Moonlight Denial: Shades of Moonlight Book One

“All right, I’m leaving!” Nicoli yelled into the house as he clipped the leash on Beethoven’s collar and grabbed his umbrella. He rushed out of the house before anyone had time to answer. His mother’s voice just began to carry towards him, but he blocked it out by shutting the front door. He leaned against it for a moment to take in a deep, collective breath.

“God, I hate this,” Nicoli hissed through clenched teeth.

His mother’s insistent worrying was really starting to get to him. All last night and all morning she had been his constant shadow, asking him if he felt all right, if there was anything she could do for him and so on and all because of some stupid eye pain!

He had known the smothering was coming, but he just couldn’t take it. He was suffocating. He loved his mother dearly, but she could be too overprotective of him and would become an oppressive cloud that enveloped him and wouldn’t let go. That was why he was so relieved that he had an excuse to get out of the house. He could kiss Ethan for that alone, but of course he wouldn’t.

“Come on, Boy, it’s time for you to meet Ethan’s friends,” Nicoli cooed to his patient pooch and the two headed out from the front stoop. It had begun to rain early that morning. It was not a hard rain. The drops drizzled from the sky, but it was a constant sprinkle that could steadily soak into clothes and drench the skin. It was the first time it had rained since he had moved to the little town.

It was nice though. He liked it when it rained. It made the air wet and muggy and he could taste it as he breathed and the heavy musk of the drenched earth tickled his nose. The sound was what he loved most. The steady drumming was very soothing and when it rained at night back in San Francisco it never failed to put him to sleep.

Beethoven seemed to enjoy the rain just as much as his owner. He bounded ahead as far as the leash allowed and he jumped into any puddle he could find and nipped and lapped at the water until he found another puddle to pounce on. When the dog was good and wet he stopped just long enough to shake out his whole body and send water droplets flying.

“Whoa! Hey! Cut that out!” Nicoli said as the water splattered him, but he was laughing all the same. The laughter only encouraged the dog to jump up at him and lick his face.

“You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?” Nicoli asked as he scratched at the dog’s wet fur. He hadn’t really spent time with his favorite canine, let alone taken him out for walks, so he was sure Beethoven was enthusiastic about the outing. He wasn’t sure if it was going to be okay to bring Beethoven to the vampires’ new house, but it was the only option he had.

Laura had voiced strongly that she didn’t want him going out, even after he said that he just wanted to take Beethoven for a walk. “It’s raining, you’ll catch a cold.” “Don’t you think you should wait till the weather clears up?” “You and Beethoven will be miserable out there. There’s always another day.” If anything the excuses just made him want to get away more. He was relieved when his father stepped in and said that he could go. “He’s a young man, the elements will do him good. You’re always saying he needs to get out more.” Laura had argued, of course, but finally relented after a barrage of pleads and urging.

“I don’t get Mom sometimes, Beethoven,” Nicoli said with a sigh as he continued to walk with the dog trotting beside him. “It’s just a little eye pain. There’s really nothing to freak out over. I really hope she gets a job soon. Maybe then she’ll focus her attention on something else besides me.”

As Nicoli walked through downtown he started thinking on the new house Ethan and the others were staying in. From the address he got he knew it was on the outskirts of town, the complete opposite side from where he lived. He wondered what kind of house it was. It would have to be something big and expensive, or that was how he felt after seeing Conrad’s reaction to Ethan’s hotel room. The guy was a first rate snob. Only the finest would do.

Nicoli had to snort at the image of a super prissy Conrad that appeared in his head; overly dressed in gawky, flashy clothes, super styled hair, complete with monocle and cane. He quickly stifled his laugh and banished the picture from his head. He couldn’t have thoughts like that in case they accidentally leaked over to Ethan.

His amusement died away and dread filled his stomach when he neared the Whixton cemetery. Goosebumps erupted all over his skin and he had to force his breath to come and go evenly. God, he really did hate cemeteries. They sickened him to no end and even walking by one was too much for him.

“Come on, Beethoven,” he muttered and went into a jog. As he ran he stared at the graveyard out of the corner of his eye. The dark, stone gravestones looked so forlorn in their designated plots. The grass was starting to grow a bit wild in some places and he could just make out a mausoleum in the distance. Then the whole place was contained in an iron fence with menacing bars jabbing up into the sky. Nope, it was definitely not a place he’d like to stick around.

