Moonlight: Immortal Heritage 3 First Chapter.

MOONLIGHT Book 3 of my main Saga Immortal Heritage is days away from premiering! Enjoy the first chapter.

CHAPTER 1

DAHLIA

Night was falling.

I looked out the bus window, not really seeing anything; my mind was still reeling with memories of what happened that afternoon. Despite my damp hoodie and jeans, I wasn’t cold. Nick had his arm around my shoulders, pressing me against his warm body. I ventured a look to his face, his skin was pale, hazel eyes lost. He was more numb than me; the rage had turned into shock.

How else could he feel?

To know his adoptive brother and cousin—David—had murdered the first girl he’d ever loved while almost killing me was bad enough.

Things got worse when we discovered that his aunt—and adoptive mother—Sarah, had known the truth and hid it from him. And everything had gone to hell when his entire family had turned against me. Just because I am different.

Well, maybe different is a bit of an understatement.

A supernatural hybrid creature who feeds on the life-force and energy of others to survive would be more accurate. A succubus, half-vampire. That vampire half made Nick’s family want to tear me apart, quite literally since they were lycanthropes. Turns out movies weren’t that off. Some vampires and lycanthropes hate each other and make their life goal to chase and murder one another. One more testament to my rotten luck was that I had to run into 3 of them.

It didn’t have to be that way, Nick was also a lycanthrope, and he had learned to accept me despite the prejudices. He’d seen me as a friend and not a monster. Together we had learned that most of what he believed about my kind were lies. Eventually, friendship and understanding had turned into something stronger, something dangerous for both of us and those I cared for—my human adoptive family, Jenna, Cassie, and Brian. Innocent to the reality of my true nature. What would Jenna think when days went by and I didn’t return home?

The bus shook as it stopped; Nick straightened, blinking back into focus. His eyes looking for mine as the numbness faded, his emotions a turmoil much like mine. The other passengers were getting out of the bus.

I squeezed his warm hand. “We should get going.”

He swallowed hard and nodded, sliding his arm off my shoulders to take my hand and guide me to walk behind him. Always protecting me, even though he was fully aware of my powers.

“Wait,” I said. The smell of smog and the noise of the vehicles welcomed us as we stepped outside. “We should walk to the train station.”

He turned to me, his athletic 6-foot-3 frame towering over me. “I don’t have enough cash with me to pay for train tickets.”

I felt his anger and shame when admitting that. We had run away with nothing more than our mud-stained clothes and barely enough money to pay for the bus ride.

“I know,” I assured him. “I have a bag with some cash and clothes stashed in the train station.”

He nodded, and we made our way through the busy streets. His nervous vigilance of our surroundings echoed mine through our tangled fingers. I was an Empath, able to sense the moods and intentions of anyone around me; touch amplified that power. One of my several powers.

“Where were you planning to go?” I asked, hating the silence.

His mouth twitched. “I hadn’t planned that far ahead, to be honest. I just feel… restless.” He looked at me, attempting a faint smile. “But I’m sure you already knew that.”

My smile faltered too.

We walked hastily to the train station. The buzz of the many emotions surrounding me made me uneasy. I hated crowded places with a passion. The inside of the station was worse than the streets, and my stomach knotted. Nick let go of my hand, squeezing my shoulder reassuringly, allowing me to lead the way.

He stood beside me vigilantly while I fidgeted with the combination to open the locker. I felt sweet relief when I saw my bag there, as I had left it. Many months before I had considered running away, leaving my adoptive family behind—fearing to hurt them. But something had stopped me, and I had stayed in the small town of Lakeport with them.

“Ready,” I said once I had retrieved my belongings.

Nick nodded, leading us outside with his hand in mine. His uncertainty and despair echoed mine, rising and falling like waves in the ocean.

“I think it might be a good idea to rest,” he said. We stood on the sidewalk moving aside from the crowded entrance. “We need to clear our heads.”

“Just what I was thinking,” I admitted. “We can check into a hotel nearby and get a shower and some sleep.”

“How are you feeling? I should have asked before,” Nick whispered, taking my chin in his hand. He examined my right cheekbone, the one that had David had cracked a few hours before.

An involuntary shiver ran through me as I remembered how David had kicked me until several of my ribs broke. “Completely healed.”

Nick cocked a brow. “Dahlia.”

I sighed, he knew me too well for my sake. “A minor discomfort, nothing I can’t handle.”

He traced his thumb on my chin, and the world disappeared from sight. He had chosen me over his family, risked his life to save me. I had only one word for the feeling that bubbled between us, overpowering the raging fears and concern.

He leaned forward and pressed his warm lips on my forehead. “Let’s go.”

His warm breath tickled over my cool skin as I looked up at him. “Okay.”

***

The receptionist had given us a once over until I paid in cash. The hotel wasn’t exactly fancy, but it was good, and we looked like hell. The cream-colored room was simple, with two single beds, a bathroom, and a window instead of a balcony.

I dropped the bag on the bed near the door.

“Take the one further from the door,” Nick said. “Just in case.”

Just in case a bunch of crazy lycans tried to kill us.

“Okay,” I moved to the other bed and opened the bag, offering him one of my oversize hoodies.

He took it, looking at his green, mud-stained shirt. “Thanks.”

“You go first,” I suggested pointing to the bathroom. He agreed wordlessly and closed the bathroom door behind him.

