Midnight Mist & Moondust - Chapter Eight

Beginning is here

Chapter Eight

Two hours later they were in Raleigh’s car heading out of town. As they drove, Raleigh described his dad’s territory and how it covered three counties, which also included a state park. Caleb had no idea Raleigh’s dad, Jeremy, was that influential or rich. Had he always been so blind to things around him?

Raleigh shared with him that his family had held those lands since before the white man discovered America, that the natives had known what they were and left them alone. Caleb simply couldn’t wrap his mind around it.

“Okay, moving on. Get ready. I’m about to give you a crash course in werewolf etiquette,” Raleigh said as they drove.

Startled, Caleb yanked his mind from the endless thoughts plaguing him. “Sounds like fun. Am I going to be graded? Is there a pop quiz afterward?”

Raleigh shot Caleb a disgusted glare. “I know you’re nervous, but you need to take this seriously. My father is an alpha, and even though you’re not a shifter, if you inadvertently challenge him, things will get messy quick.”

“Messy? Messy as in… messy? Um, he does realize I’m not werewolf, right?”

“He’s aware, trust me. You’ll be granted some leniency, but there’re certain things you must not do. This isn’t a joking matter, Caleb. Get your head out of your ass and pay attention.”

Caleb cringed. “I know, I know. Sorry. It’s just…. I’m a little wigged. Vampires, werewolves—who knows what else I’m going to run into before this is all over. All this is fascinating, scary, and I keep thinking I’m going to wake up at any moment, but I don’t. I have a million questions, but at the same time, I’m terrified. And tired. I’m so, so tired.”

Raleigh flinched. “God, I didn’t mean to sound snappish, but this is a big deal. I understand you’re scared, and you should be. Even if you didn’t have the whole vampire thing hanging over your head, you just got told humans aren’t the only beings on this planet.”

Caleb’s emotions rose up and tried to put him in a strangle hold. It all seemed so hopeless. “It’s overwhelming. There are times I wish…. But I guess it doesn’t matter now. What’s done is done. So, tell me what I need to do so I don’t inadvertently piss off your dad.”

“The main thing is don’t maintain eye contact with him. That’s considered a threat. It’s definitely considered a challenge to his authority.”

“Even though I’m human?”

“Yes. You can meet his eyes, but don’t hold his gaze.”

“That’s completely opposite of how I was raised. It’s going to be really hard not to, you know? We’re taught that lack of eye contact signifies weakness or having something to hide.”

“Again, were not human. Stare over his shoulder or stare at his chin. It really doesn’t matter where you look, just don’t maintain eye contact.”

“Got it. No stare offs.”

“Hell no.”

“Anything else?”

“Don’t walk in front of him. It’s a sign of respect.”

“That won’t be a problem since I’ve never been to where we’re going.”

“Answer his questions as truthfully as you can. Don’t lie. Our sense of smell is much better than a humans, as is our hearing. Believe it or not, we can detect when another is lying.”

“Ah, okay, wow. Care to explain that?”

“When someone lies, their body reacts. We can detect increase heartbeat or a sudden rise in breathing. Blood flow increases and we can hear that too. And quite frankly, lies have a scent to them like… huh. Like the stale scent of decaying leaves and grass wafting over the air.”

“Oh my God, are you saying emotions have an odor?”

“Well, kinda. I… I don’t know if I would say that exactly,” Raleigh hedged. “It’s hard to explain especially since you’re not one of us.”

“You can tell if somebody is lying. That’s… a little disturbing. And invasive.”

“I guess, for you, it is. Anyway, if we should share a meal, nobody eats until he sits down and starts. We wait for our alpha.”

“Kind of like a real wolf pack. I guess I can see that.”

“And whatever you do, keep that smart mouth of yours under control. Where we’re meeting is sacred to us.”

“Where are we meeting them, anyhow?”

“Our medicine woman, Magdalene, is going to try to break the spell from the pendant. Her magic works best at the stone temple. So please, show respect while you’re in there. You’re going to see and hear things you might not have thought was possible, but I’m telling you, are. Don’t make fun of it.”

Caleb was horrified. Did Raleigh really think he was that uncouth? “I would never do that. And believe me, my horizons have been broadened since this started. I don’t discount anything now. And while I may not be a werewolf, and understand your culture, I like your dad. I would never do anything purposely to offend him… or you.”

“I know. It’s just….”

“Raleigh, am I going to be in danger around your pack?”

