Dark Moon (15 page)

I sat down on
Maryanne’s bed, across from Damon. My heart was racing wildly and for a moment
I thought I might black out.

“I know your
mother was a dark angel. I know that you’re not completely human,” Damon said.

I couldn’t look at
him. I had my head buried in my hands, elbows resting on my knees.

“Aren’t you going
to say something?” Damon demanded, exasperated. “You’re not curious as to how I
have the video?”

“How do you have
the video?” I repeated dumbly, finally looking up at Damon.

He was smiling
broadly. He knew he had all the power.

“After I saw your
parents, I watched your house, thinking you’d come home some weekend to visit, that
I could speak to you then,” Damon said. “But you never did. And then one day, I
saw your mom returning from the store. She was locked out. She reached in the
potted plant by the door and got a spare key.”

That fucking
key.
I had told her over and over again that it wasn’t safe, that it didn’t
matter if we lived in a nice neighborhood. She had promised to get rid of that
key. One more thing she had lied about.

“Anyway,” Damon
continued, “I waited until both of your parents were out and decided to have a
look around for myself. All I was hoping to find was some
clue
as to
where you were. I started my search in your old bedroom.” Damon paused. “You
really should have hidden it a little better. It was in the second drawer of
your desk.”

I had almost
brought the video with me to college, but had decided that it would be safer at
home. But why should I have thought to hide it? No one had access to my room,
no one would go through my things.

Even though Damon
had seen the video, how could he so readily believe it? Maybe I could still
convince him it was fake.

“That video is
just a joke,” I said, hoping my voice sounded confident.

“Please,” Damon
said, his tone turning nasty. “I saw your reaction when I told you I’d seen it.
And besides, I did some research.”

“What do you
mean?” I asked.

“After my family
moved, I found a new group of friends. They were fascinated by the occult. I
went along with them, not certain if I really believed that supernatural
creatures existed. But then, when I saw this video, I knew it was all too real.
And it explained how you gave me a concussion.”

Damon paused,
giving me a chance to speak, but I said nothing. “I got back in touch with one
of my high school buddies who was still into that shit. He checked it out and confirmed
the story about your mother.”

I jolted into an upright
position. “What do you know about Sabrina?”

“Relax,” Damon
said, holding up his hand. “If she’s alive, she’s done a damn good job of
hiding, and if she’s dead, nobody knows it.”

“Well then, you don’t
know anything more than I do,” I said angrily.

“I know that
they’re after you.”

“
They
?” I
repeated. “Who the fuck are
they
?”

“Magnus and his
demons. He’s still ruling Hell, twenty years later,” Damon said. “There’s a
bounty on your head. No one knows how to find you.”

“So he’s trying to
kill me?” I whispered.

“No, I’m not
really sure
why
he wants you. Make him his slave? Control you? The
bounty explicitly states that you’re wanted
alive
. They call you The
Dark Moon. Your true identity is a complete mystery.”

The Dark Moon.
Again
I pictured my mother, looking up at the night sky, thinking about me.

“But you
supposedly came here so we could get back together,” I said suspiciously. “You’re
telling me that you don’t want to collect the reward? That makes no sense. How
do I know you won’t turn me in?”

Damon looked at me
as though I had said the most ludicrous thing he’d ever heard. “Because we’re
soul mates. We
belong
together.”

I felt like I was
going to be sick again. I swallowed hard.

“Don’t you see,
Lana, all these years, I knew I would come back for you, I knew I would find
you again.” Damon was leaning forward, talking excitedly. “There hasn’t been a
day that’s gone by that I haven’t thought of you,
dreamed
of you. I’ve
pictured this moment, when we would finally be reunited again, a million times.
You can’t tell me you don’t think about me, that you don’t feel our
connection
.”

I only think
about you when my mind forces me to relive that awful night at summer camp.

“I want you to
come away with me,” Damon continued. “Like your mom said in that video, you
have powers. I can help you hone them. We’ll be unstoppable. And we’ll be
together
.”

Damon was crazy.
Mentally off. I had the brief, ridiculous thought that Damon and Abigail would
be perfect for each other. Psychotic soul mates. I had to stifle a laugh. I was
losing it.