I let myself fall back on the bed, closing my eyes as I expanded my senses, looking for impending danger. I regretted it when my empathy amplified more than usual, giving me more information than necessary. A depressed female presence, a couple having sex, guilty sex at that which led me to believe they were having an affair.

Satisfied with knowing there was no danger, and disturbed by the sharpening of my power, I willed myself to focus back on us.

My heart raced as I felt Nick’s anger and sorrow reach new levels.

NICK

The warm water did little to ease my tense muscles.

Every time I closed my eyes, flashes of memories I’d try to bury for months clouded my thoughts. Katie, the human girl I had loved broken and dead in my arms, David’s disdainful smile when I was mourning her at the funeral. His petty commentaries about how I needed to get over it. And worse than that, Sarah echoing the same, trying to force me to forget Katie, knowing her own son had killed her.

I restrained myself from hitting the tile wall, knowing I would end up making a hole in it. How could Sarah do that? A woman I had considered a mother. How could both she and Cal let David get away with murdering a 16-year-old girl? Why was David so hellbent on killing those I love?

If I hadn’t pulled him off Dahlia early that afternoon… Dahlia was strong, and a decent fighter, but not a match for a lycanthrope with years of training and brutal strength. Not even I was a match for David. We took him down together; I doubted we could’ve done so separately.

“We will have plenty of time to kill it,” Sarah had snarled, referring to Dahlia.

Never. I would rather die right than before allowing them to hurt her.

I did my best to wash the green shirt in the sink. Putting on my black jeans and Dahlia’s black hoodie before stepping out.

She was sitting on the bed waiting for me, her sapphire eyes wide with worry. With her usual fluid moves, she got up and walked to stand in front of me. I pulled her close, resting my chin on the top of her head. She sighed against my chest. The pain eased when I held her in my arms, my heartbeat synchronizing with hers. The only one I could trust, my only friend.

“I’m sorry,” she said. Her melodic voice breaking.

I took her chin, prodding her to her look at me. “This is not your fault, it’s theirs and no one else’s.”

Her elegant features contorted in sadness.

She nodded and moved to get some clothes out of her black bag before entering the bathroom. I ran my fingers through my hair, sitting on the bed by the door. What were we going to do? Where would we be safe? We couldn’t go too far, we needed to make sure Dahlia’s very human adoptive family remained safe.

My eyes landed on Dahlia’s bag, wondering what she had stored there.

“Go ahead, have a look,” came her voice from the shower.

I felt a smile tug on my lips. Her empathy made it difficult to hide anything. It was almost as good as if she could read my mind.

There were some clothes, a taser, and a pair of black tennis shoes in the biggest pocket. I opened the next zipper and my jaw dropped when I saw the amount of cash stored there.

“Did you rob a bank?” I half-joked.

“Not exactly,” she replied, the water was still running. “It’s only a minor part of what mom left for me.”

The grief was clear as day in her voice. Her mother had died a few years back in a car crash; Dahlia would have died too if it weren’t for her vampire side.

Her immortal heritage.

Eager to distract myself, I counted the money; she’d tied with elastic bands in thick rolls. Different denominations. A little over $50.000.

“What did your mother do for a living?” I mused, she heard me nevertheless. The shower was turned off now.

“She was an artist, drawing, painting, she also wrote her own music.”

I lifted my head as the door opened. Dahlia was drying her short dark hair with a towel, her eyes glazed and sad.

“She also gave music lessons, persuading even the less invested kids to learn to play the piano,” her full lips lifted in a sad smile. “She made time to volunteer in a dog shelter.”

She shook her head, closing the bathroom door to sit beside me. “Being honest, I don’t know where the money came from, family inheritance was the answer I got the few times I asked.”

I closed the bag, tossing it by the nightstand; wrapping my arm around her waist.

She leaned against my shoulder with a lengthy sigh. “I can’t help but wonder if Jenna and the kids are safe. What if your family doesn’t buy your threat?”

To keep Dahlia and her adoptive family safe, I’d threatened Cal, Sarah, and David with contacting the Jaeger—human lunatics who hunt down supernatural beings in the name of protecting humans from “demons”. A load of shit they made up centuries ago to feel better about being murderers.

I moved a lock of her hair behind her ear, the blonde roots were showing. “Cal and Sarah know I can find the hunters, there’s a sizeable group of them camouflaged as a religious congregation. One call to the hunters pretending I’m a scared human, and they’re screwed.”

“Have you ever ran into one of them?” Dahlia asked, searching for my eyes.

I swallowed, a shower of memories making way in my already troubled mind. “Yes. A group of those bastards tried to kill my real parents once. Others succeeded.”

Dahlia gasped, her eyes widening.

“We were living in this tiny village in the middle of the forest, a few human families who worked on woodcutting like father lived nearby.” Rage bubbled up, remembering. “They didn’t care if the humans fell to, they burned much of the forest and the homes trying to get us. Mom and dad stopped them and save the families. But it was awful.”

I felt Dahlia’s anger echo mine. “I’m so sorry. How old were you?”

I sighed. “3, it was one year before they died.”

Dahlia blinked, her brow furrowing. “I can remember with full clarity things that happened when I was 1-year-old, a supernatural trait I assume?”

I nodded, her eyes questioning, I knew what she didn’t want to ask aloud. “One year later the hunters killed them. In front of me. Sarah, Cal and the others saved me, but didn’t get there in time to save them.”