“No, of course not.” Raleigh bit his lip. “You have to understand, humans don’t know we exist. So, unless we find a mate among humans, we don’t have much to do with your kind. I’m a little different in the sense that we’ve been friends for a long time.”

“I take it that’s unusual?”

“Yeah, very. The fact that we became friends is unusual for us. Plus, you’ve met my parents, even though you didn’t know they were werewolves. That’s unusual too. Then there’s the fact that you’ve attracted the attention of vampire.” Raleigh sighed. “No one wants to take on a fucking vampire.”

“So, why are you?”

“Because, dammit, you’re my best friend. I’m not going to let you die if I can help it. I’m damn sure not going to allow a fucking vampire to turn you against your will, if at all possible.”

He was beginning to get the distinct impression werewolves and vampires didn’t like each other. “Okay off-the-wall question time.”

“Do you know any other kind?”

“Ha-ha. Several times, when you’ve referred to vampires, it’s been with a derogatory tone. Do your two species not get along?”

Raleigh’s laugh had a tinge of desperation to it. “You could say that. You know how some of the vampire/werewolf movies plots are based on how werewolves were enslaved to vampires?”

“Yeah, I can’t think of the movie’s title right now, but it was the one with the sexy woman vampire. Remember? Didn’t that have wolves enslaved in it?”

“I think so. Hundreds of years ago vampires did use us to guard them during the day. Trust me when I tell you the service was nonvoluntary. We were treated as pets, literally. We were enslaved, abuse. Eventually we broke free, but the damage was done. We hate them, and they consider us a little better than dogs.”

“I had no idea.”

“No reason why you should, but it did drive me crazy knowing you are obsessed with them. But, to be fair, vampires aren’t for well-liked by anyone in the paranormal community. Like I said before, they tend to be the proverbial ‘bad boys’.”

“These vampires don’t sparkle?”

A startled laugh escaped Raleigh. “Um, no. They’re devious, cold, and incredibly dangerous. They take what they want and don’t give a damn about anything or anybody else. They’re killers, Caleb, especially the older ones. There’s so fucking powerful and have very few weaknesses.”

“Are werewolves not as powerful as vampires?”

“No. Keep in mind that vampires are immortal too. We’re not.”

“How long does your kind live?”

“Five hundred years max. We’re more powerful than humans, but not as strong as vampires—although we’re fairly close. We’re not as fast too. They have the ability to move so quickly they disappear from sight. They can levitate and the older ones can actually fly. And, as you found out, they can influence humans into doing whatever they want.”

“Like when he compelled me to let him in?”

“Yep. That’s a perfect example. Every last one of the fuckers are gorgeous beyond belief too. Gorgeous and deadly. They must have blood to survive. The younger the vampire, the more they need to feed to keep the bloodlust in check. If Brone is as old as I think he is, he wouldn’t need blood more than once every couple of weeks.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah. They appear human, even though they’re not. Let’s see.” Raleigh scowled at the steering wheel. “The myth about sunlight is actually correct. Exposure will turn them to ash.”

“There is some truth in the movies and books, then?”

“Yes. Silver is another truth, but that tends to apply to several paranormals, us included. And before he asked, no, I don’t know why. The jewelry I wear is actually white gold, which we can tolerate.

“Oh.” Caleb pulled the pendant out from around his neck again and studied it closely. “I just assumed this was made with sterling silver.”

“If it was, I wouldn’t have been able to touch it without getting burned. Neither could Brone. I hate to say it, but if he manages to convert you… you couldn’t wear it either if it was silver. That pendant is proof you belong to him, so he’s not going to give you anything you can’t wear and he can’t touch.”

“Jesus.” Caleb dropped the pendant and stuffed it back under his shirt. “So, they can’t do sunlight, silver burns them, and they have to have blood to survive.”

“Yup.”

“They can turn into a mist, and they compelled humans. Anything else?”

“Oh, I’m sure there’s lots more, but I’m really the wrong person to ask.”

“You said they are immortal. Can they be killed?”

“Absolutely. Just because they are immortal doesn’t mean they’re indestructible. So yes, they can be killed.”

“How? Just curious.”

“Sunlight, for sure. They only have a couple minutes before they start smoking. Ten minutes is about as long as they can go before they disintegrate. Silver, but it has to be injected straight to their veins. It burns them up from the inside out. Taking his head will do the trick too.”

“Another point for movies and books.”

