Moonlight Denial: Shades of Moonlight Book One

The wind whistled and tickled Nicoli’s ears, drowning out the sound of his own screaming. He was dropping fast. Down and down towards the waters of Lucid Lake. With the blindfold on he could not see when the drop would come to an end and with his hands bound behind his back he did not have a chance to try and grab onto the cliffs and stop his fall or at least slow it down.

It was all over. He was plummeting to his death for a second time and this time he doubted he would have the luck to be snatched from the air by a lurking vampire. Omen was finally going to finish what he had started.

Death was already claiming him. He could feel it. His entire body became cold; a terrible, icy cold that enveloped him. It felt like the cold took the form of arms and cradled him ever so gently. It was a trick of his mind, of course. It must have also been his imagination that his descent was slowing down. It decreased until it felt like he was floating like a feather. What he could not figure out was why, when he finally hit the bottom, that he was gently laid down on solid ground instead of jagged rocks and swallowed by water.

It took several seconds for him to realize that he was not dead at all. He was alive! He had been saved! Light attacked his retinas when the blindfold was removed from his eyes. He blinked several times and when his eyes finally focused he saw a face and he had never been happier to see that face.

“Felix?” he said. It came out as a wheeze as his lungs tried to adapt to breathing again. To his bewilderment the ghost smiled down at him, but to Nicoli, it was the greatest thing he had seen all day.

“When are you going to stop playing damsel-in-distress? I swear, this is becoming a regular event,” Felix said with a laugh as he pulled the boy up into a sitting position.

“You…you saved me?” Nicoli asked, trying to ignore how his head swam when he was upright.

“Seems that way, huh?” Felix replied as he broke the rope with his powers. The binds fell to the ground in a heap and Nicoli’s hands were finally free. “Though, really, it can’t really be considered saving since–”

The spirit was cut off as the living boy threw his arms around him and hugged him tightly. Felix had been in his solid form since he had been helping the other, so Nicoli did not end up falling through him.

“Thank you,” Nicoli said and his voice cracked. “Thank you so much.” Felix was freezing. It was like he was hugging an ice sculpture, but he did not care.

“Uh, you’re welcome,” Felix muttered and he cleared his throat. His faced turned a grayish white and he looked a bit uncomfortable by the show of gratitude. “Okay, okay, that’s enough,” he finally said, pushing Nicoli off him. “Get a hold of yourself, you’re embarrassing yourself,” he said as he straightened his clothes. “And it’s not like I saved you from certain death. You would have only gotten hurt if you fell wrong.”

“What are you talking about?” Nicoli asked. He furrowed his brows when Felix pointed upwards. He followed the direction the finger was pointing and he blinked in bewilderment. What he thought was a thousand foot fall was no more than possibly fifteen or twenty feet.

That’s when he took in his surroundings. Where he expected there to be a shimmering lake there was only a forest floor. They were surrounded by trees and the cliff he had fallen off of was no more than a hill that drastically dropped off into a ditch. This was not right.

“Where the heck are we?” he asked.

“Well, not Banshee Cliffs like you told Ethan,” Felix said.

“But–But–” He could not believe it. Omen had tricked him! A jolt shot through him at that thought. “Wait, where’s Ethan and Omen?” he asked.

The question seemed to bring Felix back to the situation at hand and, simultaneously, the boys’ looked up to the top of the hill. Now that they were paying attention they could here the sounds of fighting and the snarls that were coming from both men. Then, to their horror, another gunshot went off.

“Ethan!” Nicoli and Felix yelled in alarm, but before the ghost could take off to help his companion, Ethan’s voice drifted down from above.

“Here! Let’s see how you like it!”

A second later the form of Omen went flying over their heads as he was launched off the raised chunk of land. With a guttural cry he soared for several feet before landing with a crunch on the ground.

“Ooowww,” the two boys’ groaned in sympathy.

Nicoli jumped when there was a thud right beside him. When he looked up he saw a disheveled Ethan, clothed in only a pair of jeans and the ripped white shirt from yesterday, with a snarl contorting his face. When Omen made no move to get up he turned his attention to the human and knelt down beside him.

“Nicoli, are you okay?” he asked, the features of fury melting away into worry.

“Yeah, I’m fine, thanks to you and Felix,” the boy replied.

“Good,” Ethan said with a smile. He then looked past Nicoli to the ghost. “Great job, Felix,” he praised and patted Felix’s cheek.

“Piece of cake,” Felix said with a salute. “Catching flying Meatbags is my specialty.”

Before Nicoli could give a witty remark he noticed Ethan’s shoulder. It was drenched in blood and he could see a hole that was torn into the flesh.

“Ethan, you’ve been shot!” he exclaimed.

Ethan blinked and casually looked at his shoulder. He touched the wound then shrugged.

“Don’t worry, it was a through and through, it’ll heal in a moment,” he assured the boy.