She caressed my cheek. There was no need for words. She tried and failed to stifle a yawn; I followed.

“Off to bed, you need to rest.”

“So do you,” she replied.

I shook my head. “I should stand guard.”

She pursed her lips. “I don’t think it’s necessary. If something is off, I’ll feel it even in my sleep.”

I was going to argue, but she cut me off. “You need to sleep too.”

She was right; I was more tired than usual and slightly sore. A sign that soon I would go through the change, becoming a complete lycanthrope. A thought I didn’t want to dwell on.

“Okay,” I relented.

We got up, she slid inside the covers. I tucked her in.

She blushed, biting her lip. “Nick? I don’t want to sleep alone.”

“Me neither,” I confessed. I turned the lights off, Dahlia’s eyes slightly shining in the darkness.

I got under the covers, her head resting on my shoulder, my arm around her waist.

“Goodnight,” I murmured, kissing the top of her head.

“Goodnight,” she whispered, placing her arm across my stomach.

______________________________________________________

©Selene Kallan, 2020

Haunted: Immortal Heritage 2 Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

LILY

I landed on my back, the wooden stake on my opponent’s hand.
Mom sighed. “Now I know you’re not really trying.”
I huffed and rolled, standing fast enough to be invisible to the human eye. Mom gave me my stake back and we circled each other.
“Of course I am really trying,” I lied.
Mom rolled her eyes, a gesture we shared. “Oh please, I’ve not been able to unarm you and knock you down since you turned 15, you are holding back.”
I smirked. “Maybe a little.”
Mom huffed. “Need I remind you this was your idea? I’d much rather be sleeping.”
I bit my lip to keep from laughing at her whiny tone. “Need I remind you it is your fault I have insomnia? You’re the one who wants me to go to school.”
I said the last word as if it were an insult.
“This is the senior year, it’s too late to quit,” mom said with a shrug.
I groaned. “As if there’s anything remotely interesting about the syllabus. You’ve taught me everything I could possibly want to know. Hell, Google is more educational.”
Mom sighed. “Lily.”
I had no idea why she bothered trying to keep me from cursing. I could do so much worse.
Mom feinted an attack and I played along, dodging her attempts and connecting some measured blocks and strikes, not to her face, though, and not with half my strength, not ever. She was right, of course, I was holding back but so was she; those training sessions were really just a way of burning energy and trying not to think, which was hard with a hyperactive brain.
But I’d do anything not to think about the nightmares, or memories more accurately. They’d become sporadic, thank Zeus, but no matter how much magic mom used on the dreamcatchers that hung from my ceiling, the nightmares remained.
Somehow we ended up tangled and falling on our asses at the same time. I laughed, breaking some of the tension, mom followed, stretching her arms above her head as the first rays of sunlight hit our backyard. We laid there, allowing the creamy yellow light to bathe us, my system immediately welcomed the warmth and energy. I was a bit like a solar panel, all Faeries were and mom’s blood granted me part of that power.
I much preferred not to think about the origin of the rest of the blood that ran through my veins. Even if that blood made me stronger, almost immortal.
“Mmm, I could lay here all day,” mom said, emerald eyes -same as mine- shining with relief. A ray of light gleamed against the quartz crystal around her neck, the one that was magicked to hide the unnatural beauty and pointy ears that peaked through her golden hair. The glamour had no effect on me whatsoever being a half-faerie, but it worked with humans. My ears were slightly pointed, but not enough to be suspicious.
“Me too,” I said.
Mom poked my ribs making me jump, I had always been prone to tickles.
“But you can’t, Miss. Off to shower or you’ll miss breakfast.”
I groaned but got up, stretching my hand to pull mom up. Fair, slightly golden skin against caramel.
She was barely taller than me at about 6-foot-1, a curtain of golden hair fell straight to her shoulder blades and waved a bit to her waist. Chiseled features with slightly bigger eyes than humans. She muttered a few words in fae language under her breath, bringing down the spell that covered the edges of our backyard, keeping the gossip neighbors unaware of our late-night early-morning antics.
A part of me would forever resent having to hide. Mom had gotten the hang of it much better than me. She switched from her lilting, British-like accent to no accent when we were in public with frightening ease. It is necessary, I reminded myself.
“Shower, breakfast, school,” said mom, hands on her hips.
“Sounds like the worst movie ever.”
“Lily.”
I lifted my hands. “Fine, fine.”
Not like I smelled or something. Nope. Being half-fae was fun like that, sweat didn’t stink, and I don’t have body hair, yay for never using razors. I showered with cold water, using mom’s lavender-scented all-purpose soap. It never failed to help me feel a bit better.
Smelling the bacon and eggs made me dress faster, jeans, tennis shoes and t-shirts comprised 99% of my wardrobe. They were comfy in case I needed to run or kick someone’s arse, which wasn’t precisely a rare occurrence.
I dashed downstairs not bothering to hide my supernatural speed. The yellow kitchen looked bright and clean, mom and I had restored the house over a year before when we first moved to Solville. Except for my room, the house was painted in different shades of yellow inside and outside, mom’s favorite color. It was warm and welcoming and I loved it because it made mom happy. All the windows were magicked to keep nosy human eyes at bay.
Mom served me a plate with double portions of pancakes, bacon, eggs, and even a granola bar. My stomach roared as if I’d not eaten in days, despite having stuffed my face with muffins a few hours before, when I’d awoken from the latest nightmare.
Stop thinking about it.
“Sometimes I think you don’t need to breathe,” mom teased while she sipped her tea and stabbed a piece of watermelon with her fork.
I gave her a food smile and she wrinkled her nose. “Gross, Lily.”
Our relationship had always been like that, light and, and friendly, never suffocating or full of rules and formalities. Which made it a little easier to maintain the cover we’d devised years before.
“So, how are you feeling?” Mom asked.
I gulped. “What do you mean?”
I knew what she meant, of course, but wasn’t willing to admit it.
Mom sighed, getting up to pull my curly hair up in a ponytail. “You’re almost eighteen, it’s time for…”
She left the word hang, it was a good thing I’d finished eating, my appetite disappeared.
“I am fine, mom.”
“No signs of any change?” she prodded.
“Nope, no shiny wings or a giant flower sprouting from my back.”
Mom puffed. “What?”
I shrugged. “The middle back to be accurate, something Brenda read on a book about Fairies.”
I looked over my shoulder to see mom fight a smile. “Well, that doesn’t sound comfortable.”
“Neither does expelling a small person through one’s aha, but for some reason, it is the most common way of birthing a child.”
Mom snorted. “Well, when you put it that way,” she shook her head. “You’re straying from the point.”
I bit my lip, she was too perceptive for my own good. “What was the point again? You know I have issues focusing.”
Mom rolled her eyes. “That I do. Off to school, you’re going to be late.”
“I am never late,” I smiled.
Mom smiled. “Right, everyone else is too early.”
“Damn straight.”
Mom accompanied me to get my bike. She waved me goodbye and I winked as I sped away.
The streets of the small town were still quiet, except for the students and workers. Solville was a quiet, wholesome town with ten thousand or so inhabitants. Normal, and boring to death, which made it the perfect place for a couple of runaway supernaturals to hide. Since it was located in Arizona, it made it less likely to run into vampires, and lycans preferred towns near the forest where they could find abundant prey.
I said hello to some of our neighbors, others pretended they didn’t see me and I was more than fine with that. Fake smiles and formalities were not something I had ever been able to master.
All the composure I’d feigned in front of mom began to crumble. The memories assaulting me as painful as ever; so much blood I could smell it, so much fear I started to look over my shoulder, looking for amber eyes and a towering lycan that was strong enough to break us both mom and me.
I went around the school, deciding not to go to class and sit on the bleachers, there would be no-one around for a while and that suited me.
Things had changed. I was no longer a weak child. Mom and I had both learned how to use our skills and we were far away from his radar.
Safe.
I placed my head between my knees and repeated that word to myself over and over.
Maybe one day I would believe it.