“Yep. But they’re wrong about crosses. Religious symbols have no effected on a vampire. Vampires didn’t spring from the devil. They’re not demonic.”

“I guess holy water doesn’t work either?”

“Right. Neither are going to do you a damn bit of good. Vampires are predators, yes, but they’re not cursed by God. That’s utter bullshit. So holding a cross and throwing holy water on them is waste the time.”

“Well, you could always stake them with the cross.”

“Actually, that’s another falsehood. Staking won’t kill a vampire.”

“Wow. Really? I thought it would.”

“No, that’s one of the things they got dead wrong. Staking a vampire in his heart doesn’t kill him. All it does is put him in stasis. The minute you remove the stake, they wake up—and wake up pissed. A pissed off vampire is a deadly vampire.”

“Huh. What about garlic? Isn’t that supposed to repel them?”

“Not unless you’re afraid of bad breath.”

“Yeah, always wondered about that one.”                      

“We’re hard to kill in general. As far as I know silver affects every shifter and vampires. Pretty much beheading anything is going to kill it too. Weakness to sunlight is pretty much a vampire problem though.”

“What about fire?”

“That’s hard to do—well, short of cremation, that is—because we all have accelerated healing. That’s not to say it wouldn’t hurt like hell. It would. And for a while they we’d look pretty horrific.”

“He can feel pain?”

“Oh yeah.”

“Tell me that this is accelerated healing.”

“Well, it sounds pretty like what it is. We heal incredibly fast. Where it would take you roughly eight weeks to heal a bone, it takes me a couple of hours, tops. Less if I can shift a couple times. Cuts heal almost immediately. Deeper cuts may take a couple minutes. I mean, don’t get me wrong. If there’s enough trauma to the body, we can die. But it would take a lot.”

“I’m just not seeing any disadvantages to being like you guys.”

Raleigh shrugged. “I guess. But it isn’t all roses either. We have to be very careful and we tend to say to ourselves because if humans ever found out about us—”

“You’d end up in lab somewhere been tested on.”

Raleigh nodded. “Not to put humans down, but that’s just how your species is.”

“Yeah, we can be real assholes.” Caleb perked up. “You can change into a wolf, right?”

“Yes.”

“Am I going to get to see?”

Raleigh rolled his eyes. “I’m surprised you waited this long to ask.”

“I didn’t know if it would be insulting or not. But I would really love to see.”

“Yeah, I probably do it while we’re here.”

“Cool!” Caleb rubbed his hands together. “Is there anything else vampires can do that you guys can’t?”

“Honestly, I don’t know that much about them. They can do the mist thing. We can’t do that.”

Caleb frowned. “That was creepy as hell.”

“I can only imagine.” Raleigh took a deep breath and let it out. “Do you need to stop and use the bathroom?”

“No, why?”

“Because we’re about to leave civilization. Seriously, where we’re going? There’s miles and miles of endless nothing.”

“In that case, yeah. Let’s make a pit stop.”

Midnight Mist & Moondust - Chapter seven

Beginning is here

Look for the flash to post every Monday. Fair warning: there are some scenes of dubious consent. If you've read any of my books, you know I don't do rape, but this *is* a Halloween flash. It *is* going to be a bit on the dark side. I *am* going to push the boundaries.

And it's not been edited since I waited to the last moment (again) to write the chapter lol. It's Sunday and football! I'm in front of the TV all day. ;)

Chapter Seven

“A lot of fucking good praying is going to do,” Caleb whined as he flopped back into his chair. “Or running.”

“Shit, shit, shit.” Raleigh tugged at his hair. “Okay, give me a second to think.” Raleigh paced up and down the kitchen.

It was so silent Caleb could hear the hum of the refrigerator. The low buzz tempted him towards sleep. He blinked his eyes several times, but they continued to water. God, he was so tired. He rubbed the wetness away with a closed fist.

Raleigh continued stalking around the kitchen mumbling under his breath.

Caleb rested his chin on his fist and watched his best friend…. who was a werewolf. His mind wandered. What would it be like to shift into another form? Into an animal? How many of the animals he saw on a daily basis were actually animal?

Oh God. What about the squirrel that committed suicide by running out in front of him a couple days ago? It didn’t bear thinking about. Surely people like Raleigh still maintain some semblance of themselves. He sincerely hoped they’d have enough sense not to run out front of a moving vehicle.

Raleigh suddenly stopped pacing and looked at Caleb. “Where did the pendant come from?”

“It came with the spell. I just didn’t tell you about it.”

