply through my nose, slowly letting her scent fill me. My heartbeat sped up to match hers and I felt my fangs grow sharp.

William had felt what I was feeling, because he flew into the kitchen just in time to see my mouth opening. “Genevieve!”

I promptly snapped out of whatever kind of haze I’d been in. I was completely helpless of the fact that I was about to bite Luna. She would never know how William had probably just saved her life.

Hearing William startled Luna and she jumped. I quickly stepped closer to William so she couldn’t see my face until I calmed down.

William seemed to be aggravated that I had told her. He paced the floor. “Okay, look. What’s done is done. We need to focus on working together to stop this son of a bitch. I know there’s no love lost between you, your brothers and me, but I know you guys care about Genevieve.” He crossed the room and stopped right in front of Luna, looking her in the eyes. “I care about her too, Luna.” He paused for a moment, then turned to face me, and smiled brightly. “I’m hopelessly in love with her.”

I was caught up in what William had said and didn’t hear Joseph walk in.

“That’s a bunch of bull, Gen. Don’t believe it.” Joseph said, but his eyes never wavered from William. “Vampires aren’t meant for humans, or Adlet. They can’t fall in love.”

Chapter 50

“You just never stop do you?” I yelled, and tried to lunge at Joseph, but William held me back.

Even though William was stronger than me at the moment, as my powers developed, I would probably be stronger, because I had been an Adlet first. William said he had seen it happen when he hunted a vampire that had been a werewolf first. William said turning into a vampire would probably just add to the strength I’d already developed.

I caught up with Joseph at the front door. I would have caught him before he reached the door except I stumbled in the hallway and fell on my face.

“Wait! Please, Joseph. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it,” I pleaded. “I don’t know what in the hell’s wrong with me.”

He stormed out and I followed him. “I would never do anything to hurt you. You have to believe me.” I unknowingly touched his arm and he jerked it away. I saw only sadness when I looked in his eyes. He felt betrayed and I knew it. I had never told him we were anything but friends, but I felt sure my actions said we were. While in New Mexico we had developed feelings for each other. Neither one of us ever acted on them, but they were still real.

“How could you?” He looked at me like I was dirty, and it cut me to the core. “I cared about you, Gen.” He spun around and started down the driveway.

“Joseph, please don’t leave.” My voice was low and throaty.

He turned around but continued walking backwards down the driveway. “You don’t need me anymore. You’ve got him now,” he said without emotion.

He turned away from me and I watched him walk away and even when I couldn’t see him anymore, I knew he was still close. The air was thick with his scent, and I felt the aching he felt in his chest. I wasn’t sure why I felt it. I was bonded with William and I felt his heartbeat too. His was much slower, and very faint, but his scent filled the air just like Joseph’s, which meant he was close.

When I turned around, William was at the door. “I tried to explain, but he wouldn’t listen,” I said, shrugging my shoulders as if it didn’t bother me that Joseph had walked away.

William didn’t say anything, he simply looked past me. He was thinking about something and I felt his heartbeat grow faster.

“I told you, he’s gone,” I said nervously, but William’s heartbeat continued to quicken, and his expression promptly changed to alarm.

I turned and ran out of the house as soon as I’d finished telling them. I didn’t have to check to see if they were following me, I heard their hearts beating wildly, right behind me. If Luna hadn’t already told the twins I had turned, they would know by my speed.

I was so scared for Joseph and William I didn’t think about anything but getting to them, and miraculously I didn’t stumble and fall. Luna and the twins did pretty well keeping up after they transformed. They still weren’t nearly as fast as me, but they were much faster on four legs than two.

I stopped and listened where the shortcut to Luna’s house turned off into the woods. I heard Joseph scream for William to watch out, and I bolted.

I ran straight into the middle of about twenty Lycans. Then I understood what William had meant when he said my mind would work faster than my body. Even though everything was moving fast, I had the ability to see it differently. Everything moved in slow motion around me.

I watched Joseph on top of a Lycan he had pinned to the ground. His razor-sharp fangs ripped the flesh on its throat, tearing it to shreds. William was slinging Lycans—two and three at a time—through the air, helping to keep them away from Joseph. I couldn’t believe he and Joseph were actually working as a team.