Moonlight Denial: Shades of Moonlight Book One

Nicoli shielded his eyes as he emerged from the school. It was a cold day, but bright and sunny once more, which was starting to aggravate him. He wanted more rain.

“I’m tired of school,” Amelia complained as she walked beside him. “Thanksgiving break needs to get here already.”

“Amen to that,” Nicoli agreed as they strolled down the stairs. It was nice to walk calmly and without panic like the day before. They figured Trevor must have had something more important to do not to come after Nicoli once the bell rang.

“So, any plans for this afternoon?” Nicoli asked.

“Nah, not really. I have to go home and do a bunch of chores. Mom says the attic is getting out of control,” Amelia told him with a dejected sigh.

“Oh, that sucks,” Nicoli said with a sympathetic pat. He had been hoping the two could go do something together, but he knew better than to come between a friend and their chores and it wasn’t like he was going to offer to help either.

“What about you?” Amelia asked.

“Nope. Just gonna head home and relax, I guess,” he said, his plans derailed. “Not much else to do, really. Small towns don’t offer much choices.”

“That’s because you have no imagination,” Amelia said with a sigh and a shake of her head. “And if you call my town boring again I’m going to rip a chunk of your hair out.”

Nicoli covered his head with his arms and took a few cautious steps away from her. He liked his hair just where it was.

“I didn’t call Whixton boring…not directly anyway,” he muttered.

Amelia just shook her head again and settled for punching Nicoli in the side. After he recovered a bit and stopped whimpering in pain the two exchanged their goodbyes and went their separate ways.

“I wonder if this counts as abuse,” Nicoli muttered as he rubbed his aching side. “Maybe I should check into one of those shelters for abused men.”

As Nicoli walked home he felt uneasy and constantly looked over his shoulder, peeked around every corner, and studied shadows with intense scrutiny, just in cause Omen decided to pop out and grab him again.

Two days ago he had had Andre with him, which had given him a great sense of relief and safety. Yesterday he was just as nervous, but, luckily, Ethan had been awake and had given him assurances of his safety all the way home. That was a nice thing about the mind link. Instant pep talks via mental communication would be enough to soothe anyone’s nerves.

He looked up into the blue sky that had fluffy white clouds blotting out some of its blue. He gave a small sigh as he gazed at the endless sky. Every time he thought about Ethan he was immediately reminded of their night together. It was too good not to think about. The memory of the intense pleasure he received never failed to make him squirm and cause a hot pool of lust to collect in his loins. He wanted more. It was natural for him. He could go a long time without sex, if need be, but once he had it he was a greedy bastard and wanted it as much as possible. Give him an inch and he’d take the whole damn mile.

Of course, their sexual encounter was creating a new problem. He did not regret it in any way and knew it would be repeated, but what he didn’t see coming was how annoying Ethan was going to get afterwards. Along with the reassurances yesterday Ethan had also slipped in many innuendos and, even though Nicoli didn’t think it was possible, Ethan was able to spark his lust with just a few words. Nicoli hoped Ethan would get it out of his system, but that night, as Nicoli tried to sleep, Ethan had whispered heated words into his mind and as much as Nicoli yelled and cursed at him he had still been aroused to the point that he literally had to take matters into his own hands.

The sex was nice, but Nicoli wasn’t going to tolerate Ethan’s antics, but there was little he could do. Ethan could come and go in Nicoli’s head as he pleased and, at that point, Nicoli didn’t have the skills to stop him and it wasn’t like Ethan had offered to help in that department. He had to learn, though, not only to prevent Ethan from sexually arousing him at inopportune times, but also just to have the security that he could have his mind to himself when he wanted to. The only question now…was how?

Nicoli was brought out of his musing by a sharp whistle that pierced the air. He blinked at the sudden noise and raised his head to look around. That’s when he spotted two familiar figures across the street.

“What the heck?” he muttered. It was Cora and Gavin. They were directly across from him and Cora waved with a smile then gestured for him to come to them.

Nicoli found it rather peculiar for them to show up. First Andre and now them. It was like he was being visited by random members of the clan every other day. What was next, Conrad and Faith were going to pay him a visit? But Cora and Gavin must have come to see him for a reason, so he quickly looked both ways to make sure no cars were coming before sprinting across the street.

“Hey, guys, how’s it going?” he asked when he reached them.

“Oh, everything is just fine,” Cora said, twirling her dark purple umbrella between her hands.

Gavin said nothing but gave a nod in greeting. As silent as ever, Nicoli noted. With Cora’s twirling of her umbrella he realized that Gavin had no such protection. He found it peculiar, but held back from asking about it right then.