Raleigh kicked one of the kitchen cabinets. “I really wish you would’ve had.”

“Stop beating up on inanimate objects or we’ll never get our deposit back.” Caleb blew a strand of hair out of his eyes. “And believe me, I wish I’d told you too.”

“So you bought the spell and got the pendant. And what? Tell me what happened next.”

“I… well, I rented the cabin and went out to the woods. Once I was there, I did the spell and—”

“Wait a minute. Backup just a moment. When exactly did you put the pendant on?”

“Not long after I bought the spell.” Caleb shrugged. “It was kinda cool in a goth sort of way, and I liked it. I remember thinking it would probably look better on you than me since you wear stuff like that.” Caleb waved his hand at Raleigh.

Even though Raleigh hadn’t been up long, he wore several leather bracelets and a couple o of chains. His long black hair was loose and flowing down his back. All Raleigh wore was a pair of black night pants. Huh. Caleb stared at the tattoos on Raleigh’s body. “You have tattoos.”

Raleigh blinked. “Yeah, so?”

“If you change into a wolf, how do you keep the tattoos? Wouldn’t they—I don’t know—like disappear or something when you change forms?”

Raleigh blinked several more times. “Not exactly the question I was expecting, but okay. Let’s go with that. The tattoos are permanent. So even though my body can shift from one form to the other, the tattoos are always there. The reason why you can’t see them in my wolf form is because I have fur then.”

“That’s cool.”

Raleigh sat back at the kitchen table. “Cool, he says.” Raleigh shook his head. “Let’s focus more on what’s going on with you right now, okay?”

Caleb yawned again. “Yeah, sorry.”

“So? The pendant…”

“There’s not really much to tell. I got it when I got the spell, I liked it, and I put it on. It was as simple as that. I took the spell and went to the cabin.”

“And left me a voicemail while I was at work when you knew I couldn’t answer.”

Caleb scowled. “I already apologized for that. You want me to tell you what happened or are you going to ride my ass?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Continue.”

“As I was saying, that night, under the full moon, I recited the spell. I waited and waited, but nothing happened. When nothing continued to happen, I finally had to admit I was an idiot. I was also a hungry idiot, so I went into town to eat. I came back to the cabin and went to bed. That was the first time I had a weird dream.”

“Wait, what kind dream?”

“It’s kind of fuzzy but it had something to do with mist and someone making love to me.”

“Didn’t you think that was strange considering what you had just done?”

“If you keep interrupting I’m never going to get this told. Besides, I thought it was a fucking dream. The second time the mist thing happened I finally figured out it wasn’t just a mist. Now, again, as I was saying… I came back home. Remember that night you and I went to the movies?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I went to the bathroom, and do you remember how shook up I was when I came back?”

Raleigh closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He opened them and looked at Caleb. “Did he appear to you in the bathroom?”

“Yeah. It was the weirdest thing too. It’s like he froze time, except for it didn’t apply to us. He… touched me, just like he did that night the cabin.”

“What you mean he touched you?”

Caleb’s face heated. “What do you mean what do I mean? He… he… Jesus. He jacked me off, okay?”

“And?”

“And I hate you.”

“Now’s not the time to be coy.”

“I’ve never been coy in my life either. He bit me that night, and I came so hard it’s a miracle I didn’t sprang my dick.”

“Now that’s an image.”

“Shut up. But then it was like he took a step back. Some time passed and nothing happened… until last night. He showed up, told me to invite him in, and the next thing I know, we’re having sex… and he’s bitten me yet again. He also told me there was nowhere I could run and that I couldn’t take the pendant off. That he could always find me because of it.”

“Shit. Is there anything else?”

“Isn’t that enough?”

Raleigh scowled.

“Oh, oh, yeah, there is. I forgot this. After the first bite, I started having dreams. Sometimes they were erotic, but more often than not it was almost like I was seeing flashes of his life.”

“Shit.”

“You said that already. Sometimes Brone was in a kilt, sometimes it was a elaborate suit with a with a top hat…. One time he had a fancy white wig on. Another time I saw him walking down a dark street with a cell phone stuck to his ear. Only, it wasn’t like the cell phones we have today. This thing was as big as a brick.”

“He’s tying himself to you. I’m almost sure those are memories of his you’re seeing.”

“So what do I do?”

“I… let me talk to my dad.”

“Are you going to get into trouble for telling me what you are?”