MATT

The first hour had been torture, so I had no reason to expect the following was going to be any better. Most of the seats of the English class were taken, save for a couple near the back to my great relief.
I’d begun to think my guardian was insane, not that I hadn’t suspected it before but still. High School might be a normal environment, but I wasn’t normal. Normal people don’t get headaches from the sound of chatter or clench their teeth until they hurt trying to keep their voices steady when asked to introduce themselves.
I examined my surroundings, old habits die hard. In front of me sat a blonde girl with glasses, she had a novel in her hands that judging by the cover wasn’t part of the class. The other rows were full of chatter that made my ears hum. Small groups of friends sharing summer stories, talking about the upcoming football games. The loudest group was the one lead by a girl with long dark hair in a cheerleader uniform. The quieter blonde turned and I lowered my sight, feeling her eyes on me before she turned her attention to the guy sitting by me the next row over.
“You don’t think something bad happened to her, do you?” she asked him.
The guy rolled his eyes. “Come on, Bren, Lily can take care of herself, she’s probably having a third breakfast.”
“I heard that,” said a melodic voice. I lifted my eyes before I could think to stop, so far I’d been avoiding looking directly at anyone. A sweet, floral scent invaded my nose as the tall girl passed me by and plopped down next to the blonde girl. She turned and met my gaze, I forgot how to breathe for a moment; emerald eyes framed by long lashes locked with mine. I blinked not quite convinced I was seeing right. My throat dried and I moved my gaze to the front, watching her surreptitiously with the corner of my eye.
“Lily Scott. You’re late, and on the first day of school,” said the guy beside me, tutting. He leaned forward to play with the mane of golden-brown curls that hung from Lily’s ponytail.
Lily wrinkled her nose. “Meh, I have the feeling I’ve missed nothing exciting.”
“Well, unless you count you-know-who being more annoying than usual,” said the blonde.
Lily snorted. “Oh, come on, Bren. She’s a pillock, not Lord Voldemort.”
Bren tried to hide her laugh behind her hand. I felt the corners of my mouth turn up to my surprise, finding myself grateful for my guardian’s crash-course on pop culture more than ever before.
“Remind me again why your sister hasn’t washed your mouth with soap?” Asked the guy.
Lily laughed, the sound eased some of the tension in my back. “Because I bite.” She flashed a grin, her teeth pearl white, canines slightly sharp.
Bren snorted.
“We’re being rude,” said Lily. “We’ve not introduced ourselves.”
I lifted my eyes and met Lily’s again, a mischievous smile played on her full watermelon lips. It was useless attempting to not notice how incredibly gorgeous she was; the chiseled features softened by that smile, the long curls that looked silken to the touch, the slightly large eyes that examined me with open curiosity but no rejection. Her ears were slightly pointed, it suited her, she looked like a fairy.
“Alright, silence,” said an angry male voice, the teacher.
The class groaned and turned their attention to the short man with a big belly and shiny head.
To my own surprise, I mourned the interruption.
“We have a new student this year,” he said while he wrote Mr. Roberts on the board with a red marker.
Oh god, not again.
“Stand and introduce yourself,” the teacher said, eyes on me.
My pulse roared in my ears as I stood.
Why is introducing myself to a bunch of kids more terrifying than fighting vampires?
“Your name?” Mr. Roberts demanded.
“Matthew, sir.”
I was grateful my voice didn’t betray the nervousness.
“Welcome to Solville High,” he said.
“Thank you,” I mumbled sitting down, feeling dizzy with relief.
“Why can’t we get the good looking ones?” complained the cheerleader, not so quietly.
Laughter erupted around her circle.
She laughed at her own joke, sending me a look one gives to dog crap on the pavement.
“Miss Miller,” warned the teacher without looking from the textbook on his desk.
An eraser flew towards the cheerleader from Lily’s direction, making an audible impact.
“Ow,” she complained, clasping the back of her neck. Her brown eyes darted to glare at Lily who looked like the picture of nonchalance except for those eyes that brimmed with mischief.
“Freak,” the cheerleader growled.
“Cliché,” Lily said.
“That’s enough from both of you,” Mr. Roberts scolded. “Miss Scott, would you like to tell me why Romeo and Juliet is such a memorable play?”
“Because they both die tragically?” Lily retorted, blinking innocently. “Oops, spoiler alert.”
Brenda, Blake, and others laughed a little, the teacher just frowned and turned muttering to himself as he began with the class. Lily smiled at me. I tried to return the gesture but ended up nodding uncomfortably.
When the class finally ended, Lily murmured a song between her teeth. “At last…”
The guy behind her and Bren laughed.
“And then again tomorrow, and the day after that, and the week after, and the month after that,” said the blonde, pushing her glasses up her nose.
“Oh Bren, come on don’t torture me,” Lily complained, turning to me. “Hi, I’m Lily, these are Brenda and Blake,” she said with a big smile.
“Hi,” I said to them.
“Welcome to hell,” said Blake, running a hand through his light brown hair. He towered over me and Lily.
“Bah, that’s an exaggeration, it’s more like purgatory,” said Lily, grinning.
“You guys are gonna scare him off,” muttered Brenda.
We all came out to the lockers, they were recently painted bright red and I had to fight off the thought it looked like blood. Lily neared me after getting her books, she was my height which placed her at around 6-foot tall.
“So here’s the deal,” she said with serious eyes and a mischievous smile. “You are more than welcome to have lunch and hang out with us at your own cost.”
“At my own cost?” I asked intrigued.
Her smile turned into a grin. “Yep, if you have popular pretensions you should stay away from us. If you don’t then you’ll fit in just fine.”
“No popular pretensions,” I answered with a small smile. Something about her made the tension ebb.
