Moonlight Calls (Demon's Call Series Book 1) (18 page)

He continued on,
oblivious to my thoughts.  “It would have been easy for the Father Alpha to
snatch you away from them, if you proved you had any useful abilities.”

“But what about
Ailis,” I said weakly.  “You knew she was in danger and you just left her there.” 
It was hard to hold onto my resolve when he looked so…vulnerable.

He sighed.  “She
is a vampire.  For all I knew she was working with the rogues.  It would be a
nice way to start her own camarilla- with new vampires to follow her, and a
sensitive to guide her to power.”

He shook his
head.  “Your Ailis is a very strong vampire, and the rogues were like babies
compared to her.  If you knew what was happening, you would have wanted to go
to her, and that would have put you in danger.  I couldn’t let that happen.”

He squeezed my
hand.  “I meant to come straight here that morning and make sure that
everything was okay.  But there was interference.”  His expression became
thunderous.  “Now the Father Alpha wants you watched.”

“You expect me
to believe all that?”  I narrowed my eyes at him suspiciously. 

He reached up
and cupped my face in his hands, looking directly into my eyes, searching. 
“There is something strange about you, Mya.  I am drawn to you.  The instant I
felt your aura, I….”  He shook his head.  “I don’t know what you’re doing to
me- but...” he shrugged, looking embarrassed, “I want to be near you.  I want
to help you if I can.”

I shook my head,
refusing to buy it.  “You’re trying to say that
I
lured
you
?  You
have got to be kidding me.  I shook my head.  “You used your power as an alpha
to … to seduce me.”  I was embarrassed just saying it.

He smiled
knowingly.  “You are so receptive; I couldn’t completely shield you from my
powers if I wanted to.  His voice sounded almost dreamy, and I clenched my
teeth, as I remembered how easily I had responded to him.

He gifted me
with a seductive smile.  “What is the point of being an alpha if I can’t use my
power once in a while?  It is who I am.  My power is part of me.”

“So you’re
saying it wasn’t your fault, I’m just a slut.”

He let out a
surprised laugh.  Twining his fingers through mine, he looked at me
quizzically.  “I’m saying, we influenced
each other
.”  He gave me a
candid look.  “Our power is almost like a drug to you, isn’t it?”  He looked intrigued.

I shook my
head.  It was just all too much to take in.  I felt so lost and confused.  And
terrified that he might be right.  Ailis had said something similar. 

“Please let me
help you?” he asked sincerely.  “I can keep you safe from my people.  They will
back down if I put my claim on you.”

Put his claim on
me?
 
Why was it that everyone seemed to want to own me?  I took a deep breath,
knowing I was probably being gullible beyond belief.  Leaning forward, I
wrapped my arms around his neck, tentatively resting my forehead on his broad
shoulder.  I didn’t know much, but I was certain I was going to need all the
help I could get if I wanted to remain alive and in control of my own mind.  I
was also certain that I belonged in his arms, weather he was a human, a wolf,
or a magic, wish-granting gnome.

He wrapped his
arms around me, pulling me off my chair and onto his lap.  His aura wrapped
around me like a tangible thing, a warm blanket.  The throbbing headache
building behind my eyes surged, then vanished, leaving me feeling dizzy.

*****

I wavered
between wanting to confront the problem head on, and wanting to hide under my
bed until it all went away.  I was going to have to deal with two of the most
powerful creatures in the city, maybe even the country.  My mouth went dry at
the thought.  It would probably be best to meet with Argenou and the Father
Alpha at the same time.  Maybe it would give me a measure of protection, since
they were both interested in keeping me alive- for now.  Maybe we could just
talk it all out. 
Hey guys, nice to meet you.  See- I’m nothing special.  So
let’s just all go our own way. 
I snorted.  But I couldn’t just hide. 

Apparently, each
faction thought I was being lured over by the other.  I had to nip this in the
bud.  Ailis and Christian were not happy about this idea, but I was set on
getting my way.  I was still hoping that they would see me in all my weak human
glory and leave me the fuck alone, but hey, I’m a dreamer.