“Well…” Raleigh huffed. “The good thing is dad knows you and likes you. He’s not going to be happy, no. But when I tell him why I said something, he’ll understand. Maybe he can help. We had a medicine woman in our pack. Maybe she has some advice or ideas.”

As Caleb listened to Raleigh speak, the sinking feeling of being unable to avoid the the inevitable outcome over him. “This isn’t looking too good, is it?”

Raleigh stared at Caleb. “You want the truth or do you want me to blow smoke up your ass?”

“The truth.”

“Well, then, no. As far as I know there’s no way to stop this. And from the sounds of it, this vampire is very old, especially if you’re seeing flashes of him in a kilt. The older a vampire is, the stronger they are. And I’ll be honest with you, there aren’t too many paranormal’s who are willing to take on a vampire.”

“So basically I’m screwed.”

“I didn’t say that.” Raleigh reached across the table and took Caleb’s hand. “I’ll help you, if that’s what you truly want.”

Raleigh’s words startled him. “You don’t think it is?”

“Well, you’re the one who’s been wanting to be a vampire for as long as I can remember. Now you have a chance to be what you’ve always wanted.”

“God, that’s frightening.” Caleb scrubbed his hands across his face. “You said it sounds like he wants me for a mate. What does that mean?”

“Keep in mind, I’m not a vampire, so I really don’t know that much about them. But what little but I do know is taking a mate is a serious thing. For some reason this vampire—what was his name again?”

“Brone.”

“Brone has decided there’s something about you that would make the perfect mate. Let me see that pendant again.”

Caleb lifted the pendant so Raleigh could see it.

Raleigh leaned over the table, frowning. “I’m not really sure what the stone is, but it’s got black veins in it. And all those…. Are those bats that make up the setting? Right. Because that’s not morbid at all.”

“Hey, if he’s a vampire, it kind of fits.”

Raleigh sat down. “Have you noticed if he wore any other jewelry?”

“No, not really. I’ve had other things occupying my mind when he’d been around.” Like his hand on my dick or his cock up my ass.

“Yeah, I bet. I’m willing to bet that this pendant is very important to him. I’m guessing that stone has some sort of meaning. Think of it like a wedding band. Kinda.”

“A wedding band. Jesus. Apparently it’s a permanent one.” Caleb yawned again.

“Why don’t you go lay back down? You look like you’re about to fall asleep at the table.”

“I am really tired.” Dying will do that to a body.

“Go take a nap. I’ll call my dad and see what I can find out. I’ll wake you up in a little while.”

“Before nightfall would probably be good.”

Raleigh nodded soberly. “Yeah, there is that.”

Caleb dragged his tired ass from the kitchen back to his bedroom. Oddly enough, his mind was numb. He didn’t know if this was the calm before the storm—meaning that it hadn’t really sank in yet that he was dying—or…. Or he really wasn’t scared. But how could that be? According to Raleigh, he was dying. Dying. What person in their right mind wouldn’t be afraid of that?

But death was only the beginning.

So tired he could barely keep his eyes open, he stripped and, naked, climbed into bed. He pulled the sheets up to his chin and closed his eyes. “I’m scared.”

As he fell asleep, Caleb couldn’t say to whom he was speaking but the sentence ‘death was only the beginning’ kept circling and his mind.

* * * *

“Caleb. Caleb. Come on, buddy. I need you to wake up.”

Caleb moaned helplessly. He didn’t want to wake up, dammit.

“Look, I know you’re tired, but I talk to my dad, and I need you to wake up.”

Caleb’s eyes flipped open. “W-what? Your dad? Huh?”

“Yeah, I talked to my dad.”

“Okay, okay. Jeez. How long as I sleep?”

“Only about an hour.”

“Well, I feel like I’ve been asleep a hell of a lot longer than that.” Caleb struggled to sit up. He made sure the sheets were tucked around his waist then shoved his hair out of his eyes. He looked at Raleigh. “Well?”

“Dad wants me to bring you to him. Let me tell you, that’s something which doesn’t happen very often. He wants our medicine woman to take a look at you and that damn pendant.”

“Okay, why is it such a big deal? I’ve met your parents several times. I’ve even eaten at your house on more than one occasion, remember?”

“Because dad isn’t meeting you as my dad. He’s meeting you as my Alpha. I’m taking you to a sacred stone temple on our pack lands. It’s where we worship our gods. Tell me, Caleb, do you believe in magic?”