Her friends had already gone, she winked and walked away. I doubted for a moment, it would’ve been ridiculously easy to run away from there, the exits were not very surveyed. Being in a place crowded with human children was a bad idea, I looked like one of them but wasn’t. I took a step but halted, my guardian’s firm expression flashing in my mind, her voice echoing in my head.
“You need to have at least a semblance of a normal life, what can be more normal than going to a boring High School in a small town?”
She would be disappointed if I ran away, I would be disappointed. And I owed her too much to disobey her, I knew she had my best interests at heart even if I didn’t deserve it.
I barely endured the next few hours. The classmates were loud, the teachers seemed angry for no good reason and I had a lot more to learn that I had thought. A part of me wished that I could share all classes with the only three people I already knew, especially Lily.
The ring that announced lunchtime couldn’t have been more opportune. I looked for Lily, she waved at me and I walked to their table. I sat down next to her, she smiled at me again helping me to breathe easier. It was gonna take me a while to get used to being among so many people.
“So, here you are,” said Brenda. Barely lifting her eyes from the book she had next to her lunch.
“You are a brave man,” muttered Blake, perceptive sky-blue eyes examining me.
“How so?” I asked looking around at the crowded dining room. I hoped the anxiety I was feeling didn’t show on my face.
“Well, this may come as a huge surprise but we are sort of the rejects,” said Lily, with her mouth half full, she had taken a huge bite of her beef sandwich.
They were the only ones at the end of the table, the other students seem to ignore them. I liked that it was less crowded, I had no intention of drawing any sort of attention to myself.
“You’ve joined us rejects ‘cause you want to,” said Brenda to Lily.
“Yep, you could’ve easily become a popular cheerleader,” Blake agreed.
Lily laughed. “Sure, but how on earth would the rest of the team keep up with me?”
Brenda made an agreeing gesture.
Blake snorted. “Good point.”
My eyes fell on Lily, on the lean muscles on her arms and long, elegant fingers, the stylish figure. A rush of apprehension rose, making my neck itch with shame. When I looked up, she had a half-smile on her lips. It was hard not to stare at her lovely face in mute fascination.
“So, tell us your story. You are not from around here,” said Lily in a rush, I was certain she’d noticed my awkwardness.
And that was the complicated part, I had to be extremely careful not to say anything that could make them suspicious.
“I don’t know where to start,” I said, pretending to be busy with my food.
“You know, the basics, where did you live before, who do you live with,” said Blake kindly.
“Any weird fetishes, the names of those you’ve killed,” said Lily with a grin. I swallowed and almost choked.
Lily patted my back a bit harder than necessary. “Alright, calm down, a man’s secrets are his own, your last name will do.” I felt the warmth of her skin through my clothes, her touch, despite fleeting, eased a bit of the tension.
“Carter,” I said, after a minute. “I live with my grandparents.”
The lie came out a bit easier than before.
“Nice to meet you,” said Lily with a smile.
A few yells made me jump in my chair, the three of them looked at a few tables on the back. Huge football players were occupying a table, whistling and laughing too loud. When I followed their eyes I found a chubby kid running away to the exit.
“What a bunch of Neanderthals,” Blake whispered, anger mixing with fear in his eyes. Brenda took his hand and nodded.
Lily huffed, eyes narrowing. “The Solville Coyotes, more like the Solville bullies.”
She was holding her fork with a lot of strength and I had the impression she wanted to stab them with it. Her emerald gaze locked with one of the largest guys in the group, he gave her a taunting look and she curled her lip exposing those curiously sharp canines.
“Try not to get in any problems with those assholes,” Lily said, turning back to me.
“They do what they want and don’t get grounded for it,” said Brenda, paling.
“Sure,” I muttered, pushing back the tide of anger. Abusive bastards sickened me.
We all continued eating. Lily unwrapped another sandwich taking a big bite, I could hear her stomach roar even after having finished half of her food. Blake and Brenda were having a private conversation. I ate slowly, looking around; the cheerleaders and football players had their own tables, the rest of the students looked pretty normal, no stoners or nerds that I could distinguish, at least there were a few movies cliches missing.
The same cheerleader from the English class made her way to our table and sat between me and Lily, forcing me to move away.
“You know if you keep eating like that you’re gonna end up like that grease ball,” she said to Lily as she pointed at Brenda, who blushed and lowered her head.
Lily cocked a brow. “Don’t you have something more entertaining to do? You know, like finally learning how to read.”
Brenda smiled a little. Blake pressed his lips to avoid laughing. The cheerleader snorted flipping hair off her shoulder, I had to move further not to get it on my face.
“Hey, you, I need the English paper,” she said to Brenda, ignoring Lily.
“No,” murmured Brenda looking at Lily, who gave a small approving nod.
“Excuse me?” the cheerleader growled.
“No means no, Amanda,” said Lily with a smirk.
Amanda frowned and got up. “You are going to regret this,” said Amanda pointing at Brenda, then turned to Lily. “And you, nosy b-”
Lily got up too and give an ice-cold look to Amanda who was almost a foot lower in height. I had the feeling Lily could throw her across the room if she wished.
“Get. Lost. Bimbo” growled Lily with a wry smile. Several others stopped eating and started whistling.
Amanda walked away almost tripping, legs unstable. Lily sat down then looked at me with a serious expression.
“Last chance to run away, Matthew,” she said.
My only option at this point was being completely alone since I had no idea how to get close to anyone. And running away, that sounded like something I didn’t want to do, I had done enough of that.
“I’m not running away.”
Lily smiled.