The powers that be seemed to have other plans, though, as his arm was abruptly jerked back and he was forced to stop.

“What the hell?” he said as he turned back. His brows furrowed when he saw what halted his progress. “Beethoven, what the hell are you doing?” he asked as his dog faced the cemetery. He began to whine and, to Nicoli’s bewilderment, crouched down and began to wag his tail in the air as he yipped. It was a pose Nicoli knew well. It meant Beethoven was trying to play with something.

“Beethoven, come on, there’s nothing in there for you. Let’s go,” he commanded as he tugged on the leash. He didn’t want to stay here. He wanted to get far, far away.

“It’s nice to know that I’m nothing.”

Nicoli jumped at the unexpected voice and he frantically looked around, but he couldn’t see anyone or anything near him. He recognized the voice, though, and it was the last person he had anticipated running into.

“Felix?” he called out.

“Sherlock strikes again.”

Right in front of Nicoli a figure appeared, but it wasn’t the fully visible, transparent boy he was used to seeing. Instead it was nothing but an outline of a person, but Nicoli recognized him all the same.

“Felix, what the heck are you doing here?” Nicoli asked. He then quickly looked around to make sure no one was watching him. It wouldn’t do for someone to see him and think he was talking to himself. He didn’t need to worry though. The rain was falling harder now and no one was out and about but him.

“What? I can’t go out on my own now? I need to be supervised by my undead counterparts?” Felix asked as the outline of the ghost leaned against the fence of the cemetery.

“I didn’t mean it like that and you know it,” Nicoli said in irritation. Why did Felix have to make everything difficult? “I meant what are you doing here? In this place?”

“Duh, I’m kinda dead, remember?” Felix said. “Graveyards are where I feel most at home. Plus, I’ve made some pretty good friends here. Some very interesting people have died in little old Whixton and still haunt the place,” the ghost answered while jabbing his thumb in the direction behind him.

Nicoli’s eyes swept over the cemetery, trying to see the “friends” Felix spoke of, but he couldn’t see anything. He supposed they were milling about, invisible to the naked eye. It wouldn’t do to show themselves during the day, which was probably why Felix had taken his current form. The longer Nicoli stared at the cemetery the more the chills crept back up his spine so he tried to focus his attention on the spirit.

“You’re here often then?” he asked, wanting to say anything in order to distract himself.

“More or less. I come when I’m not busy, or when Ethan wants to be alone, or just when I feel like being with my own kind,” Felix told him. “No one understands a ghost like another ghost, am I right?”

“I…suppose you would be.” Nicoli never thought on it much, but even though Felix was a human spirit he really didn’t fit into human society. In that way he supposed ghosts really were their own species.

“So, I’m assuming you’re heading over to the house,” Felix said. It was more of a statement than a question.

“It’d be the only reason I’m out in this weather,” Nicoli answered as he tilted his umbrella back enough to look up at the sky. He loved rain, but that didn’t mean he liked being out in it. “Have things settled since last I saw the others?” he asked.

“Well, they’re making themselves at home, but I’m sure that’s not what you meant either,” Felix answered as his hardly visible hand stroked the top of an antsy Beethoven’s head. “Cora has no qualms with humans and she trusts in Ethan’s decisions, so she doesn’t have a problem with you. Andre, well, he likes anything interesting that gets thrown into the mix, so, to him, you’re just what the doctor ordered. And Faith loves Ethan, no matter what he does, and she probably already has you all figured out, so as long as you pose no threat to her or anyone she cares about, you two will get along just fine.”

“That’s good to hear,” Nicoli said. That was the majority of the clan, and if they favored him he could feel just a bit more secure about being around them. “What about the big, silent, kinda scary dude?”

“You mean Gavin? I won’t lie, out of everyone he’s the one to be afraid of. Like I told you before, he is undoubtedly the strongest in every possible way and can kill you ten, maybe twenty times in a split second and a few more times before you even hit the ground.” A chuckle issued from Felix’s outline when Nicoli gulped. “He’s also a really hard man to read, but as far as I can tell, you’re in the clear with him so far. If you stay on his good side, you’ll be fine on a personal level, but keep in mind that he follows Conrad with every fiber of his being. One word from the head honcho, no matter what he actually feels towards you, he won’t hesitate to snap you like a twig.”