Caleb blinked. After everything he’d learned lately, Raleigh really had to ask that question? “Yes. You better believe I do.”

“Good. Because you’re going to see things you’ve never believed possible.”

Caleb snorted. He was one slippery step away from being dead and his best friend was a werewolf.

Midnight Mist & Moondust Chapter Six

Beginning is here

Look for the flash to post every Monday. Fair warning: there are some scenes of dubious consent. If you've read any of my books, you know I don't do rape, but this *is* a Halloween flash. It *is* going to be a bit on the dark side. I *am* going to push the boundaries. 

And it's not been edited since I waited to the last moment to write the chapter lol. It's Sunday and football! I'm in front of the TV all day. ;)

Chapter Six

Caleb set up in the bed, gasping.

Oh God, oh God why was it so bright in there? He jerked himself from the bed and yanked the curtain closed. Jesus, his eyes were watering they stung so badly. He fell back on the bed and grunted.

What was wrong with him? His body ached, ached in a way it had never before. Was he getting sick? He rolled over and jumped. His ass tingled and… holy shit. Everything came flooding back.

Scrambling out of bed, he rushed into the bathroom and flipped on the light. “Arrgh!” Caleb yelled, slapping his hand over his eyes.

Holy shit, had Raleigh put new bulbs in there? Panting, he removed his hand and opened his eyes again. Yup, the light was as bright as before. Squinting, he stared in shock at his reflection. His hair stuck up in every direction, and there were deep shadows under his eyes. The boxers he didn’t remember putting on last night hung low in his hips.

Leaning closer, he stared intently into the mirror. Was he already losing his tan? He most definitely looked pale. Haggard. Tired. Hell, who was he kidding? He looked half dead. And he felt it too. He was so tired. All he wanted to do was go back to bed and sleep.

But the two holes in his neck demanded every shred of attention he had. They looked bigger this time, redder. Slowly, almost in a trance, he raised his hand and ever so gently run the tip of his finger over them. They tingled, and he shivered.

Brone had fed from him. Again.

There were so many vampire myths, it was hard to tell which ones were accurate, but one thing he knew for sure—this time Brone took more blood. A lot more. God, if Brone drank from him again like this, he wasn’t sure he’d survive.

The thought struck fresh terror into his heart. One myth was a vampire had to feed three times, and on the third time the vampire drained the victim. After the last heartbeat, a vampire had minutes to feed the human his blood so he could turn him.

Caleb had no idea if there was truth in that myth are not, but there was no escaping the fact Brone had fed from him twice… and the second time he took much, much more. That meant there was only one time left then… he would die.

Die.

If he believed the myth, after he took Brone’s blood, he would rise. He’d be a vampire. And dead.. A killer. Suddenly the glamour that surrounded the mythology of vampirism Immortal faded.

He’d have to take a life to ensure his continued. Actually, if there was any truth to this the particular mythology, as a fledgling he wouldn’t be able to control his hunger. There would be more than one life lost in order for him to live.

Caleb braced his hands against the counter top and glared at his image in the mirror. Why had he never stop to consider that? All he ever thought about was how sexy vampires were, how mysterious, how cool it would be to have power and live forever.

Caleb never once thought about the price.

He damn sure was thinking about it now. What have I done? Shoulders slumping, he turned from the mirror and flipped off the lights. Darkness surrounded him, and his eyes stopped hurting.

Caleb staggered out the bathroom but paused in the hallway. He wasn’t hungry, but he hadn’t eaten last night. Then there was the blood loss. He probably needed to eat something so he could…. He leaned against the hallway wall and closed his eyes. Brone planned to kill him, and he was worried about eating?

“God, what am I going to do?” Well, he wasn’t he going to do anything until he had coffee. Opening his eyes he turned and walked to the kitchen.

Caleb got the coffee maker going, and leaning against the counter, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. There was a stack of mail left next to him so while he waited, he went through that. It was mostly junk mail so he tossed it in the trash can. He didn’t remember seeing that last night, so Raleigh probably checked the mail when he came in.

A quick glanced at the microwave told him it was midmorning, but he wasn’t surprised Raleigh wasn’t up yet considering he didn’t get off until midnight last night. When the coffee was done, he fixed a cup and sat at the kitchen table. Sipping it, he shuddered as its warmth filled him. He hadn’t realized he was so cold.

Frowning, he glanced up.

A moment later Raleigh shuffled into the kitchen, yawning. He made a beeline to the coffeemaker. “Hey, man.”