“Soooooo, what’s up? What are you guys doing here? Just taking a leisurely stroll?” he asked, curious as to the nature of their visit.

“You can say that,” Cora replied. “We were actually going to the library.”

“The library. Why?”

“Conrad wants us to see if there is any information in the archives that would help us learn more about Miss Mary-Weather or the book,” Gavin answered, making Nicoli jump. He hadn’t expected him to speak and Gavin’s deep, rumbling voice was enough to startle Nicoli under normal circumstances.

“Oh, so do you think you’ll be able to find anything useful?” he asked them after composing himself.

“We can always hope,” Cora said. “And Conrad also asked that you come with us.”

“Really?” Nicoli said, surprise clear in his face. “Why?” he then asked suspiciously. Conrad didn’t like him, that was more than obvious to everybody, so why would he want Nicoli to tag along with members of his clan?

“Well, you’ve already been through the archives, right?” Cora asked.

“Kinda, only the oldest and the most recent and I wasn’t paying much attention when I did it,” Nicoli admitted and couldn’t help but notice when Gavin raised a brow quizzically.

“Even so, Conrad thinks you might be able to help us and we can always use another set of eyes,” she told him.

If anything that sentence alone would be enough to shock Nicoli right out of his shoes. Conrad thought he’d be able to help? That he’d be useful? Was that possible? Maybe Conrad didn’t fully detest him after all.

“He also thought that we would be able to keep on eye on you this way, so that Omen does not have a chance to abduct you again,” Gavin added.

And just like that Nicoli’s balloon of hope deflated and his face fell, obviously crushed.

“Oh…okay,” he muttered dejectedly. That made more sense anyway. Conrad didn’t think he was useful he just wanted to make sure there was no chance for Nicoli to blab again.

Cora threw Gavin a “What the hell did you say that for?” look before giving Nicoli a kind smile.

“We really could use your help,” she said, trying to boost his spirits again. “So, what do you say? Would you like to come along?”

“Uh, sure, it’s not like I have anything better to do,” Nicoli said. He also felt it wouldn’t be smart to decline if he ever wanted to be “In” with the clan. What better way to get to know them better then by being a cheerful little helper?

“Let us make haste then,” Gavin said. “From what I’ve heard we have much to search through.” Without waiting Gavin turned on his heel and made for the direction of the library.

Nicoli couldn’t help but tilt his head and stare after him strangely. Gavin was a very odd man to say the least. He was quiet and seemed very deadpan in the way he interacted with others, like he had no emotion whatsoever. Even Conrad showed a bit more feeling in his words and actions.

“Don’t worry,” Cora said, bringing him back to reality as she placed her hand on his shoulder and nudged him to start walking. “You get used to him.”

“Obvious what I was thinking, huh?” he asked.

“Very, but most everyone is a bit perplexed by Gavin when they first meet him, myself included. But, like I said, you get used to his behavior and will even find it an endearing part of him.”

Nicoli looked forward to stare at Gavin’s back. He felt he wouldn’t get used to the seemingly cold man, but he had said that about other things, like the mind link, and he had become accustomed to them over time. Cora was probably right and he’d get used to Gavin once he got to know him better.

As the trio went on their way Nicoli took out his cell phone to call home. Both of his parents were home, since Lance was still out of commission while the worksite was being inspected, and whipping up a quick story Nicoli told his mother that he was heading to the library to research another essay he had to do. Laura believed him and told him not to get home too late. When he said his goodbyes and hung up he sighed. The sigh was just heavy enough to catch Cora’s attention.

“Is something wrong?” she asked him.

“No,” Nicoli said as he slipped his cell into his pocket. “Well, yeah…kinda…I guess.”

“That’s not vague at all,” Cora said with a laugh. “I’ll be happy to take it off your chest for you if you’d like.”

“Well, it’s just ever since I’ve met Ethan I’ve had to lie to my parents and my friends over and over and over. I’ll admit I’m not one to ever shy away from lying when I need to, but…” He trailed off, unable to express what he was feeling at the moment.

“You’re not used to giving constant lies and they’re starting to weigh heavy,” Cora finished for him.

“Yeah, something like that,” he confirmed, happy that someone could give words for it.

“I’m not going to lie, no pun intended, but when you find yourself in these kinds of situations lying is all you can do,” she said. “I’m not saying that lying is the right way to go about it. Lying is never the right thing to do, but sometimes it’s a necessary evil. You’re trying to protect your family and we can all understand that. I’m sure if you had told your mother just now that you were going to the library with two vampires to find clues to the whereabouts of three, all powerful Hearts that she would be less than happy about it.”