“Gee, you know just how to make me feel better,” Nicoli muttered. What scared him more was that he knew Felix was right. Just being around the man let him know that the dark skinned vampire was a mighty force to be reckoned with. What was worse was that not only did he have to try to be on friendly terms with Gavin, but if he couldn’t establish an ounce of trust between him and Conrad, none of it mattered.

“What about Conrad?” Nicoli then asked, thinking about the rough around the edges clan leader. “Do I even have a chance with him?”

“I think “chance” is too strong of a word,” Felix said, to the dismay of the human. “But I wouldn’t worry about it. Till this day Conrad hasn’t really cared for me, alive or dead. The most you can hope for is that he tolerates you. You accomplish that and you’re good to go.”

“What is it with him?” Nicoli asked. “Does he just not like humans or people in general?”

“I’d say it’s a little from column A and a little from column B. He’s never really cared for humans all that much. As I’m sure you’ve noticed he has a bit of a superiority complex.”

“A bit?”

“Exactly. He just feels humans are below vampires, which is quite true in many cases, and as a human he sees you as a big threat to his family. He doesn’t like anything that could cause possible harm to the ones that he loves.”

“Well, no one does,” Nicoli muttered as he looked off into the distance. His gaze lingered on the buildings lining the street as he thought over Felix’s words. “So, since I’m human he sees me as the weakest link and being a weak link could put his family in danger, right?”

“That’s it in a nutshell,” Felix agreed with a nod.

“Shit, just my fucking luck,” Nicoli said. If Conrad really did have prejudices against humans, which wasn’t at all hard to believe, then his job just got a whole lot harder. “Okay, so you know them better than I do. What kind of advice can you give me to deal with Conrad? You know, so I don’t screw up horribly and he rips my throat out or something.” His fears were not soothed when the outline of Felix simply shrugged.

“Just the basics, really. Only speak to him when spoken to. Don’t talk back to him, which I know will be hard for you and, for the love of God, don’t ever get in his way. When you see him coming just give him plenty of room. Because, believe me, if you don’t your face will be getting acquainted with a wall really quickly. And I mean that in the most literal of senses.”

Nicoli grimaced at that one. He made sure to take special note of that rule.

“Anything else?” he asked.

“Just give him as much respect as you can and then some. If you follow those rules, you may be able to be in the same vicinity as Conrad without getting maimed in some way,” Felix said.

“Jesus Christ, why are you making this guy sound so scary?”

“Because he is that scary. Trust me, you don’t want to cross Conrad or else you’re never going to be seen again. Ever.”

“I’m regretting this more and more,” Nicoli muttered as he shook his head. “Well, might as well get on with my doom then. Are you coming now or are you going to stay with your ghostly friends?” he asked as he made to continue on his way.

“Eh, I might as well come along. I told Ethan I wouldn’t be gone for too long,” the spirit said as the silhouette disappeared.

Nicoli figured Felix was going to follow in his invisible form, so he began walking toward his destination. With each second his thoughts ran wild and he had a sinking feeling that he’d never be able to get Conrad to remotely like him and if that happened how were they going to work together? Why did Ethan have to have such a tight ass for a dad?

“So, what’s with the dog?” Felix’s voice asked in Nicoli’s ear as they traveled. “I’m not exactly sure he’s going to win you any points with the others. No matter how big and lovable he is.”

“He’s not so much for the vampires as he is an excuse to get out of the house. Mom’s trying to freaking put me on lockdown and Beethoven was my only way out of there,” Nicoli explained.

“Uh oh, what did you do to make mommy upset with you?” Felix asked teasingly.

Nicoli huffed and glared in the direction of the voice.

“I didn’t do anything. She’s just in a weird, protective mood. She gets those from time to time and it gets really irritating to be around.”

“Hey, at least you have a mom that worries about you. Some would consider you rather lucky for that…”

Nicoli’s brows furrowed at the distant tone Felix’s voice took. Was the spirit talking from personal experience? Before he could ask the ghost brought up a subject that was the last thing Nicoli wanted to talk about.