Once Christian
left, I found Ailis in the living room pretending she was engrossed in a
magazine.  I sat down on the chaise across the room from her and glared.  She
kept her eyes glued to the pages of the magazine, although I saw her shoulders
tighten.

“How could
you?”  I said from between clenched teeth.

She shrugged. 
“I don’t know what you mean.”

I rolled my eyes
and let out a dry laugh.  “You abandoned me!”  I accused.  “You left me alone
with him, knowing full well that I would be manipulated into doing whatever the
hell he wanted me to do,” I said sullenly.  I was starting to sound whiny, but
I really didn’t care anymore.  I was too tired to pretend to be tough.  And
that’s all it would be too- pretend.

Ailis finally
put down the magazine and looked me in the eye.  “I keep forgetting that this is
all new to you.  You don’t know anything about our cultures, about the way
things work in our world.”

“Well maybe
someone
should enlighten me.”  She had filled me in on some of the archaic vampire
etiquette that she lived by.  For some reason I had assumed weres were less
complex.  Apparently, I was wrong.

She leaned
forward intently as she tried to explain.  “Christian is an alpha wolf.  He is
a
very
old and therefore
very
powerful alpha wolf.  That means
that he’s dominant to pretty much everyone around him.”

I nodded, and
she continued.  “Mya, he got down on his knees in front of you.”  I looked at
her, not comprehending the significance, and she sighed in exasperation.

“He showed
submission
to you.”  She looked a little freaked out at the mere thought.  “He showed
submission to a human.”

She shook her
head in wonder.  “I left because you had an ancient werewolf alpha pledging
himself to you- to a human.  Any other wolf with his power would have ripped me
apart just for witnessing that.”

I shook my head
in disbelief.  I was so oblivious to everything around me.  He had been showing
me that he trusted me with his life, and here I had thought he was just being
romantic.  I was going to get myself killed one of these days.

I finished
stretching and stood glaring at the paved path in front of me.  I hate
running.  I always have.  But I had the feeling that I might be doing a lot of
running in the future- possibly punctuated with screaming and hiding- so I
thought I should do something about my physical fitness.  It also got me out of
the house and away from Ailis, allowing me to forget for a moment that I was
knee deep in weirdos.  Or at least it
would
have that effect if the
weirdos would just leave me be.

I sighed and
glanced to my side and up… and up.  “Why are you here?”

Christian
chuckled, a deep, rumbling thing that spilled from his broad chest.  “I enjoy
running.”

I arched an
eyebrow.  “I’ll just bet you do.”  On four feet.  “Why are you really here?”

He patted the
top of my head with a big hand and flashed a devilish smile.  “The pleasure of
your company.”

I frowned at
him.  “Whatever.  Just go home.”

I pushed into
motion, settling into a slow jog.  He paced along beside me, not making a
sound.  The way he moved was distracting.  I caught myself wondering how soft
the grass beside the path was and how often other people came here, and jerked
my attention back to the path.  Why couldn’t I just run in peace?

We had jogged
along for a few minutes in silence when Christian suddenly grabbed my arm and
pulled me to a halt.  “We should go back now.”

I looked up into
his sharp green eyes.  “You are acting so weird.  What’s going on?”

He shrugged and
one corner of his mouth lifted.  “This sort of thing doesn’t suit you.  Come
home with me, and I’ll show you a better way to exercise.”

I swatted at him
and turned back to the path.  “Look,” I tossed over my shoulder.  “Interesting
as that proposal might be, I need a few minutes to myself sometimes you know? 
Just go home and I’ll call you later.”  I was getting used to his constant
overwhelming presence, but he usually wasn’t this… intrusive.

He loped along
behind me, almost able to keep up with my jog by just taking big steps.  “Mya,
I’m telling you, you aren’t safe out here.  I think you will regret it if you
keep heading that way.”