Nicoli was about to make a fuss about the bullet wound, but Omen started to stir. The vampire hunter lifted his head and shook it. His multi-colored eyes flicked over to the group and his features darkened considerably.

“You are all getting on my last nerve,” he said as he started to get up. His gun had fallen next to him and he grabbed it as he stood.

Ethan followed his example and was on his feet in a flash. He moved out in front of Nicoli protectively.

“You have no one but yourself to blame,” the vampire snarled, his fangs descending in a threatening show. “How dare you use Nicoli in this way? He’s just a kid. Have you no shame?”

A twisted smirk spread across Omen’s face and laughter rumbled from his chest.

“Look at the pot calling the kettle black,” he sneered. “Is what you’re doing any better? Why is the boy even in this position? Aren’t you using him to help you in your foolish ordeals? Aren’t you using him to try and open the book?” he questioned. “Well?”

A delighted chuckle came from Omen when Ethan’s eyes looked away in shame, admitting to his wrong doing.

“Exactly, but there is one difference between us. My actions are to save the boy from people like you. Your actions will only condemn him to misery. I know what will happen if he stays in your company and I would not wish that on an innocent child.”

“Save me,” Nicoli said as he got to his feet. He could not believe Omen’s gall. “How has anything you’ve been doing trying to save me? You just threw me off a fucking cliff!” he shouted angrily and took a step to confront his attacker, but Ethan’s arm held him back. “You hurt my dad! No matter what planning you did it could have gone wrong and you could have killed him! I stand by what I said before. You’re the monster, not Ethan!”

Omen’s jaw clenched and his grip tightened on the gun until his knuckles turned white.

“You wouldn’t be able to understand,” he growled through his teeth. “All of this is meager compared to what will happen to you if you stay with them. In the end they will cut out your heart and you will be left to roam the earth as a shadow of your former self. Tormented by past actions and deeds and always reminded of the wrongs you committed in the name of friendship and love. In that respect, death is paradise compared to the alternative.”

Nicoli was silenced and baffled by the outburst. He could not understand what the man was ranting about, but there was such raw emotion in Omen’s voice and he could see a deep, dark pain in his eyes. He was right, Nicoli did not understand, but he had a feeling the vampire hunter knew all too well about what he spoke of.

He glanced at Felix and Ethan. The ghost was looking anywhere but at Omen. He was fidgeting with his scarf and gnawing on his bottom lip. Ethan, on the other hand, was staring unflinchingly at their attacker, but Nicoli could not help but think that the vampire’s features seemed sadder. There was something much bigger going on here than he previously thought.

“Omen,” Ethan said after a deafening silence. “I know you’re hurting and that you have been for quite some time, but that’s only because you refuse to see the truth. If you’d just accept what truly happened you both could stop tormenting yourselves. You don’t have to keep punishing yourself for–”

“Shut up! Just shut up!” Omen yelled, fury etching itself into every fiber of his being. “Don’t you dare speak of that! You know nothing of what happened or how I feel! You are cut from the same cloth as that monster and I will not listen to the filth that spills from your mouth!”

Nicoli’s eyes widened when Omen pointed the gun at Ethan.

“I’ll stop your lies from sprouting by cutting them by the root!”

It all happened so fast. Nicoli knew Omen’s intention and before he even had time to think he threw himself on Ethan, wrapping his arms around the vampire’s neck and serving as a human shield. There were many desperate cries uttered in that minuscule second, but they all melded together until it was impossible to know who they had come from. Then the gunshot fired and sucked in all sounds and thoughts into its void of destruction.

Nicoli was stiff as he clung to Ethan, waiting for the searing pain to rip through his back…but it never came. As the seconds went by he felt nothing but Ethan’s strong arms around him and the man’s face burrowed into the crook of his neck.

They realized at the same time that neither of them was dead. The iron grip they had on each other loosened and they pulled away enough to look at each other. Both looked thoroughly confused.

“Andre!” Felix exclaimed in shock, drawing their attention.

Nicoli turned and he shared the same look of astonishment as Felix at what he saw. Andre had come out of nowhere and now had Omen’s arm in a tight grip and pointed at the air so the bullet flew harmlessly into the sky. His expression was completely deadpan as he stared at the vampire hunter with his single eye. For Nicoli, who was used to the flirty, playful side of the vampire, Andre almost seemed like a completely different person with this new, serious demeanor.

Omen seemed just as stunned and alarmed by the vampire’s appearance and intervention. He was frozen to the spot and could only stare into Andre’s golden eye that resembled his own.

“That is quite enough, Owen,” Andre said quietly.

“Andre…” Omen murmured. Then, in a flash, his stunned surprise turned into rage and he ripped his arm from Andre’s grip and pointed the gun at the vampire when space was put between them. “Don’t touch me! Don’t you ever touch me!”