“Quick question. Why the hell were you running past the cemetery?” Felix asked. “I saw you strolling towards where I was, but when you got to the graveyard you broke out into a run. Why is that?”

“I wasn’t “running past the cemetery”, I was just running. I figured the sooner I got to the house, the sooner I could get out of the rain,” Nicoli said. He was lying through his teeth and he hoped Felix believed him. The last thing he wanted was for Felix to find out that he had a cemetery phobia.

“Really? So it was just my imagination that it looked like you were about to have some sort of terror induced fit?”

“Yes, your wild, overactive imagination,” Nicoli confirmed.

“So if I invited you to hang out with me in the cemetery some time you’d be fine with it?” Felix asked.

Nicoli stopped and turned in the direction he perceived Felix to be. It was really hard to talk to something you couldn’t see.

“Okay, one, yes I wouldn’t have a problem with it, and two, why the hell would we hang out anywhere or anytime together of our own free wills?” Nicoli asked incredulously. “We don’t like each other.”

“Oh, I know,” Felix said. “And that’s never going to change, but I just wanted to make sure…you might want to keep going, there’s some people looking at you funny.”

Nicoli’s head whipped around and he searched for who the ghost was talking about. That’s when he spotted two women in a store staring out the window at him. His face flushed and he hurried along. Great. Now people thought he was crazy and talking to himself.

“Ah, the benefits of being invincible,” Felix sneered in his ear.

“Let’s change the “why the hell would we hang out” to “I hate being around you period and I wish you would go away”.”

“Love you too, Buddy. Love you too.”

As the rain continued to fall Nicoli found himself wishing, for maybe the hundredth time, that it was possible to hit Felix and possibly turn him into a ghost piñata. One could only hope.

*******************************************************************

By the time Nicoli reached his destination it had begun to pour. It beat down against his umbrella and his feet sank in the soft earth. He was beginning to wish for the soft rain to come back.

“Huh,” Nicoli said as he stopped to observe the house that stood before him.

”What? Something wrong?” Felix's disembodied voice asked.

“No, nothings wrong, it's just I was expecting something...grander.” In truth he was anticipating seeing a monster of a house similar to Amelia's in quiet, awe-inspiring stature. Or maybe even an old, rundown, spooky house like so many he had seen in horror and thriller movies.

Instead, what stood before him was an ordinary, run of the mill, two storey off-white house with a garage adjacent to it. There was nothing splendid or extraordinary about it. For a house that held six vampires within its walls it was just so...plain.

”Well, they couldn't draw too much attention to themselves, right? Buying a house that was more grandeur would put a bigger spotlight on us than needed.”

“I guess I see your point,” Nicoli said, sounding disappointed. “Oh well, let’s just go inside.”

“Whoa, wait just one second there, cowboy,” Felix said as Nicoli began walking towards the front door. “You might want to go through the garage.”

“What? Why?” Nicoli asked. Anger was quick to rise at the suggestion. Was he not allowed to enter through the front door because he was inferior? If that was the case he would storm right through the door. There was no way he was going to tolerate that.

“Because your pup is soaked and I’m sure no one wants him getting water everywhere,” Felix pointed out.

Nicoli looked down at Beethoven and his anger was just as quick to dissipate when he saw that the dog was drenched with water and mud clung to his paws and underbelly.

“…Oh, good point.”

With some direction from Felix, Nicoli was able to find the side door to the garage and let himself in. It was like any normal garage. Big, a bit dank, and empty…or mostly empty.

“Holy shit!” he exclaimed at the beauty that graced its presence upon him.

Residing in the garage was the most exquisite, gorgeous, drool worthy car he had every laid eyes on. It was a sleek, midnight blue beauty that was a convertible and sat two. It looked highly expensive, but, to him, it was heaven, paradise, sex, and sin on four wheels.

“God, you don’t have to yell,” Felix grumbled as he became fully visible and he landed lightly on the ground, which was odd for him because he always seemed airborne. “It’s just a car.”

“Just a car!? Are you seeing this? This is the God of all cars! How could you say it’s just a car?” Nicoli said as he abandoned his umbrella on the floor and released Beethoven in order to circle and ogle the masterpiece to his hearts content.