****
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Immortal Heritage 1: Starlight. Chapter 1

Here's a little taste of my debut novel Starlight. A blend between YA Fantasy, Paranormal Fantasy, Urban Fantasy with a touch of star-crossed romance.  If you enjoy it, please share :)

Chapter 1

NICK

“If you don’t get out of the car, I’ll drag you out,” David promised.

I sighed, knowing my lunatic brother well enough to know he would fulfill the threat.  He never went back on his word when he intended to push someone’s buttons; especially if that someone was me.  Controlling the urge to run away I got out of the car, barely restraining myself from slamming the door.

The small-town atmosphere was everywhere, from the few cars in the parking lot to the size of the faded red brick building that was high school.  I could not expect anything more from one of the smallest cities in Washington State – Lakeport.  I would definitely have preferred to move to a larger city; it’s always easier to appear normal if there are enough people to mingle with.  Lack of novelty instigates gossip; gossip leads to suspicion and suspicion – never ends well.

Most of the students in the parking lot looked at us curiously, which was to be expected since we were the newcomers and the school year had already started.  Most of the girls had their eyes on David; some with admiration written on their faces, a few others nervousness and confusion.

It would suit them well to listen to whatever their human instincts were screaming; probably danger, danger!

He smiled at all of them flirtatiously, enjoying their admiration; he gave the angry boyfriends a threatening and partly mocking smile.  I deeply pitied the poor kid who thought he could face the 6'5", 200 pound beast that was my brother.

“Look at that; so much to choose from and so little time,” he complained.  “The move would have been good for me a year ago.”

I ignored him; he chuckled.  I relaxed when we arrived at the office to pick up the class schedule; there were blue walls, a clutter of papers and a worn carpet that used to be yellow.  A red-haired girl in a cheerleader’s uniform smiled at me, forgetting the papers she had been examining.  I gave her what I though was merely a kind gesture.  I regretted it instantly when she winked at me and approached us, ignoring the secretary who greeted us warmly.

“Hello, I’m Anna, and you are—?” she gushed, smiling widely as she reached for my hand.  Before I could shake it, David pulled me out of the way and grabbed her hand harder than he should have.