If Andre was alarmed by the sudden action he did not show it. Instead he calmly put his hands up in surrender, but his gaze never left the vampire hunter.

Ethan moved to help the other vampire from his predicament.

“Ethan, don’t interfere,” Andre said.

The young vampire stilled, but he looked conflicted between obeying and helping his comrade.

“But, Andre–”

“Listen to me and stay out of this. It has nothing to do with you. This is between Owen and myself,” he said, his voice calm and level.

Omen flinched as if he had been burned.

“Don’t call me by that name. I never want to hear it uttered from your lips. I’m Omen to scum like you, you hear me!? Omen!” he yelled, his finger clenching at the trigger of his gun.

Andre did not even flinch as the gun was waved threateningly at him. It could have been a toy for all he cared. His expression was still the same, but Nicoli realized it held a shadow of misery to it.

“I’m sorry, but I could never do that. You’ll always be Owen to me,” Andre said softly. “No matter what.”

“Oh, really? Even if I was to put a bullet through your brain?” Omen scoffed lifting the gun enough to target said area.

“Even then,” the vampire answered.

“You are a fucking bastard.”

“I know I am. I tell myself that every night I wake up and every morning I go to sleep,” Andre said and the air of melancholy about him increased. “Owen, I’ve hurt you so much and for that I’ve never forgiven myself and never will, but even so, you’ve gone too far. How could you threaten the life of this young boy?” he asked, gesturing to Nicoli, who still had Ethan’s protective arms around him. “He has never wronged you. Has never hurt you. It was wrong and you know it. The Owen I know would never even have dreamed of doing something like this.”

Nicoli swallowed a lump in his throat that was gradually increasing in size. He felt that Andre had said the wrong thing. He could practically see Omen’s wrath swelling with each word spoken.

“Shut up,” the man growled lowly. “Don’t preach to me about moral ethics if you don’t have any yourself. As for the ‘Owen you know’ that man died a long time ago.”

“I don’t believe that,” Andre said. “I’ll never believe that the kind, strong-willed man I knew has become a cold, cruel man that will use scare tactics on a boy to get what he wants. I will not believe that this is what you have become.”

“You made me the man that I have become!” Omen roared. “It was by your hand that I was led down this path! Now every dream and waking thought I have is of killing you. I will never be at peace until you are struck down by my hand.” His finger hugged the trigger of the gun.

“Andre!” Ethan yelled and his arms left Nicoli as he made to dash out to his cousin’s aid.

“Ethan, don’t make me repeat myself,” Andre said. He reached out his hand towards the younger vampire and Ethan froze in place by an unseen power. “This has nothing to do with you.”

Nicoli saw Ethan struggle against the invisible hold that was on him, but to no avail. He could not move forward, so against his will, he stepped back towards the human in defeat.

With Ethan settled down Andre returned his attention to the vampire hunter before him.

“If my death will bring you peace, then please, by all means take the retribution you deserve to have,” he said. He was wearing a black shirt that billowed around his frame. The collar dipped down into a deep V and Andre took the edges of it and pulled them apart, giving Omen free access to his heart.

“Andre, no!” Ethan cried out, but knew that it would be futile for him to try and help.

“Are you insane!?” Felix added to the chorus of protests.

Nicoli could not believe what Andre was doing. He may not have understood what had happened between the two men, but he was sure it did not warrant Andre’s death. It soon became apparent, though, that Omen was not satisfied by the offering. If anything his features twisted even more in anger.

“No!” Omen yelled. “Not like that! Fight me! Let me have the satisfaction of snuffing out your sorry excuse for a life while you struggle to save your damned existence!”

The man visibly bristled when Andre shook his head.

“You know I can’t do that, Owen,” he said. “Like I told you years ago, I will never lay a harmful hand on you ever again.”

With a cry full of rage and malevolence, Omen charged at Andre and slammed him into the nearest tree. The vampire’s feet were lifted off the ground as the man hefted him up with one hand and then jammed the barrel of the gun underneath his chin.

“You refuse to lay a hand on me physically, but you’ll tear my emotional state apart? You are a true heartless monster. Now fight me. Fight me!” he screamed in Andre’s face.

Still the one eyed vampire did not move an inch. He refused to lift a finger to defend himself against the vampire hunter. Seconds stretched on into minutes and no one moved. Finally, with a grunt of disgust Omen released Andre and took a few steps back. The two stared at each other for what felt like eternity before Omen turned his back on the vampire and made to disappear into the surrounding trees.

Before he melded into the landscape he stopped. Nicoli unconsciously shrunk back when the man’s eyes fell upon him.

“Boy, take a good, hard look at me,” Omen said. Anger no longer laced his voice. Instead the man sounded tired and defeated. “This is what you will become if you stay with them. This is what you will be reduced to. Leave all of this and go back to the good life that you have before it’s taken away forever.”