A creak of a door being opened was the only sign that someone else had joined them until a voice spoke to the human.

“Ah, well, I’m glad someone around here appreciates good engineering.”

“Hey, Ethan,” Nicoli said absently. He didn’t even have to look up to see who it was, besides he was far too preoccupied with staring at the vision in front of him. “Who does this beauty belong to?” he asked as he completed another circle. He wanted to touch it so bad, but in case it belonged to Conrad he didn’t dare.

He watched with interest as Ethan strolled over and leaned against the car with a smug air about him.

“It’s mine, of course.”

Nicoli had to take a moment to collect himself and pick his jaw up off the floor.

“What? No way! Are you serious? But what about that crappy car you were driving before?” he asked.

“Rental. I had the others take care of my baby as Felix and I were out and about. Didn’t want to draw too much notice to myself,” Ethan said as he patted the car lovingly.

“Yeah, and this would definitely get you noticed,” Nicoli said as he gently placed his hands on the hood of the car. Now that he knew who it belonged to he wasn’t afraid to caress it. “What model is it?”

“My baby right here, my friend,” Ethan said. “Is a 1998 Shelby Series 1 and it is…”

“What is it with some people and cars?” Felix grumbled to Beethoven as he watched Ethan brag about his hunk of junk. The dog whined and shook himself out to dry his fur. Neither was noticed by the human or vampire.

“Hey, how come there’s only one car in here?” Nicoli asked as he looked around. “There’s no way the rest of the clan fit into this one car.”

“Most of the others don’t like to drive,” Ethan answered with a smile. “It’s quite a…slower mode of transportation for vampires.

Nicoli was about to ask why that was when it dawned on him. Vampires could move at incredible speeds on just their feet. What would they really need with cars?

“So, a car is basically just a fashion accessory to you guys, isn’t it?”

“More or less,” Ethan said with a nod. “Now, let us go into the house. The others are waiting,” he said, gesturing towards the door that led to the main house.

“Okay, but you’re definitely giving me a ride in this puppy later,” Nicoli told him as he let himself be led away.

“Speaking of puppies,” Felix interrupted as he popped up between the two. “I think it would be best if Beethoven stayed out here. At least until he dries off or something.”

“Hmm, that may be a wise course of action,” Ethan agreed as he looked over the rain soaked dog. “Once we’re done inside you can come clean him up,” he told Nicoli.

The boy frowned, not wanting to leave Beethoven in the cold garage, but he knew it would be wise to do so. To bring in the canine and have him track mud everywhere would not when Nicoli any brownie points.

“Okay, I guess we’ll leave him out here,” Nicoli said as he knelt down to unclip the leash from Beethoven’s collar, which earned him a lick to the face. “Stay here, buddy. I’ll come get you soon,” he said before standing up. “Sorry I had to bring him. It’s just I needed—”

“It’s okay,” Ethan said. “I know why you did it and I understand,” he said with a smile and ruffled Nicoli’s hair.

The human slapped the hand away and while the trio headed inside Nicoli wondered how Ethan knew. It was not too hard to figure out. It was either the mind link’s doing or common sense on Ethan’s part from the conversation they had had previously.

It was warm inside the house, something Nicoli was grateful for. As they traveled through hallways and rooms he realized how vacant it was. There was hardly a scrap of furniture to be found and nothing adorned the walls. He supposed the clan didn’t really need to bother with furbishing the place since it was just a temporary place of residence, but it still seemed odd to him.

It was a great shock to Nicoli’s system, after trekking through an empty house, when he came to what was the sitting room and saw a couch, chairs, shelves filled with books, and a roaring fireplace.

All about the room was Ethan’s clan. Some were seated and relaxed while others stood and Conrad was leaned against the mantle of the fireplace, gazing at the flame that blazed within.

“Ah, there you are,” Andre said from where he was on the couch. He was slouched in an almost laying position as he stared at the new comers. “It’s about time. I’m losing beauty sleep for this,” he whined and emphasized with a yawn.

“Stop complaining,” Cora said, who sat beside him and lightly batting at the side of his head. “You were extremely perky and couldn’t wait for him to come a second ago.”