But Michael and I
had dated them, so what did that say about us? Maybe we were nuts, too, and
just hadn’t realized it yet.

Damon appeared to
be waiting for some type of answer. He was looking at me expectantly. I wasn’t
scared of him hurting me physically, but I was terrified of him telling my
secret to Maryanne and Michael. I had to make him think that I was at least
considering his proposal, somehow buy myself time to come up with a plan.

“Okay,” I said
slowly. “Can I think about it?”

Disappointment
clouded Damon’s face, but to my relief, he nodded. “I don’t know what there is
to think about, though, Lana.” His voice had the hint of a threat in it.

Because you
hold all the cards. If you can’t have me, you’ll turn me in, or at the very
least ruin my relationships with Michael and Maryanne.
And then I had an
even more horrific thought. If Damon couldn’t have me, would he possibly try to
kill
me?

“I – I just
need time to take it all in,” I said, trying to muster a smile. He couldn’t
know that his presence made my skin crawl.

Damon nodded. “You
have one week to give me an answer,” he said.

I stood up, wiping
my sweaty palms down the front of my shorts.

“I’d better go
before Maryanne gets back from the gym,” Damon said. I walked him to the door,
eager for him to leave.

As I was pulling
it open, Damon leaned in to try to kiss me. I stepped backwards, pretending I
hadn’t noticed, and said, “I’ll see you soon!” before slamming the door in his
face.

After he was gone,
I leaned against the door, breathing heavily, trying to comprehend what had
just happened.

One week.
I
had to figure something out, and fast.

I didn’t go back
to Michael’s that night. He called me shortly after Damon left, disappointed to
come home and find out I wasn’t there.

“Are you sure
nothing’s wrong?” he pressed. “You could bring your work over here. I promise,
I’ll let you study. I just want to be with you.”

“No,” I said,
forcing a laugh. “I wouldn’t get any work done, and you know it.”

I avoided Michael
on Monday and Tuesday as well. I could hear the hurt in his voice when he
called me Tuesday night, again confused that I wouldn’t spend time with him.

Maryanne didn’t notice
that I was living at the dorm, because she spent every night at Damon’s
apartment. I felt sick that she was with him, but relieved for the time alone.
Although as much as I thought about the huge mess I was in, I still had no idea
what to tell Damon.

And the worst part
was, even though he had given me a week to agree to his insane proposal, Damon
cornered me on campus at every opportunity. He must have gotten my schedule,
because everywhere I turned there he was, waving and smiling and acting like we
were best friends.

“Just giving you
the chance to tell me your answer,” he said cheerily on Wednesday afternoon.

“You told me I had
a week,” I hissed back. “And I’m late for class.” I quickly pushed past him
before he could say anything else.

I was worried
Michael might rearrange his schedule to see me at the hospital, but he didn’t.
Even though I wouldn’t know what to say to him, I couldn’t help but feel
disappointed. We had barely spoken since Sunday, which was, of course,
completely my fault.

I was on autopilot
during my shift, and Nurse Barbara must have sensed I was out of it because she
made me leave early, insisting that there was nothing for me to do.

When I got home, I
flopped down on my bed and massaged my temples. I’d had one long headache since
Saturday night. Before, everything in my life was defined by that talk I had
with my parents. Every life event, each memory fell on one side or the other,
pre-talk or post-talk.

Now, it was
defined by Damon’s return. How could I have been so happy on Saturday leading
up to that dreadful double date at The Tracks? How could one moment change my
life forever?

As I was lying
there, mulling over the last few days, I came to a decision. I would have to
leave. Run away. Never tell anyone where I had gone, not even my parents.

I couldn’t have
Michael if I stayed here, not with Damon in the picture. And Maryanne would
never forgive me for not telling her immediately that he was the one who tried
to rape me – if she even believed me. There was no way I could stick
around and do any more damage.

I would write
emails to both of them. Tell Maryanne that she couldn’t be with Damon, confess
that he was the boy from summer camp. In my letter to Michael, I’d tell him how
much I loved him, but explain that I was a bad seed and he was better off
without me.