Then he was gone. A light, cool breeze rustled the fallen leaves and followed Omen’s fading footsteps until a still quiet fell around them.

Nicoli’s legs were shaking and he plopped down on the ground before he fell over. After Ethan quickly checked on him the vampire went to his cousin. As Nicoli rested his head on his raised knees and took in deep breaths Felix sat down beside him, looking equally as exhausted.

“You okay?” Felix asked quietly.

They both knew it was uncharacteristic of the ghost to care if the living boy was all right or not and they made a silent agreement with each other not to draw attention to it.

“Hell no,” Nicoli answered. “I’m lucky I didn’t wet myself.” He glanced over at the two vampires before looking at the spirit. “I had no idea Omen’s psychotic issues stemmed from Andre,” he whispered. “From what I’ve seen he’s a really cool guy. Could he…could he have really done something that bad to Omen?”

Felix sighed and bowed his head.

“You have no idea,” he said. “You’ll slowly learn that this family has a lot of skeletons in their closet.”

Meanwhile, Ethan slowly approached Andre and cautiously placed a hand on the man’s shoulder.

“Andre, are you all right?” Ethan asked.

“No, Ethan, I’m not all right,” Andre said, sounding thoroughly miserable. He looked in the direction Omen had left. He heaved a big sigh and one word passed his lips,

“Owen…”

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

Nicoli was worn, beaten up, and just plain out of it. He wanted nothing more than to go collapse in his bed and pass out for eternity. But no matter how much he wanted to he could not. His father was still in the hospital. Put there by Omen and, in essence, himself. If it was not for him Omen never would have gone after Lance. The cloud of guilt just added to the weight of his fatigue.

Before he went to the hospital, though, he had to clean himself up. The lower part of his face and his shirt was covered in blood from his little nosebleed and he was ruffled all to hell. He had to make himself presentable so his parents weren’t the wiser and so he did not add to the anxiety and stress that was, undoubtedly, already there.

With the two vampires and ghost in tow he emerged from the forest directly behind his house. It turned out that Omen had indeed taken him into Twilight Forest, but he had not gone all the way to Banshee Cliffs as Nicoli had believed.

“All right, I’ll go quickly run in, clean up this,” he said, gesturing to his current state. “Then can one of you speed me over to the hospital?” he asked.

“No problem,” Ethan said with a nod.

“Cool, thanks.” Nicoli wanted to give a smile in gratitude, but he just could not bring himself to upturn his lips, even a little. None of them did. A fine mist of gloom clung to them and they could not shake it. With a slight wave he ran off towards the house.

The three left behind stared after him and when the boy was gone they remained in silence. It was an uncomfortable time that Andre finally decided to break.

“Ethan, I think you need to get back into the shade,” he said.

“What? Why?” Ethan asked in confusion, the sudden question jarring him from his thoughts.

“Do you realize you’re beginning to smolder?” the older vampire asked as he pushed on a spot on Ethan’s cheek that was beginning to sizzle and burn from the sunlight. In fact, due to the exposure, all parts of his skin that was not covered were beginning to turn a worrying red.

Ethan jumped at the realization and quickly headed for the safety of the trees. Once there he shook out his body and began patting his skin to try and cool his body off.

“Dumb ass,” Felix muttered as he glided over and, without a word, began massaging Ethan’s skin. His ghostly, icy hands serving as the perfect tool to cool down the vampire’s overheated skin. “It’s your own fault for running out of the house without putting on proper clothes or even slapping some of that high powered sun cream on,” the ghost scolded.

“Like I had time?” Ethan shot back.

“True, true,” Andre chimed in as he strolled over. “But if you were over powered by the sun you would have been useless against…” he trailed off, not able to bring himself to say Omen’s name. “Yeah, it just would have ended badly.”

“Well, you didn’t take any protection either,” Ethan mumbled.

“Ah, but I am older,” Andre pointed out. “So, I can go longer without that stuff, but enough of that, come here,” Andre said, holding out his arms to his cousin.

“Why?” Ethan asked as he opened his shirt more to allow Felix to get to his sides, even though they had not been affected.

“You need to feed. You haven’t in awhile, I can tell. If you don’t soon you’re going to succumb to this damn, fiery orb. Plus, it’ll repair some of the damage from the sun and your gunshot wound,” he said, pointing to the bloody part of the blonde’s shirt that was stained crimson and was hiding the partially healed bullet hole.

“He’s got a point,” Felix quipped as he went around to the vampire’s backside and began doing his ministrations there.

“But if I take any blood from you you’ll get weaker. Not a good idea while being out here, unprotected, even if you are older.”

Andre rolled his eye as he drew closer.

“Yes, but the difference is I’m going home soon after this, so I have the chance to go find a tasty snack. You, on the other hand, are going to hang around the boy like a worried little puppy. Hence, you will have to feed later.”