“Shhhhh, Cora, don’t say that,” Andre shushed her. “You’ll ruin my aloof persona.”

“Your horrible acting does that all on its own,” Cora muttered.

“Er, sorry if I’m late,” Nicoli apologized. “Ethan didn’t really give me a time…” He trailed off and swallowed hard when Conrad’s steel eyes left the fire and settled on him. The clan leader studied him for a moment before snorting in disgust.

“You smell like wet dog. It’s offending,” Conrad said.

Nicoli tried to apologize, or give a reason for the smell, but his voice chose that time to stop working. He looked up when Ethan placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled reassuringly.

“Just ignore him,” Ethan told him mentally. “He’s just trying to act all tough and abrasive.”

“And take off your shoes,” Conrad ordered, tearing away Ethan’s comforting words. “Do you make a habit of tracking filth into people’s homes?”

Nicoli blinked at him before looking down at his shoes and seeing that Conrad was quite right. He had been so worried about Beethoven making a mess that he hadn’t noticed that his sneakers were caked in mud. Perfect.

“Sorry,” Nicoli mumbled as he slipped off his shoes and picked them up. He wasn’t sure what to do with them until Ethan generously took them from him and placed them just outside the room. Nicoli felt so awkward in the room and uncomfortable in his own skin. He was about ready to just excuse himself and go home. Compared to this dealing with his mother would be a piece of cake.

An exasperated sigh drew his attention to Faith who was seated in one of the plush chairs.

“Father, you’re a horrible host,” she said disapprovingly as she slid off her seat to her feet. “Nicoli is a friend to the clan now, not some sort of disease that needs to be expunged. So, please, for all of our sakes, save your animosity for those who deserve it.”

Nicoli was flabbergasted. He did not know the clan well, by any means, but he never imagined someone could or would speak to Conrad like that. Least of all the small, childlike vampire Faith, but with how mature her speech was and how she carried herself with such poise and dignity only served to remind him that Faith was no child at all.

He had expected Conrad to reprimand her in some way, but the clan leader simply narrowed his eyes and furrowed his brow in distaste before turning his attention back to the fire.

A small smile played on Faith’s lips as she approached Nicoli.

“I’m sorry if this isn’t the warmest welcome. Please don’t think poorly of us for it. Come on, you must be cold from the rain. You should sit and warm yourself up before we begin,” she said as she held out her hand to the boy.

Nicoli glanced at Ethan before tentatively taking the “little girl's” hand. Faith led him over to the chair she had previously occupied and when he sat down she hopped onto the couch besides Cora.

“Hey, Conrad,” Andre spoke up to break the anxious silence that had filled the air. “Since you don't like wet shoes in the house you should tell Nicoli to take off his pants. Those are wet too.”

“Andre,” Ethan, Faith, and Cora all chorused disapprovingly and the vampire earned another whack to the head by his fledgling.

“We need to get your moral compass readjusted. Your mouth is a disgrace to the family,” Gavin said as the tall man entered the room with two cloth bound items under his arm.

“Oh, don’t be a hater, Sourpuss,” Andre said nonchalantly as he leaned on the couch arm. “We can’t all be as tight-assed as yourself. My lack of morals makes up for your over abundant morals.”

“Enough, both of you,” Conrad snapped before Gavin could even formulate a response. “I don’t have the patience for your foolishness today, Andre.”

“Sorry, Uncle,” Andre muttered like a scolded child and even had the pouty lips to add to the effect.

“My sincere apologies also, Sir,” Gavin said as he handed the bundles to Conrad.

“It isn’t your fault, Gavin,” the leader said as he took the cloth wrapped items and took a few steps closer to his clustered family.

“Teacher’s pet,” Andre grumbled as he splayed himself over Ethan’s lap, who had taken a seat on the arm of the couch.

“You’re such a baby,” Felix tsked with a shake of his head as he perched himself on the back of the couch between the two females.

Faith giggled as she played with the end of the spirits tattered coat.

“Shall we get started, Father?” she asked as the wispy spiritual energy curled around her little finger.

“Yes, the sooner the better,” Conrad said as he placed the mysterious objects on the glass coffee table that sat in the middle of the group. He then set his gaze on Nicoli, who had busied himself with trying to wipe the filth from his pant legs. “Are you ready, Boy?” he asked.

