The days that followed were both interesting and uncomfortable for me. I had no idea that the moon affected vampires. Folklore never told of such things. I thought it was only the werewolves who were influenced by it. I was full of questions about what Cindy was experiencing, but got nothing but scathing looks from wicked Amelia whenever I had the audacity to ask her a question. I found myself waiting until Kenton came to ask them.
I learned that the full moon enhanced everything there was about a vampire. If they were aggressive, they became more so. If they were in love, it grew more intense. Even if they weren’t in love, their sexual needs were intensified to the degree that many found it difficult to have them satiated. It wasn’t just their emotions and sexual desires that intensified. Their hearing got more acute and their speed increased; as did their strength. This fact made them better able to deal with the threat of the werewolf who, when the moon was full, was at its strongest and, often, most savage state.
Unfortunately, the full moon also increased the vampire’s driving need for blood. This was what was happening to Cindy and why Amelia was there to act as her tutor. Over time, Cindy would be able to manage and control all of the effects from the moon, but, until then, she needed to be monitored. It was the same with all new vampires.
I was given fair warning by both Amelia and Kenton to steer clear of Cindy until at least five days after the full moon or risk her draining me of my blood. Bestie or not, as a newbie vampire, it was an instinct in her that she wouldn’t be able to control. The threat was its strongest on the night of the full moon, but it would begin to increase on the fifth day before the moon and not fade completely until the fifth day after the full moon. The only bright bit of information I learned was that the first full moon was the worst. With proper guidance, most vampires were able to keep the effects at bay by the second full moon. This meant that, if I survived, I should be safe after Cindy had completed her first full moon experience. Since we were already a few days into this time frame, I was a third of the way there.
One of the hardest things for me to accept, understand, or deal with was the hold that the Association had on Kenton. When the Association discovered that he’d been staying at my house – thanks to the beautiful and bitchy Amelia- he was ordered back to his own estate to resume his normal routine.
He visited me daily, but he no longer shared my bed at night. We were occasionally able to steal away to the stables or sneak out into the tall grass in the field for a few private moments and a quick -and often deflating- session of love making, but after long nights of sharing and entwining our naked bodies, the quick rutting we managed while still half clothed proved frustrating. My nights of snuggling in his loving arms had ended and I just couldn’t understand why. The longer he insisted on avoiding my bed simply because the Association ordered him to, the more resentful I got. I worried that his blind loyalty to this group of faceless law makers would destroy us if he didn’t take a stand for what he wanted soon.
Between the loss of Kenton in my bed and my frustration over his inability to take a stand against the Association, Cindy’s shift in personality, and Amelia’s open animosity, I was miserable. I spent ninety percent of my daylight hours with the horses and then took to my room at night. I impatiently waited for the moon to stop turning my best friend into a raging, blood-thirsty maniac and return to me. I was lonely and needed her.
It was also my hope that, once the moon was no longer an issue and Cindy was back under control, that Amelia would leave my house and Kenton would return. Sadly, the moon went back to normal, but Amelia stayed on.
At times if felt as if she deliberately lingered to make my life a living hell by degrading me with remarks and looks at every opportunity. Since Kenton’s visits grew shorter and shorter, she had plenty of opportunity. To add to my miserable existence, with her in the house, it was almost impossible to have a private moment with my friend; even if it was now safe to do so.
With Cindy no longer wanting to make a meal of me, I decided to follow through with our plans to go riding and see how my horse, Daisy, reacted to her. She and the mare had developed quite a bond before tragedy struck and Cindy’s existence was changed forever. I thought it would not only give us a chance to spend some time together, but I hoped that it might remind Cindy of the good times before Amelia entered the picture and helped to harden her personality. If I could just have a bit to the old Cindy back, I’d be happy.
I managed to find a private moment with her to make the suggestion that we take an early morning ride. She eagerly agreed.
The reunion between my bestie and my mare was both touching and reassuring. Their reunion was a beautiful sight to behold. Daisy responded to Cindy like she was a long lost friend returning. There was no indication of fear due to her change of state.
That wasn’t the case when the wicked, yet beautiful Amelia came bounding into the stable demanding to know what Cindy was up to.
“We used to ride together before I was turned,” Cindy explained. “We thought we’d start back up again.”