Would they understand?
No, probably not. But it was for their own good. I had to leave, and the sooner
the better. It would take a few days to plan it, but at least I could start
crafting my letters now.

Feeling like my
heart was breaking, I pulled my laptop out from under my bed, poised to get the
wretched emails written, so that I could focus on the next part of my plan.

I was deep in
thought when I jumped at a knock on the door. It had to be Damon.
Maybe I
can pretend I’m not here.
But he was such a livewire, so unpredictable; it
was more dangerous
not
to talk to him than to just go ahead and find out
what he wanted.

Sliding my laptop
back under my bed, I got up and walked over to the door. “You said I had a
week,” I was saying as I pulled it open.

But Damon wasn’t
standing there.

“Michael!” I
exclaimed.

“Expecting someone
else?” he asked lightly. He hadn’t gone home to change before coming here; he
was still in his scrubs.

“No,” I said,
feeling my face heat up.

“Well, aren’t you
going to invite me in?” He’d never been inside my dorm before.

I stepped aside so
that Michael could come into the room. “Have a seat,” I said awkwardly,
motioning to my bed.

“I’ll stand,” he
replied.

It was like we
were complete strangers, all of the intimate times we’d shared a distant
memory.

“Why did you come
here?” I asked quietly.

“I’ve been trying
to understand why you’ve been avoiding me,” Michael started.

I wouldn’t look
him in the eye.

“And then Becky
called me yesterday.”

“To tell you again
what a horrible person I am?” I asked, an edge to my voice.

“Actually, she
said you were cheating on me.”

“Huh?” I laughed
bitterly. “That’s a good one.”

“So you’re not
cheating on me?” Michael had a funny expression on his face.

“No,” I said
defensively. “I
told
you I was really busy with school.”

Michael rolled his
eyes. “You always made time for me before, Lana.”

“So what?” I
snapped. “You actually
believe
Becky?” This couldn’t be happening.
Michael knew me better than anyone in the world, even Maryanne. He couldn’t
possibly think that I was capable of going out on him.

“I didn’t at first
– until she sent me this.” Michael held us his phone. It was a picture of
Damon and me, taken during one of the times he’d waylaid me on the way to
class. We were talking together; my head was down, but Damon was smiling
– smiling the way you look at someone who’s more than a friend. And my
body language could have easily been explained as shy, uncertain – the
way I felt around Michael in the beginning.

“Are you nuts?” I
asked in a high voice. “I’m not cheating on you with Maryanne’s boyfriend
– or anyone for that matter!”

“Just tell me the
truth, Lana!” Michael exploded. “The picture alone wouldn’t mean anything, but
Becky saw him going into your dorm room Sunday – the day you were
supposedly doing homework.”

“How do you know
he wasn’t here to see his
girlfriend
? We do live together, after all,” I
shot back.

“Becky said
Maryanne wasn’t home.”

“Well she’s quite
the little sleuth,” I said sarcastically. “Maybe she should drop out of college
and join spy school.”

Michael sighed.
“Just tell me the truth,” he said again, his voice wary. He had been standing
the entire time, but now he sat down on my bed.

I sat down next to
him, my mind reeling. I couldn’t –
wouldn’t
– let Michael
believe I had cheated on him. But what other choice did I have?

The truth
.
What did I have to lose? I could tell him the truth, and if he didn’t believe
me, I could still skip town. Carry on with my original plan.

“I’m not having an
affair with Damon, but – but I did know him before Saturday night.”

Michael looked
confused. “What do you mean?”

“Damon is the one
who tried to force me to have sex with him at camp when we were fifteen,” I
blurted out in one long sentence.

“What?” Michael
asked incredulously.

“It’s true,” I
said. “He was my first boyfriend. I was so shocked when he didn’t say anything
on Saturday! I didn’t know what to do, so I pretended not to recognize him,
either.”

I glanced at
Michael. He still seemed uncertain. “Look,” I said. “Why would I lie about
this? You’ve seen what a wreck I’ve been since Saturday night. And now Damon
won’t leave me alone,” I continued. “Becky’s right – he did come over
here. He said he wants me back.”