“Um, not to sound dumb,” Nicoli said, the hairs rose on the back of his neck and his face flushed in embarrassment. “But, ready for what?”

The others stared at him in bewilderment and Nicoli tried to shrink in his chair when Conrad’s stare turned hard and icy.

“We’re going to take another crack at opening the book,” Cora took the liberty to tell him. “That’s why we had you come over…you didn’t know that?”

Now Nicoli felt utterly humiliated and he sent a death glare toward Ethan who was avoiding eye contact.

“Well, somebody told me I was only over here to check out the new house and maybe get to know you guys a bit better. I don’t remember the word “Book” ever coming up in the conversation.” The last part was hissed through clenched teeth at Ethan.

“Awe, Ethan, you can’t be lying to your human like that,” Andre said with a playful slap to the other man’s thigh.

“I didn’t lie,” Ethan said defensively. “I just…withheld some information. Oh don’t look at me like that,” he told Nicoli. “You’ve been so jittery the last few days that I didn’t want to increase any of your anxiety.”

Nicoli crossed his arms and a dark look contorted his features. He didn’t say anything, but he let his feelings be known through the mind link.

“Oh, and making me look like a fool in front of your family is just so much better.”

“Ooooh, Ethan’s in trouble,” Andre teased in a sing-song voice.”

“Andre, enough, let’s just move on,” Conrad grumbled as he massaged the bridge of his nose.

“Why do I keep getting yelled at?” Andre muttered as he crossed his arms on Ethan’s lap and rested his head in them.

“Because you’re an idiot,” Felix answered.

“All right, so, what exactly are we doing then and why do I need to be ready for it?” Nicoli asked, trying to be helpful and move things along.

“Gavin, if you would be so kind,” Conrad said, giving Gavin the stage.

The dark skinned man nodded and stooped to unwrap the two objects on the glass table. One was the Last Hope book, which was no surprise to Nicoli, but the other item was peculiar. It was round and about the size of his fist. To him it resembled a compass or a clock. It had two needles in the very center and all around the edges were odd symbols. They were all different colors and shapes and looked like nothing Nicoli had ever seen before.

“What is that?” Nicoli asked curiously as he stood up and cautiously approached to get a better look.

“Think of it like a magic decoder,” Faith told him as she stood beside the human. “It helps the user to decrypt complex magic spells. See, these symbols along the edges are runes and the runes are able to synchronize with the magic spell and tells us how to undo it. We were able to acquire one from a friend of ours.”

“And you want me to use it?” Nicoli asked.

“As of now you are the only person here who the book won’t react violently towards on contact,” Gavin explained to him.

“I’m not trying to weasel out of this, but what about Felix, he’s not a vampire,” Nicoli pointed out, curious as to why it immediately fell upon him to try the device out.

“We already tried,” Felix said. “Apparently the damn thing also reacts to high concentrations of spiritual energy, so that rules me out since I’m nothing but spiritual energy.”

“Okay, how do I use it then?” Nicoli asked and looked to Faith for instruction. At the moment she seemed to be the most open and patient with him.

“Don’t worry,” she said with an encouraging smile. “I’ll walk you through it.”

Nicoli settled himself on his knees in front of the table and flexed his fingers in preparation. He did not know what to expect and with so many eyes watching him he was nervous as all hell, but he was determined to do the task at hand. Who knew, maybe if he was able to get the book open all on his own Conrad would respect him…if only a little.

“Okay, using the decoder is actually quite simple,” Faith said when Nicoli was ready. “Just pick it up and place it on the cover of the book.”

Nicoli did as he was told and took the odd device in hand. The outer casing of the decoder felt like smooth stone against his fingertips. He gently placed it on the book and quickly drew back his hands, but the book did not react.

“Good, now you see the two hands in the center?” Faith asked.

“Yes.”

“Where the two connect is actually a dial and a button and that is how you activate it. Just push it in.”

Nicoli did so and felt the protruding bump sink in under the pressure of his finger. When he removed the digit, however, the button immediately came back up. He was about to ask if he had done something wrong when the runes began to glow and the face of the decoder lit up with a mysterious light and the book began to shimmer.