Ethan glared at him then at his little spirit when Felix snickered.

“Now,” Andre said, taking him by the shoulders. “Listen to your big cousin and do as I say.”

Ethan sighed and shook his head at his cousin, but he did not continue to argue with the older vampire. He knew Andre was right. That was why he let himself be enveloped into Andre’s arms and, after nuzzling the soft skin of his throat, sunk his fangs into the man’s flesh.

Andre did not even flinch and smiled as he stroked Ethan’s hair. It felt good. The gentle sucking as he felt his life essence flow into the younger vampire. It was almost a comfort to be bitten by another vampire and after what just happened, Andre wanted nothing but comfort.

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

Nicoli huffed and puffed as he jogged to the front of the house. The only thing on his mind was to get in, change, and get out. He had to be fast because he wanted desperately to see his father and know that he was okay.

His jogging slowed to a walk when he rounded the house before he stopped altogether in bewilderment. The family car was in the driveway. Nicoli scratched his head as he stared at it. Why was the car here? Wouldn’t it be at the hospital if his mom drove it?

With a racing heart Nicoli bolted for the front door. When he found it was open he burst inside. When he reached the living room he screeched to a stop. Sitting on the couch, with his right arm in a sling, an ice pack to his head and Beethoven lying at his feet, was none other than Lance.

“Nicoli, you’re home,” Laura said as she emerged from the kitchen with a glass of water and another pack of ice.

He did not seem to hear her as he continued to stare at Lance. Then, without warning, tears welled in his eyes and he launched himself at his father.

“Dad!” he cried out joyously as he pounced on his father and gave him the biggest hug he had ever given.

“Ow! Ow! Ow, ow, ow!” Lance screeched at the show of affection. “Ow, love you too, Nicoli, but really, ow.”

“Sorry, sorry,” Nicoli sniveled an apology as he adjusted himself to cause Lance less pain, but would not relinquish his hold. “You’re alive. When they told me what happened I was so worried,” he practically sobbed into his father’s neck.

Lance leaned his head against Nicoli’s and set the icepack on his lap in order to put his arm around his son.

“Its okay, Buddy, you guys can’t get rid of me that easily,” Lance shushed softly. “And don’t tell me you’re going to become a worrywart like your mother,” he said teasingly, winking at his wife who had walked up on the other side of Lance.

“Oh, a wall falls on you and I’m not allowed to worry?” Laura retorted, but had a light smile on her face as she set the items she was holding down on the coffee table. She sat down on the couch beside her loved ones and rested her hand on Lance’s knee.

“Yeah, really, Dad. You could have been killed,” Nicoli agreed as he finally released his father just enough to sit up fully.

“Psh, me? Be killed? Fat chance of that happening,” Lance said with a smile that quickly faded when he looked at his son. “Nicoli, what happened to you?” he asked in alarm.

“What?” Nicoli asked, confused.

“Oh my God!” Laura exclaimed, now fully seeing the boy too. “Nicoli, you’re covered in blood!”

“Oh, that,” Nicoli murmured as he touched the dried blood on his face. In his excitement and relief he had forgotten all about it. “It’s nothing, really,” he assured them. “I was in such a rush to go see you that I kind of had a tumble down the school stairs. I hardly even noticed it.”

“For Pete’s sake,” Laura said as she got up and went into the kitchen. “I don’t need both of my boys almost killing themselves in one day!” she yelled from the other room.

“Sor-ry,” Nicoli and Lance chorused together then smirked at each other.

Laura was just as quick to come back with a wet rag and when she was back at the couch she took Nicoli’s chin in her fingers and began wiping at his face.

“Ah! Mom, I can do it myself,” Nicoli protested, twisting away from her. The rough strokes of the cloth made his tender nose ache. She relented and gave him the rag as she sat down once more beside her husband.

“So, what happened exactly?” Nicoli asked as he gently began cleaning his face. He wanted details of what Omen had done.

“Well, I don’t really know,” Lance admitted as he put the ice pack back on his head. “One second I was talking to Lloyd about what I wanted to do with one of the rooms in the museum and the next thing I know the wall directly behind us came down. Luckily no one was seriously injured. A couple of our men were a little thrashed, Lloyd got a slight concussion and I got away with a dislocated elbow, a fractured bone in my hand and a light bump on the head,” Lance explained.

“Thank God that’s all it was,” Laura said with a sigh. “It could have been a whole lot worse.”

“Yes, if anything else had been unstable the whole room could have collapsed,” Lance agreed. “But there was slim chance of that happening,” he quickly said when he caught the horrified expression on Laura’s face.

Nicoli remained silent. It appeared what Omen said was true. The man had only rigged the wall to hurt Lance, but he could not throw off the thought that if there had been just a slight error in calculations his father would have been killed. It would have been all his fault, too.