“David, gorgeous, but you can call me whatever you want,” he responded, examining Anna from head to toe; the hunger in his eyes was the same as if he were looking at a steak.

I shook my head and turned towards the secretary.  The middle-aged woman rolled her eyes, gave me the schedules and disappeared into a small office behind the reception counter.

“Yes, but I didn’t ask you,” Anna replied to him in annoyance, pulling herself away from the sudden squeeze and turning to me.  Her hand would probably hurt for the rest of the day.

Only a couple of years ago I would have been delighted with a girl preferring me; now not so much, not at all.  Still, I decided to be pleasant.

“Nick,” I answered.

She took me by the arm and pulled me out of the office.  David scowled at me as I turned to give him the schedule.  He’d probably find a way to take revenge on me later.

“What’s your first class?” she asked hopefully, clearly hoping it was the same as hers.  I made an effort not to shake her hand off.

“Calculus.”

I almost sighed with relief at her expression of disappointment.

“Language,” she volunteered, pouting, but then she smiled again.  “I’m sure I’ll see you at lunch.”

So, I guess I’m not hungry today.  “Sure,” I muttered without trying to hide the boredom.  She seemed happy with my answer.  I slipped out of her grip as gently as I could and walked to my class reluctantly.

On previous occasions, I’d been in the same situation.  Flirting with girls wasn’t really my thing but sometimes they approached me.  I preferred it that way; it spared me the unnecessary problem of being attracted to someone David wanted.  He was very territorial and it would surely end up in a fight.  Most times it wasn’t a problem; our tastes were as different as ourselves.  His type of girlfriend; spoiled, selfish and hungry for attention, was just the type of girl I avoided.

I handed the paper to the calculus teacher.  He barely looked at it and didn’t make me go through the stupid introduction, for which I was grateful.  I sat at the back of the class, trying not to think about her, but I couldn’t; I could see her by my side even though she had never been there.  I miss you, I wish you were here.

I shook my head firmly, blocking the images I treasured more than anything but which caused me pain.  I had to keep those thoughts away for at least eight more hours.  Then I could lock myself in my room and stop pretending I was okay and just an ordinary guy.

Calculus and Language passed without incident; simple subjects I barely needed to pay attention to.  I may not be a genius but most of the assignments were easy; especially the ones with numbers; a small advantage to which I hadn’t given importance until that moment.  I didn’t meet David or the very kind redhead in any of my classes, to my great relief.  It wasn’t an effort to ignore the shy smiles from some of the girls; I was as interested in them as I was in the weather.

I sat down the back in history class.  I hated history it already happened so what’s so interesting about it?  The redhead sat in one of the front rows; she waved to me.  I nodded slightly at her, grateful the seats either side of me were taken.  To my left was a plump, dark-skinned boy and to my right sat someone I assumed was a girl because of the size and delicacy of her hands.  Her face was hidden in a hoodie; she was drawing flourishes on her notebook.

I wanted to close my eyes and sleep for a while.  I hadn’t slept the night before and the tiredness began to weigh on me.  The nightmares only disappeared a couple of times a week when exhaustion didn’t allow me to dream.  Maybe I should steal a couple of sleeping pills from mom or give myself a blow on the head.  An angry voice brought me out of my reverie.

“Miss Clark, take off that hood and answer my question,” the professor grunted; a fifty year old bald guy with a bossy attitude combined with primitive and depressing rhetoric.

The girl next to me straightened and reluctantly removed her hood.  Her short black hair fell over her eyes; a silver ring pierced her left nostril.

“Which was?” she answered in a sullen voice, almost grunting, fixing her hate-filled gaze on the professor.  Her sapphire blue eyes framed by long lashes seemed to cast flames, the dark makeup giving her a curiously threatening appearance despite her size.

“The duration of the court of the Holy Roman Inquisition,” he demanded, annoyed.  The girl snorted.

“What the hell is so holy about the massacre of innocent women and philosophers?” she demanded through clenched teeth, her pale cheeks coloring a little.

“You did not answer my question,” he cried, reddening with anger.

“You haven’t answered mine,” she growled.

“I think you already know what your participation grade will be this semester.”

“Oh, the horror!” she exclaimed with a twisted smile.

Several of the students glared at her with contempt; others, like me, chuckled.

“Freak,” murmured Anna with disdain.  Several others murmured insults.

“I bet she’s a witch,” murmured a girl with glasses.

“Bah, she’s just crazy,” her friend replied.

I turned towards the girl, who hadn’t yet hidden her face under the hood.  The black eyeliner, piercing and short black nails seemed to indicate she was gothic but the black and androgynous clothing seemed to say, “don’t look at me.”  Despite my usual apathy, I could not help wondering what lay behind that appearance.  There was pain and sadness as well as fury in her expression.  Her icy, intimidating gaze met mine.

DAHLIA

I gave Professor Adrian a wry smile while assessing him negatively; there was something about that man that bothered me.  Perhaps it was due to his disingenuous and prudish characteristics.  I still remembered the tantrum he threw over my appearance.

“A creature of God doesn’t do that to herself!” he had argued upon seeing my piercings.  I’m sure that if he could’ve, he would’ve dragged me to an exorcist or a lobotomist.  How I wished that would cure all my ills.