He was aware of the others increasing interest. Andre had sat up and he and Cora leaned in to get a better look. Conrad and Gavin hovered behind the human and he could feel their intent gaze over him. Ethan had stayed where he was, but he had moved forward a bit also. At some point Felix had drifted over to Ethan and the ghost was leaning on the vampires arm. Almost out of sight of everyone, Felix’s arm wound around the man’s arm and the two were holding hands with fingers laced. The grip of the hands was tight and anxious.

Soon after the decoder activated the runes light dimmed, all except for one. Nicoli slightly jumped when one of the needles moved all on its own until it pointed at the shimmering rune.

“All right, here’s where you come in,” Faith said. “Use the dial in the center to make the other needle follow the first.”

“What exactly is that first needle doing?” Nicoli asked curiously.

“It is showing you the correct order in which to decipher the magic spell,” she said. “But the first needle only reveals the way. The second is the one that needs to do the work.”

“Okay, I get it…kinda.” Without another word Nicoli took hold of the little dial in the center of the device and gently began to turn it. It was just like setting the hands of a clock. He slowly moved the needle until it overlapped the first and he waited…but nothing happened.

“What now?” he asked.

“Press the button again to input that rune,” Faith answered.

The moment Nicoli pressed in the button the guiding needle swiveled to a new button and the one it left behind continued to glow. Nicoli repeated the process over and over again. Even he knew he was working on a high level spell with how complex the system was. Five, ten, fifteen minutes went by and he was still working. He held his breath with each push of the button, hoping it would be the last, but the needle would just move again and again.

As he went Nicoli was becoming aware that that dial was getting hotter and hotter. He brushed it off at first, thinking that his hand was just getting warm and sweaty, but soon the dial was almost too hot to touch and he had to shake his hand repeated to cool down his fingers. He bit down on his tongue so as not to say “ow” with every touch of the dial, but he didn’t realize until it was too late that he was thinking it.

“Are you okay?” Ethan asked in concern after the thousandth “ow” coupled with a chosen expletive leaked through the link.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Nicoli answered. “Faith didn’t say that this thing was going to get freakin’ hot after awhile.”

“Hot? It’s not supposed to get hot.

Before Nicoli had the chance to question Ethan’s statement the book decided to start fighting back. Just like it did when Andre tried to pick its lock, the book glowed an angry red and it seeped up into the decoder. If Nicoli thought it was hot before it was nothing like the molten heat it produced now.

“Ah! Fucking shit!!!” Nicoli exclaimed as he bolted back, which made him bump into Gavin’s legs. Once again Nicoli’s fingers were a raw red as he cradled his hand to him and waited for the pain to subside. “Okay, this book is really getting on my nerves,” he growled through his teeth as Faith went to his side to see if he was okay.

“I think we’re getting on its nerves, too,” Andre said as he, Cora, and Ethan all stood and stared at the book in bewilderment. “Why is it still glowing?”

As if reacting to Andre’s words the book began to illuminate with more intensity. Everyone’s attention was directed away from the book, however, when Nicoli let out a sharp cry of pain and fell to his back.

“Nicoli!” Ethan cried out and leapt over the table to be at Nicoli’s side as the boy began to squirm and writhe in agony.

“Nicoli, what’s wrong?” Faith asked urgently from the human’s other side. She made to wipe the hair away from his face, but pulled back. His skin was sizzling hot.

“M-My chest! It’s on fire!” Nicoli yelled, clawing at his chest as he did. It was as if flames were licking up his skin and coiling in his torso.

“Hold his hands down,” Gavin ordered Ethan and Faith as he kneeled down and when they had done as he asked – while trying to ignore the heat the human was radiating – Gavin wrenched Nicoli’s shirt up.

Everyone was now circled around the poor suffering boy and they gasped at what they saw. Nicoli’s chest was completely red and fire began to dance along the expanse of skin and words were blazed into his skin in its wake.

“Dear Intruders,

I see you are intent on prying into the secrets that lie in these pages. You are persistent, but I can assure you my will is stronger. Heed my words. Stop your foolhardy pursuit or the next person to try and trespass into my book will be subjugated to an agonizing death. This is my last warning.

Sincerely,
~Deloris Mary-Weather.”


====================================Ch. 28 End