If he did not have enough of a guilty conscience it increased with the knowledge that Lloyd, Amelia’s uncle, had been caught in the attack also. Was there nothing Omen wouldn’t do? Did he really think nothing of killing or hurting innocent civilians? And all for some stupid book!

“I was surprised that you never showed up at the hospital, Nicoli,” Laura said. “I know we weren’t there long, but I expected you to be there seconds after I arrived.”

Nicoli was knocked from his thoughts by the question and his mind went into instant damage control.

“I tried as fast as I could, but the car the guy picked me up in broke down on the way. By the time he got it started again and got me to the hospital they said you had already been discharged, so he just took me home,” Nicoli explained. He was amazed at himself. He was really getting good at coming up with stories right off the top of his head.

“Not surprising,” Lance sighed. “The company cars really are shit. Ow!” He cried out when his wife pinched his ear.

“Hey, you know better than to use that language. No wonder Nicoli has such a filthy mouth sometimes,” she scolded.

“Jeeze, I just had a wall fall on me, give me a break,” Lance murmured. “Anyways, it was really great of one of the guys to volunteer to go get you,” he told his son. “Lloyd said that Amelia’s mother Cecile was more than happy to get you when she picked up her daughter, but by then the guy was already gone. I never did catch his name.”

“Yeah, really nice of him,” Nicoli muttered under his breath. He had wondered how Omen had pulled off being the one in the car, but it all made sense now. He must have posed as one of the construction workers. That also explained how he was able to screw with the wall without anyone noticing. The cunning ass.

“The only really bad thing about all of this is now construction is going to be put on hold,” Lance said dejectedly. “We can’t move forward with the project until there’s an investigation on what went wrong and if they find anymore problems they may condemn the whole thing and we’ll have to start from scratch. If that happens I might get the boot since it was my blueprints they were working off of.”

“That is not the only really bad thing. That’s the least of our worries,” Laura huffed. “How can you say that?”

“Didn’t you hear me? I might get fired. That’s the worse thing that can possibly happen.”

“No, it’s not,” Nicoli said, siding with his mother. “You could have died today, Dad. You can always get another job, but we only have one of you,” he explained as he hugged his father around the neck again.

“I couldn’t have said it any better myself,” Laura said with an approved smile as she joined the hug and smiled bigger when Nicoli looped one of his arms around her also.

Beethoven, not one to be left out of a group hug, put his front paws on Lance’s lap and tried to lick any face he could get to.

“How did I get so lucky to have such a wonderful family?” Lance asked softly before wincing. “Ow, guys, leaning on the arm a bit too much.”

“Take it like a man, Dad.”

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

“Make sure not to put that shirt in with your other dirty clothes! I don’t want that blood getting on anything else!” Laura called from downstairs just as Nicoli reached the landing.

“I know, Mom, don’t worry!” he reassured her before dashing into his room. He had realized the others were still outside waiting for him. He made the excuse of changing out of his dirty clothes and raced upstairs in order to tell Ethan that everything was okay through the mind link.

Nicoli almost did not stop a squeak of surprise when he found that his companions were already in his room. He clapped his hand over his mouth and quietly closed the door behind him.

“Jeeze guys, I don’t need any other surprises today,” he whispered once the door clicked.

“Sorry, we were getting bored waiting outside,” Ethan said with a smirk. He was currently lying horizontally on the human’s bed with his legs hanging over the side and his head resting on Andre’s stomach, who was laying the correct way.

“Plus the sunlight was starting to make me feel queasy,” Andre piped up.

“Liar, you just wanted to snoop around inside his room,” Felix said from the opened window.

“Tattle-tale,” Andre muttered.

“So, is your father okay?” Ethan asked as he sat up.

“Yeah, thank God,” Nicoli said as he went over to his closet. “A few other people were hurt, too, but not seriously so.” His bloodied shirt went flying and fell onto the floor as he grabbed a new shirt from the closet. “Luckily they didn’t pry too much about why I never showed up at the hospital,” he said, his voice muffled as he wiggled into his dark blue shirt. When it was pulled over his frame it showed a web pattern across the front with a big, black spider on the lower left.

“Well, I suppose we can be thankful for small miracles,” Andre said as he swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat up.

“Yeah, I think we filled our quota. Saved the Meatbag, knocked Omen around a little, and we did it all before dinnertime. Not too bad if I do say so myself. Now, let’s go home before the others begin wondering where we are,” Felix said.

There were nods of agreement, but Nicoli lowered his head and chewed on his bottom lip.

“Uh, guys, before you go I want to say something,” he said in a low, timid voice.

“What is it? Something wrong?” Ethan asked.

“Well…I just wanted to thank you, all of you, for today. I don’t know what I would have done if you guys didn’t show up,” he said and he rubbed his arm with his other hand as he spoke. “But I also have to apologize.”