I don’t know why I felt inclined to explain anything to her, but I added, “Daisy and Cindy bonded, plus, I need help exercising them. As you can see, there’s three of them and only two of me.”
“Great,” Amelia said with a smug smile. “I happen to be an adept rider. I’ll ride along with you.” She walked from horse to horse while inspecting them from head to rump. She finally set her hand on my favorite horse’ whither and said, “I’ll ride this one.”
“That’s Roger. He’s mine,” I snarled.
As if I’d said nothing, she set the saddle pad and the recently oiled western saddle I’d placed on the saddle bar next to him while I’d brushed him down onto his back and tightened the girth. I professed my ownership a few more times while I watched her adjust the stirrups to accommodate her long legs, but my professions hit on deaf ears.
When I looked at Cindy with total frustration, she shrugged her shoulders and tacked up her own horse. I had two choices. I could either give up and tack up Peter to ride along with them or battle the evil vampire for my horse. Since I knew that Amelia was just looking for an opportunity to fight -and possibly kill- me, I resigned myself to the fact that the bitch had won and tacked up my even tempered and sure footed gelding, Peter. All the while I silently hoped that Roger would prove the devil for Amelia to deal with.
Lady Luck must have been listening to my silent wishes because that’s exactly what happened.
I took great satisfaction at how difficult Roger proved for Amelia to handle. He danced and circled and even reared a few times before she got him under control enough to ride in a straight line.
“This animal is useless,” she snarled as she struggled to maintain control. “He needs to be put down.”
It was at that point when I snapped. I lept onto Peter’s back and charged Amelia; stopping only when Peter’s chest butted against Roger’s flank. Amelia gasped with shock and surprise.
“Now that I have your attention,” I heaved between gritted teeth, “hear my words and hear them good. Touch one hair on that horse… just one… and I’ll personally rip your heart out. The Association be damned.”
Her dark eyes went wide with surprise and her full mouth opened and closed a few times. It was as if she was trying to say something that just wouldn’t come out.
When she finally did find her voice, she said, “If he means that much to you, why don’t you ride him.”
I lept off Peter and handed her the reins. “Gladly. Switch with me.”
I could see that she struggled with letting me have my own way, but, after what seemed like the longest stare down in history, she dismounted and hopped onto Peter’s back. To my surprise, Peter acted up as well. Although, not nearly as bad as Roger.
I eased myself onto Roger’s back and watched while Amelia worked to subdue Peter.
She snarled at me when she’d finally settled him down. “Your horses aren’t much, are they?”
“They are if they like you,” I smirked. “Right, Cindy?”
Cindy nodded while subduing a giggle. “Are we ready now?”
I smiled and urged Roger forward.
The smile never left my face as I called back over my shoulder for Amelia to hear, “My horse always leads.”
I’d ridden Roger on the trails very little since that horrific night when we were kidnapped by Hap and Cindy was raped on film before being so mutilated by a werewolf that, when Kenton and my mother came to rescue us, Kenton was forced to make a choice of letting her die or offering her a chance to become a vampire. I mainly rode in the ring and in the fields where Kenton could see me. His fear of Michael Jefferson seeking retribution for his plan to breed young girls to expand his pack being destroyed by us was acute. I knew that Kenton would be unhappy to know that we’d traveled deep into the reserve, but I couldn’t help myself. I’d been away from the reserve’s natural beauty and the feel of the woods for almost a month. I didn’t realize how much I depended on my daily rides in the woods to help keep me balanced until I’d stopped them. I hoped that the fact that Amelia was with us would buf
Kenton followed me into the house. He was silent as he’d walked with us from the reserve trail to the stable, watched us untack and brush down the horses, and then put them out to pasture. Even so, I could tell that a lecture was hovering just below the surface of his quiet demeanor and that he was itching to give it to me.The smug look on Amelia’s face as she lazily followed Cindy up the stairs to Cindy’s room made my blood boil to the point I hardly heard Kenton’s request that I join him on the patio. He had to ask me a second time before I responded by leading the way.He’d barely closed the sliding door behind him before I spoke. “If you’re going to yell at me about riding my horse in the reserve, please don’t. I’m a grown woman and have the right to ride wherever I choose. Today, I chose the reserve.”“Even if it meant danger for you?”“