“Hey.”

Raleigh fix a cup and turned around, taking a sip. His eyes widened as he glanced at Caleb. “Holy shit, man. You look half dead.”

Caleb sputtered. If only Raleigh knew how accurate that description actually was. He looked at Raleigh.

“Are you sick again? I—oh, fuck me.” Raleigh dropped his coffee cup on the counter and stalked to Caleb. Caleb blinked and tension rose in the kitchen. Why did Raleigh suddenly looked so… menacing? Raleigh grabbed Caleb’s chin and forced Caleb to turn so that he fully faced Raleigh.

“What the hell have you done, Caleb?”

Caleb batted at Raleigh’s hand. “What the fuck, man?” He had enough problems this morning without Raleigh acting like an ass. “Let go, moron.”

“Be still.” Raleigh growled.

Caleb stilled. He gulped as his heart skipped then began to pound. The hair on the back to his neck stood up. Every instinct he had screamed at him to run. To flee. But even he had enough sense to know not to run from a predator.

Suddenly that’s what his best friend had become. A predator.

Raleigh growled—honest-to-god growled. Like a dog. Or a… wolf. It was low, and mean… and frightening. He shivered. It was a sound he’d never heard Raleigh make. Ever. It was damn sure one he never wanted to hear again.

Caleb sat frozen as Raleigh tilted his head. He didn’t move when Raleigh leaned down and sniffed his neck. Sniffed him. He didn’t so much as twitch when Raleigh’s long fingers suddenly sprouted claws.

His heart pounded like it was trying to beat of his chest. Little dots of blinking light danced before his eyes. His breath exploded from his lungs. He’d been holding his breath and hadn’t realized it.

“P-please don’t hurt me,” Caleb whispered, afraid to move. Everything he thought he knew had turned into one big lie. “Please.”

Raleigh sighed and released Caleb’s chin. “Oh, Caleb.”

Turning, Raleigh picked up his coffee and sat at the kitchen table. And just like that the tension dissipated. Caleb sat at the kitchen table and stared at his best friend. The claws he knew he felt were no longer in evidence, but there was no mistaking the slitted pupils Raleigh was now sporting. Nor the amber color of his eyes… eyes didn’t come in that color was all he could think. Not human eyes.

He always thought because of his looks Raleigh would have been the perfect vampire. Funny how he’d had the wrong paranormal. “What-what are you?”

Raleigh ran a hand through his hair. “Werewolf. Look, I’m not going to hurt you.”

An irresistible need to giggle hysterically wormed up his throat. Caleb clamped his lips closed. He was deathly afraid if he gave in to the urge, he’d laugh himself silly. Or scream endlessly. How had his life turned into this? Right. Spell that would turn me into a vampire. Can’t forget that.

“Werewolf?” Caleb squeaked. “Like… werewolf?”

Raleigh sipped his coffee, calm as could be. “Yes, werewolf. I can shift into my animal anytime I wish, but at the full moon I have no choice but to change.”

What?

Just how blind was he? He’d been living with a werewolf for how long now? “My God, I can’t believe I never noticed.”

“I took steps to make sure you didn’t.”

Caleb’s rapidly beating heart began to slow. “You… you’re not going to hurt me?”

Raleigh rolled his eyes and thankfully Caleb noticed they’d turned back to normal. “Have I ever hurt you? Ever?”

“Well… no.” Caleb thought about for second. “Okay. No, you haven’t.”

“Seriously? You actually had to think about your answer?”

“Hey, give me a break, will you? It’s been a shit couple of weeks.”

Raleigh had never done anything that would make Caleb question Raleigh’s humanity. There’d been no hint to what he was. None. And Caleb had never been uncomfortable around Raleigh. In fact, it was right the opposite. Raleigh was the one person he felt truly comfortable with.

His best friend was a werewolf.

 “I’m fully coherent in my other form too. And before you ask, no, it doesn’t hurt to shift. Yes, I was born this way. And yes, I can bite a human and turn them. We all can, but we don’t run around randomly turning folks.”

“Holy shit. We’ve been friends for a long fucking time. How did I never know this?” Caleb demanded.

He couldn’t believe Raleigh had kept such a secret from him. Even more frustrating was the fact he never noticed anything even remotely off about Raleigh. Had he been living in his own little world his entire life?

Raleigh tilted his head, staring at Caleb. “I have to say you’re taken this much better than I thought.”