“Oh, Nicoli, you don’t have to apologize, we’ll be happy to save you anytime,” Andre said with a big grin, but it soon disappeared when the boy didn’t smile back.

“No, not for that,” Nicoli said. “I don’t know if any of you heard Omen and I talking when he was dangling me off that stupid hill, but he was demanding me to tell him where you guys were keeping the book.”

“Yes, you told me that through the mind link,” Ethan said, confused on where the human was taking this.

“But what you didn’t hear was that at the very end, right before you showed up, Ethan, I–I.” Nicoli took in a deep breath and could not look any of them in the eye. “I almost told him where the book was.”

Nicoli’s vision blurred with tears as he kept his eyes on the floor. He felt so ashamed of himself for what he had almost done and he had to come clean about it or else it would eat him up inside.

“You, almost told?” Ethan echoed, sounding flabbergasted by the news.

“Wait, how did you know where we’re keeping the book in the first place?” Andre asked.

“Um, that might have been my bad,” Felix mumbled sheepishly, raising his hand.

“I’m so sorry guys, I really am,” Nicoli said, rubbing at his eyes with his arm. “I was just so scared and I was sure I was going to die. I couldn’t think of what else to do. It just started slipping out, but then you came Ethan and interrupted me before I could say it. That’s not an excuse, though, I know and I’m sorry.”

“Nicoli, Nicoli, its okay,” Ethan said softly as he walked up to him and put his hands on the boy’s shoulders. “You were under a lot of pressure. It’s not your fault.”

“Oh, like that makes it better?” Nicoli asked, but did not move away from the vampire. “It was a no brainer that something like this was going to happen. I expected it. Bad guys are always in these kinds of situations and instead of toughing it out he broke me like a twig. I…I betrayed your guys’ trust.”

“No, no you didn’t,” Ethan said as he pulled the quivering human into his arms. “You did no such thing. You held on as long as you could, I know that, we all know that,” he said softly as he stroked Nicoli’s hair. “We don’t blame you. You can consider this a crash course. If something like this ever happened again, which we will make sure it never does, you’ll be better prepared for it. It’s not your fault.”

“Don’t beat yourself up, Lad,” Andre chimed in as he came up and rubbed the back of Nicoli’s neck. “It’s all about trial and error. Learn from your mistakes. Besides, I doubt most wouldn’t have held out half as long as you did.”

They stayed like that for a few minutes with Ethan holding Nicoli and Andre with his comforting hand. After awhile, though, the human pulled away with his head still bowed and averting any eye contact.

“Thanks guys…I better get back before they start wondering why I’m taking so long. Get home safe,” he said.

There was a few mutterings of goodbye before Nicoli slipped out of the room as silently as a shadow. The vampires and ghost made no move to leave and simply looked at each other in quiet reflection.

“You know,” Felix finally said. “This family, not that I’m counting Nicoli as part of the family, is really good at self-loathing. Anyone else notice that?”

“I think you’d be right,” Andre said. “Best self-loathers around. Nothing to be ashamed of. Now, let’s go home. It’s been a tiring day and I would like to go feed then get some shut eye.”

“Here, here,” Felix agreed as both headed toward the window. When Ethan did not move the ghost turned to him quizzically. “Um, Ethan? Hellllloooo.”

“It really isn’t his fault,” Ethan said, staring at the doorway the boy had gone through before turning to the others. “If you guys don’t mind, I think that maybe I’ll…”

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

“I cannot believe he stayed behind just to comfort that sulking Meatbag,” Felix grumbled as he phased through the front door of the clan’s house.

“You know, if I didn’t know any better, Kitten,” Andre said as he opened the door and walked in the normal way. “I’d say that you were jealous.”

“Jealous!? I am not jealous!” Felix snapped at the vampire.

“Oh, my dear, me thinks thou protests too much,” Andre teased as he strolled down the hallway toward the sitting room.

“I’ll protest your face,” Felix muttered as he followed after the other.

“Felix, that doesn’t make any sense,” a voice said as they entered the destined room.

Cora and Faith were sitting on the couch and stood as soon as the other two entered the room.

“Has something happened?” Faith asked worriedly. “We were concerned when we awoke to find the three of you gone…where is Ethan?”

“Oh, probably holding Nicoli in his big, strong arms as he whispers sweet nothings into his ear,” Andre said with a leer towards the spirit.

“I am going to punch your face in then poke out your other eye if you don’t shut up,” Felix growled.

“Please, enough, Andre,” Cora said with a shake of her head. “What happened?”

“Well, there’s nothing to fuss over. We just ran into a bit of trouble. Don’t worry your pretty little heads over it.”

As if summoned by the word “trouble” Conrad and Gavin appeared behind Andre and Felix. The clan leader did not look pleased.

“I’ll be the judge of that, Andre,” he said in an icy tone. “Why did the three of you leave the house in such a hurry?”