As I reveled in Kenton’s embrace, I longed for him to take things further. Memories of our first time making love on the patio flitted through my mind. What I wouldn’t have given to have him lower me onto the lounge chair and take me right then. I imagined the feel of the sun’s rays on my bare flesh as he buried his head between the apex of my thighs and bought me to heady heights while he prepared me for his entering. My body ached from the mere thought of it.My imagined sex high came crashing down with rapid speed when his kiss ended and he asked me to sit down so that he could have my full attention while he explained a few things. My head felt light and dizzy from his kiss as I found my way to a lounge chair.I’d been settled in and ready to listen for what seemed like minutes, yet he said nothing.“Are you going to speak?” I finally asked.“I’m waiting,” he rep
My house was rapidly filling up. Even though Godwin’s family lived locally, at my mother’s request, he settled into one of the guest rooms. I could tell that Kenton wasn’t happy about it. I assumed that it was because he’d been forced by the Association to move back to his own home. My mother must have recognized the jealous bug crawling around in him as well because, before she left, she assured my vampire lover that his distant cousin was only going to be with me long enough to develop the magic within me. She also insisted that, after meeting the wicked Amelia, she felt I needed a support team, if not protection, from the she vampire.Kenton could hardly argue that fact. Regrets for bringing Amelia to my home had surfaced more than once in him since her arrival. Not only did she turn out to be a spy for the Association who ratted on his staying with me almost immediately, he worried about me having to deal w
Morning came all too soon. If I hadn’t had the responsibility of tending to the horses, I’d have burrowed deeper into the folds of my bedding for a few more hours. Being the dependable person that I was, I dragged myself out of bed and dressed quickly.The smell of coffee as I trudged down the stairs did wonders for improving my mood. I had no idea who was thoughtful enough to rise early and brew coffee, but I was grateful.I was about to express my thanks to whoever it was when I entered the kitchen, but I stopped short like a mute statue instead. I couldn’t believe my eyes. There, at the stove, stood my mother. She was busy flipping pancakes to add to the rather large stack that was already on a plate in the middle of the table. Not only was she moving with grace and ease, but her scars and deformities were gone.“Mom?” I finally managed to utter as I studied her carefully.Sh
We went into the studio that my grandmother used to do her pottery in. I wasn’t sure if that was the wisest place to start teaching me magic. I could imagine bolts of energy shooting from my hands and pottery flying all about. I mentioned my concern to him. He just chuckled and assured me that there’d be no bolts of energy shooting out of my hands to worry about.To my surprise, wonderment, and amazement, the magic he showed me came from deep within me. I was the source. It required no hocus pocus words or special, overly dramatic movements. No magic wands or symbols drawn in the air or on my body. I simply had to think about what I wanted to have happen.Who would have thought it?I was required to focus my mind harder than I’d ever focused it before. As a result, my brain felt like it was made of oatmeal within fifteen minutes. That’s where the trick lie
“Will you look at this? How touching. A mother – daughter moment,” Amelia said with that nasty, talk-down-to-you- tone that she loved to use whenever she spoke to me as she leaned against the doorframe in that arrogant way of hers.My mother didn’t waste a second before she was up and in Amelia’s face. To my surprise and Amelia’s shock, she had the vampire’s face blending with the fibers of our Persian carpet before we could even grasp what was happening.My mother’s words sounded snarly. “I warned you to watch that bitchy vampire attitude.” She said the word vampire as if it tasted bad. “Just because I’m in human form, don’t think for a second that I’m not being affected by the moon. I’ll tear you to pieces without a second thought if you push me too far.”“Maryanne?” Kenton said as he cautiously stepped into t
“Werewolves aren’t the only creatures who are affected by the full moon. You’ll find that it heightens fairy emotions and strengthens their sex drive,” Godwin said as he popped his head into my bedroom. “I shouldn’t have gone off the deep end like that. Kenton and I have a long history that should have been left at the door.”“I don’t want to talk,” I said as I rolled over on the bed so that my back faced the door he was peeking through.“Please?” Godwin asked.I heaved a sigh and sat up. “I’m sorry that they screwed you over one-hundred and thirty years ago. It sucks, but shouldn’t you be over it by now?”“I thought I was,” he said softly. “My outburst tonight surprised me as much as it did everyone else.” He slowly shook his head. “Repressed memories, I guess.”I wiped