The usual idiots murmured a few insults they thought I couldn’t hear.  I restrained the urge to scream and run; the longing to administer a beating to everyone was stronger.  I was about to hide in my hood when I felt someone staring at me; that was rather a novelty.  I turned to see a hazel-eyed boy staring at me; dark brown hair, high cheekbones, and straight nose.  I hadn’t noticed him previously; he must have been new in school; that had to be why he was drilling me with his eyes, he wasn’t used to the town freak.  I scowled at him, covering myself when he didn’t look away.  But, what was wrong with him?

Had no one ever taught him that staring was rude?

I was relieved when the feeling of discomfort subsided; surely he had found something or someone more interesting to see.  Anna stared at him with a mixture of craving and anger.

Welcome to hell, I thought.  The empty redhead was like a dog with a bone when it came to boyfriends, which is why they didn’t last her long.  Of course, she had jumped on the new guy without thinking; immediately after the second most wanted idiot had dumped her.

Could she be more pathetic?  I gritted my teeth when the answer came.  Of course, she could.  She could be like me.

I ended the thought right there; the last thing I needed was a panic attack at that moment.  A surge of pain ran through my body.  I hugged myself tightly, suppressing a moan; I knew it was just the beginning of the pain.  I clenched my teeth and fists hard enough to hurt myself, trying to contain it in some way; despite knowing it was impossible.  To my great relief the lunch bell rang.  I stood and left the room as fast as I could, avoiding contact with anyone who crossed my path.

***

I stopped when I finally reached the edge of the forest, pressing my back against the first tree I found, trying hard to breathe deeply.  Thankfully I’d not eaten much that morning; otherwise, there was a good chance I’d be retching; the air I breathed was too dense and my lungs closed.  I knew that feeling could only get worse as the hours passed.  I choked out a scream as the pain pierced me again like an electric shock.  My body went limp when the attack subsided, my legs barely handling my meager weight.

The only good thing about that damn school was its proximity to the woods; the humidity, the smell of the damp soil and the trees were some of the few things that could calm me down a little.  Cold tears ran down my cheeks.  No matter how much I tried to control myself I always cried when the pain became too intense; it was completely humiliating.

“Just one more year,” I mumbled in a choked voice.

In a year, I could get away from everything that bothered me; everything except myself.  I took a few steps towards a large tree that hid me from the sight of anyone who might pass by and sat on the ground, hugging my legs.  By then my whole body was shaking; I felt nauseous and thirsty simultaneously; it was unbearable.

Why?  Why? Why?  I have done something very bad in a past life to deserve my destiny; there seemed to be no other explanation.  If I were religious I would think it were a curse, if I were clever enough I would try to find a cure.  If I had enough courage I would jump off a cliff or put a bullet in my head, if that could work.  I doubted it.

A dull ache ran through my body again.  I moaned, hugging myself harder, hoping the night would come faster.  After almost three years I should have become used to it but I hadn’t.  The pain and the need flared within me as intensely as the first time; even worse now I knew exactly what I needed to quench it.

“Are you okay?” inquired a worried male voice.

I stood immediately, ignoring the discomfort and pain; it was the boy from History class.  I looked up at him and scowled, clenching my jaw.  He was almost a foot taller than my 5'4".

“Do you feel okay?  Do you need a doctor?”  His interest seemed genuine; there was neither mockery nor scorn in his voice.

“What are you doing here?” I demanded, using what I expected to be a menacing growl; instead, my voice sounded shaken and weak.  Quickly I wiped my wet cheeks and cleared my throat in silence, embarrassed.

“I wanted to be alone,” he answered with discomfort, his hazel eyes staring directly into mine.  “And I also wanted to give you this.”

He handed me my notebook and pen.  I grabbed them, avoiding touching him more abruptly than I intended.  I looked at him with a little less anger than before.

“Thank you,” I grunted.  His lips lifted in a half smile.

The feeling of need and pain hit me hard again.  I gasped; he was the cause now.

My body reacted immediately, straining to take what I needed so badly by force.  That wouldn’t be necessary, I could handle it without even causing him pain.  He was so close and I was so hungry.  No, no and no, I reprimanded myself.

How low was I willing to fall?  Not that low.

“You’re very pale, you should see a doctor,” he advised, reaching for me.

I glared at him with mixed desires; one part of me wanted to take his hand and end the pain while the other shouted to the first that she would kick her ass if she did.

With effort, I drowned a moan.  I was going crazy; I must’ve looked like an insane person.  I couldn’t completely control the trembling of my body; the pain became more intense every second, my pulse rumbling in my ears.  But, what was wrong with him?  The others fled and feared me even though they didn’t know the real reason.

“No, I need you to get out of here,” I hissed, taking a step backwards, trying to protect both of us; me from regret, him from me.  “This is my hiding place and I will not share it.”

He frowned at my furious expression; perhaps I should go before I went completely mad and tackled him.  He looked at me for a moment longer, nodded, turned his back and left me alone.  I waited until he disappeared before sitting on the ground again, relieved to recover some of my most precious sanity.

The night was far away; I wouldn’t be able to endure the whole day.  Delaying the feeding was a bad idea; the signs of weakness had appeared several days ago.  I rose from the ground and leaned against a tree; I decided to walk to the bus stop at once.  It meant I would arrive a little early in the city, putting me at risk of being discovered but I couldn’t take it anymore.  As much as I hated to admit it, I couldn’t fight the consuming hunger any longer.  I walked slowly and stumbled, barely seeing where I was going, my eyes full of tears.  I had lost the battle one more time.

****

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