His deep voice
had lost its mocking playfulness.  He sounded resigned.  He knew I wasn’t going
to listen to him.  I pushed myself to run faster, ignoring the fact that I was
already breathing hard.  Have mentioned that I hate running?

My stomach gave
a bit of a lurch and I thought maybe I was pushing it.  After all, I had just
kind of jumped into this whole exercise thing.  I slowed and tried to calm my
stomach.  The nausea started to subside, but I still felt odd.  I felt a sudden
flare of something and thought Christian must be doing something supernatural. 
Just then, I rounded a bend in the path and came face to face with the source
of my unease. Vampires.  A lot of them.

I sensed
Christian’s aura as he silently eased up behind me.  A slender man in a
business suit stepped out onto the path in front of me.  He was only medium
height, and his sandy blond hair was shot through with silvery streaks that
caught the light of the sinking sun.  He smiled and I suppressed the urge to
take a step back into Christian’s solid bulk behind me.  “Good evening Mya.”

He approached
slowly, with his hands held out in a gesture of peace.  I thought he looked
smaller in person than he did in the papers.  “Mr. Argenou,” I said, crossing
my arms over my chest.  “Kind of hard to jog in a suit, isn’t it?”

He chuckled, the
sound sending little ripples over my skin.  I squelched the sensation and
refused to meet his hazel eyes.  A pair of shadows slipped from the trees and
came to flank the master vampire.  I was surprised to see Ailis there, but then
she was his.  Her expression was neutral and I couldn’t even begin to guess
what she was thinking.  My eyes lit on the beautiful blond man that came to
flank Argenou’s right side.  There was something even more compelling about him
than the master vampire.  It sent chills down my spine. 

Christian’s
breath stirred my hair.  “There are more.”

I nodded.  There
were other vampires in the trees around us, waiting.  I could see a few here or
there, feel even more of them.  But I didn’t think that was what he meant.  I
could also feel a pressure building behind me.  Something else was here. 

Christian was
silent at my back, watchful, but I could feel his warm aura beginning to
swell.  I swallowed, my throat gone suddenly dry.  A deep voice spoke from the
trees behind me, just at the bend in the path.  “Argenou, you’re frightening
the poor girl.  Leave her alone.” 

I watched the
man emerge from the trees, flanked by his own posse, some of which walked on four
feet.  He was square and powerfully built, with light brown hair that floated
about his shoulders.  Unlike Argenou, he looked young.  However, when he spoke,
he gave off the feeling of a much older man- a kind uncle, or a father.  I
shook myself, realizing that this was part of his power, lulling me into
submission.

“Wow,” I said
with false brightness, “looks like the gang’s all here.”  My mouth quirked as
the song from West Side Story drifted through my head.  I moved my feet apart
slightly, the scuff of my sneakers on the pavement loud in my ears.  “Guess
I’ll just leave you guys to it then?”  I briefly entertained the idea of making
a run for it.  Then I saw the gleam of the other eyes in the woods around the
newcomer.  “Well shit.”

Christian spoke
behind me.  “I did warn you.”

I took a deep
breath and tried for confident.  “So guys, what’s up?”

Argenou took a
step closer.  Christian growled.  The vampire stopped moving. 

The smarmy smile
never left Argenou’s face.  He looked politely put out.  “Of course I tried to
come to your home to speak with you more privately, but I was… repelled.”

I glared at
him.  Repelled?  “Stay away from my house.  If you want to talk to me, pick up
the phone.”

The Father Alpha
laughed.  “It seems she doesn’t care for you, Argenou.  Be a good boy and give
it up.”

Argenou’s eyes
flashed to silver.  “Someone get a muzzle for the dog.”

I could feel
power rising around me as tempers flared and people started shifting.  “Mya,
darling, be a lamb and come with me?”  the Father Alpha said, with perfect
calm.  He held out a big hand toward me.

I arched an
eyebrow at the wolf.  I opened my mouth to say something stupid, but Christian
put his big hands on my shoulders and spoke for me.  “This woman is mine,” he
said clearly, his aura washing over me.  I rolled my eyes.  Were they all part
caveman?