Andre sighed and let his head fall forward. He knew Conrad would pounce on him the second he returned home. He turned to the clan leader with his most charming of smiles.

“All right, if you really want to know,” he said. “Owen made his move, as we knew he would, but he did something wholly unexpected.”

“Unexpected? I thought you knew him inside and out,” Cora said, finding it hard to believe that her sire could be surprised by anything the vampire hunter did.

“I thought so too,” Andre said, his good humor dissipating. “But time changes all people, I suppose. Instead of singling one of us out, like we had thought he would, he went after Nicoli.”

“What?” Cora said in surprise.

“Is he okay?” Faith asked.

“Eh, he’s fine, a little ruffled, but the Meatbag will live,” Felix told her.

“What did he want from the boy?” Conrad asked.

“He tried to coax Nicoli into telling him where we’ve hidden the book by using a few scare tactics,” Andre answered.

“And, before you ask, I was the one that mentioned to Nicoli where the book was, so yes, he knew,” Felix confessed before Conrad could utter the question he knew was coming. He flinched at the glare he received, but found it better to be up front about it.

“This could be very problematic,” Gavin said in a low voice.

“Yes, very,” Conrad agreed. “Do you know if the boy told him? I’d like to know beforehand if we’ll have to move the book to a safer place. Though, I’m betting I already know the answer.” He looked from Andre to Felix and back, waiting for his answer.

Andre felt his gut flip. He did not want to rat Nicoli out, but lying to his clan leader would not be wise in any situation.

“Well, you see, Conrad, Owen was using great physical and psychological force on Nicoli–”

“But he didn’t give in,” Felix finished for him.

All of the vampires looked at the spirit and Felix was particularly aware of Andre’s stunned expression, but he didn’t flinch.

“No matter what Omen did Nicoli kept his mouth shut. He was willing to be pushed off what he thought was Banshee Cliffs in order to protect the location of the book, sir,” Felix told Conrad.

“Andre, is this true?” Conrad asked slowly, his eyes full of suspicion as they slid over to the one eyed vampire.

“Yes, completely,” Andre quipped, quick to play along. “The boy just would not break. He said he’d rather die than betray our trust.”

There was a stony silence as Conrad sized both of them up. What no one else knew was that he was having a private, mental conversation with Gavin.

“Are they lying?” he asked.

“I’m sorry, Sir, I will not be able to tell you,” Gavin said. “I am unable to detect the deceit of spirits and I have never been able to unravel what comes from Andre as truth or fiction.”

Conrad heaved a sigh through his nose and gave a piercing gaze to both Andre and Felix before turning on his heel and making his leave.

“Fine. Andre, I’d like you to come with me and give a full report on what happened,” he said as he left the room.

“Awe, now? But, Uncle, I’m hungry and tired. Can’t we do that after I go feed?” Andre whined.

“Now, Andre!” Conrad barked back.

Andre let out a groan and shook his head. Why always him? His eyebrows perked as Cora came up to his side and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

“Just go and I’ll treat you to a night out. I’m glad you’re okay considering whom it was you had to deal with,” she told him softly.

“Ah, my dear, you know me. I always bounce back on my feet,” Andre said with a small smile and a kiss to her forehead. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I better go tell Uncle what he wants to hear.” He gave a slight wave before disappearing from the room.

Felix waited till he was sure the vampires had gone into what Conrad had claimed as his den before letting out a deep sigh.

“You just lied to my father, didn’t you?” Faith asked with a knowing smile.

“No, of course not…maybe…yeah,” Felix confessed as the two women stared at him with their arms crossed. “But not really, if you think about it. Nicoli almost told Omen, but he didn’t. So, it’s not really lying. I just knew if we told Conrad that it was an almost he’d never let Nicoli live it down.”

“Wow, so you actually covered for the kid?” Cora asked. “And here we thought you didn’t like him.”

“I don’t! And I never will,” Felix said. “It’s just, I know what it was like to have Conrad breathing down my neck with every move I made just because I was human. It can be hard and…I don’t know, I guess I just wanted to give the guy a break. Besides, at one point Omen tried to shoot Ethan and Nicoli was going to take the bullet for him without even thinking. For that I owe him one.”

“Awe, Felix, so you do have a soft spot,” Faith said, beaming at the ghost with pride. She too knew that her fathers feelings towards Nicoli would have gone even further south if he knew the truth and she did not find fault in Felix’s little white lie. Her father could just be too judgmental.

“Yes, that’s so sweet of you,” Cora crooned.

“Hey, shut it, the both of you,” Felix snapped, a bit of gray appearing around his cheeks. “I’m the meanest, coldest spirit around and don’t you forget it and if either of you tells Nicoli what I did I’ll make your lives hell.”

“Ooooooooh we’re so scared!” Faith and Cora chorused then fell into peels of laughter at the expense of a very flustered Felix.

==================================================Ch. 31 End