There, the cat was
out of the bag. Well, partially.

“Were you ever
going to tell me about this?” Michael asked quietly.

“I didn’t know how
to.” It was the truth.

“So you were just
going to avoid me forever? Hope I went away?” Michael was hurt, angry. And with
good reason.

“Of course not! I
never want to be without you. I didn’t know it was possible to love someone the
way I love you.” I could feel my eyes stinging with tears; I tried to fight it,
but it was useless. The next thing I knew I was sobbing, deep, heart-wrenching
sobs, tears pouring down my face. I buried my head in my hands. The worry and
the fear of losing Michael were too much to bear.

Michael wrapped
his arms around me, and I cried into his chest. “I’m so sorry” I said over and
over, in between the hysterical sobs.

“Lana.” Michael
was whispering my name, trying to calm me down. His hands were caressing my
back.

I felt the
familiar warmth coursing through my body. I was safe in his arms, at least for
the moment.

“Hey,” Michael
said, brushing my hair. He gently pulled my face up from his chest.

“Your shirt is all
wet,” I murmured, staring at his tear-stained scrubs.

Michael laughed. “That’s
the least of my worries. Lana, please, look at me.”

I slowly raised my
head. Michael stroked my cheek. “Please don’t keep secrets from me again. You
can tell me everything, always and forever.”

“You forgive me?”
I whispered.

“Of course. I wish
you’d told me Saturday night. I would have punched Damon out.”

I smiled, but it
quickly turned into a frown. “Maryanne is crazy about him,” I said morosely.
“She’s either not going to believe me, or hate me for not telling her
immediately.”

“We’ll figure it out,”
Michael said softly. “You’ve got me in your corner now. And I never lose,” he
teased.

Michael’s face
turned serious. “I’ve missed you so much these past few days. I was going out
of my mind, trying to figure out why you were avoiding me.”

“I hope you know I
could never cheat on you. I’m not like other girls,” I said.

“I know you’re
not, and that’s just one of the things I love about you. You’re almost too good
to be true.”

Michael leaned
forward and kissed me, softly at first, the intensely. I felt the electric
currents running up and down my body, the familiar ache and throbbing as his
hand crept up my thigh.

I was pulling
Michael’s shirt off; he fumbled with my bra like a clumsy teenager. We laughed
at the wonderful awkwardness of it all, giddy with excitement to feel each
other again. I tugged the bottom of Michaels’ scrubs off and then his
underwear. He was undressing me as well, both of us throwing the discarded
clothing to the floor.

I felt feverish,
red-hot with anticipation. Michael couldn’t get inside of me fast enough. When
he finally sunk into me, the pleasure was almost overwhelming. I wrapped my
arms around his neck as he moved on top of me while we kissed passionately.

All thoughts of
anything except Michael left my mind as I gave myself to him. He pulled out
before we had finished and started kissing all down my body. “You drive me
wild, Lana,” he said, licking my hard nipples.

I dug my fingers
into his back, never wanting to let go, never wanting this moment to end. But
as always, we held out for as long as possible, until we could no longer stop
it. Moaning, Michael rolled off of me onto the other side of the tiny bed.

“These walls are
thin.” I giggled. “I hope we weren’t too loud.”

“Who cares?”
Michael leaned forward and kissed me, then draped his arm over my stomach.

“I know there’s
more stuff to talk about, Lana,” he said sleepily. “But tonight I just want to
hold you like I’ll never let you go.”

“Me, too,” I
whispered, snuggling into his embrace.

Oh yes, there was
a ton to talk about. I couldn’t believe that just a couple of hours ago I was
planning to leave him forever. Now I had renewed determination. Damon couldn’t
control me. And Michael was right; the two of us could figure out how to tackle
any situation.

But the problem was,
Michael only knew half of the story. He’d been understanding, loving and
protective. But how we he react if I told him I was only half human? I couldn’t
dwell on that right now.

I just hoped I’d
have the chance to reveal the truth about myself, before I lost my nerve. Or
before he found out from Damon, and I really did lose him forever.