Hysteria threatened to rise again. “If you say so. Tell me why you hid this from me.” Focusing on this kept his mind off of the panic of what was happening to him. “Please?”

Raleigh sighed. “The reason I didn’t tell you was because we don’t generally tell humans what we are. Not safe, you know.”

That made sense, as much as anything else did right now. “Why are you telling me now then?”

“Because your ass is in serious trouble.” Raleigh pointed at Caleb’s neck. “You’ve been bitten by a vampire.

Caleb clenched the table as wave after wave indignation rose. “How did you—oh, my God. You knew? You knew there were such things and you never told me?”

How could Raleigh not have told him? He knew Caleb was obsessed, and apparently, he knew Caleb was playing with fire.

“Hey! I’m one of those ‘things’!” Raleigh threw his hands in the air. “And I couldn’t. Didn’t you hear me just say I couldn’t tell you they existed without telling you we existed. And that’s a huge no-no in the paranormal community. My Alpha would’ve been within his right to kick me out of his pack for doing so.”

Caleb rested his head in his hands. “Werewolves. Alphas. Packs. I feel like I’m in another world.”

“I couldn’t come right out and tell you, but I tried to hint. Often. And heavily. But you never listen.”

Caleb only shook his head. “A werewolf. My best friend, whom I’ve known forever, is a were—Holy shit! You said you were born. Does that mean your parents are werewolves too?”

“Yes, my dad is the Alpha.”

“Fuck. I really need to hit the redo button. I can’t wrap my head around any of this. You said I was in serious trouble. What did you mean?”

“I—God. There’s no way to pretty it up, so I’ll just say it. You’re dying.”

Caleb gulped. His body went numb. Hearing it put so inelegantly frightened him clear down to his toes. He set his coffee off to the side, afraid what little bit he’d already managed to get down was going to come back up. “I am?”

“Yes.”

“How can you tell?”

“Come on, Caleb. Have you looked at yourself in the mirror yet? The bites are fading, but you’re pale. Too pale. Your skin is beginning to get that waxy look, and you have dark circles under your eyes. You’re eating and drinking less. You’re sleeping more, but when you’re up all you do is complain about how tired you are.”

“Jesus, I never… I hadn’t realized.”

“I hadn’t neither.” A flash of remorse crossed Raleigh’s face. “And I should have. No, what I should’ve done was put an end to your obsession with them.”

“And how could you have done that?”

Raleigh’s shoulders slumped. “I don’t know.”

Caleb let out a breath. That summed it up nicely, didn’t it? Raleigh couldn’t have saved him—nobody could. “I don’t think it’s possible to save someone from their selves.”

Raleigh reached across the table. “Do you know who the vampire is?”

“Yes.” Caleb clasped Raleigh’s hand. “It’s the owner of Midnight Mist and Moondust. You remember me telling you about that shop?”

“Vaguely.” Raleigh scowled. “I didn’t realize a vampire owned it—if I had, you never would have stepped foot in there. I’m going to have to relay that information to my Alpha.”

“That’s where I bought the spell from.”

“If I had known it was more than just a harmless little shop I… I would’ve ripped that damn spell up.”

Caleb blinked as a wave of exhaustion tore through him. “I don’t think it would have done any good.”

“Guess we’ll never know now, will we? So, you know the vampire’s name?”

“Yes. His name is Brone O’Carroll.”

“And how many times has he bit you?”

“Last night was twice.”

Raleigh snatched his hand way and jumped up. “Oh fuck me running, did you invite him in?”

Miserable, Caleb glanced them. “Yes. I-I think he compelled me.”

“Then this place is no longer safe. Come on,” Caleb rushed around the table and grasped Caleb by the shoulders. “We’ll packed. You can’t stay here now that he has been invited him.”

Yawning, Caleb stood. “But, both of our are names on the rental agreement. Can’t you revoke the invitation?”

“It won’t do any good. He’ll just compel you to re-issue the invite.”

Caleb’s weight slightly and rested his hand against the kitchen table to steady him. “Raleigh, running won’t do any good.” Caleb fished the pendant out from underneath his shirt so Raleigh could see it. “I didn’t tell you about this.”

“What the hell is that?”

“Brone told me I couldn’t remove it—that once I accepted the pendant and put it on I accepted him. He also said that as long as I wore he’d be able to find me anywhere I went.”

Raleigh took a step back to Caleb. “Shit. He means to claim you as his mate.”

“Yeah, I think so. So, what do I do?” 
          “Pray.”