Nicoli couldn’t help but laugh, picturing how his mother would react if he had said something along those lines.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure she’d pop a blood vessel,” he agreed.

“So, you see, lying may never be the right thing to do, but at the moment its less harmful than the truth and you don’t have to worry about your mom chasing you down to drag you home by your ear,” Cora said with a smile.

“Very true…thanks, Cora,” he said, grateful for her hearing him out.

“No problem. This all must be very hard for you, being so young. If I can do anything to make it even a little easier I’ll be happy to,” she said.

Again Nicoli felt that peculiar feeling of acceptance wiggle within his chest. With how Conrad openly disliked him it was nice to see that the others were willing to give him a chance and he eagerly wanted to jump on Cora’s offer to help. She could give him some insight on what to do with his current problem.

“Actually there is one thing that maybe you could help me with,” he said tentatively.

“Oh? And what’s that?” she asked.

“You know about Ethan and I being connected by this mind link thing, how we can speak to each other mentally and all that.”

“Yes, it’s a common ability among vampires. It’s a major part on how we communicate with each other,” Cora said.

“Right, well, I am having one very major issue with it,” he told her.

“What kind of issue?”

“Well, Ethan can share his thoughts with me or he can shut me out when he doesn’t want me to hear them. I on the other hand do not have that luxury. Unless Ethan is blocking me out he can hear everything that I’m thinking and there are just some thoughts I’d rather keep to myself but I can’t,” he explained.

“Oh,” Cora murmured. Her eyes then widened when the full magnitude of his words hit her. “Oh! You poor thing. I could see how that would get frustrating, especially being linked to a brat like Ethan.”

“Yes, and every time I complain to Ethan about it he tells me I need to train my mind so I can open and close the link whenever I want…the only problem with that is he hasn’t made any effort to show me how and I have no clue how to go about that on my own,” he said.

Cora released a light sigh.

“Sounds just like Ethan. Telling but never doing.” She was silent for a moment before her eyes lit up with a thought and she bent down closer to Nicoli. “You know, the person who could help you the most with this is Gavin,” she said in a hushed voice.

“Gavin? Really?” Nicoli asked, lowering his voice to match hers. He glanced at Gavin who still had a lead on them and he wondered if what Cora said was true.

“Yes, he’s very adept in the ways of the mind and is a wonderful instructor to others that want and are willing to learn.”

“Yeah, Felix did mention that he was like your guys’ teacher or something,” Nicoli muttered, thinking back on the ghosts words.

“He is and I’m sure he’d be the perfect one to help you with your little problem.”

“Do you really think he’d be willing to help me though?” Nicoli asked doubtfully.

Before Cora could reply Gavin’s voice drifted over them like a thick blanket.

“If you would like to discuss something with me I would appreciate being spoken to directly, not in whispers behind my back,” he said without turning to look at them.

A jolt of surprise shot through Nicoli and his face reddened at having been caught talking about Gavin. He looked to Cora for instruction on what to do and she gently urged him forward. He took in a deep breath to fortify his resolve before he went into a trot to catch up to Gavin.

“Uh, sorry about all that,” Nicoli muttered in apology as he came beside Gavin. He found that he still needed to trot somewhat to keep up with Gavin’s speedy strides.

“We can all be creatures of gossip. I will not fault you for that,” Gavin replied.

“Er, thanks. So…would it be all right if I asked you something?” Nicoli inquired uncertainly.

“You can ask me anything you like. But it depends on the question whether I’ll answer or not.”

“Oh…” Nicoli glanced back at Cora who was a couple steps behind them, hoping she’d be able to help him with this. Cora gave him an encouraging smile and nodded for him to continue.

“Well, you see, I’m having a real problem sharing my mind with Ethan. I’d like to be able to shut him out and let him in on my terms sometimes, not his. I’ve heard what a great teacher you are and I was wondering if you could maybe help me with this,” he said. “Please?” he quickly added.

Gavin did not reply immediately, but by the look of his eyes Nicoli knew that he was thinking it over. With bated breath Nicoli waited for a reply, hoping it was going to be an answer he would like.

“I can see why you would want to train your mind,” Gavin finally said. “Having it subjected to Ethan alone would drive anyone mad.”

“You’re telling me,” Nicoli grumbled.

“It may be best overall if I train your mind anyway,” Gavin said slowly and thoughtfully.

“What do you mean?” Nicoli asked.

“The mind link is only as strong as the person who forged it and the one who is linked by it. Ethan is not known for his mental prowess and by the simple fact that you can’t keep him out shows that your mental capabilities are low also, which is normal for humans,” Gavin explained.

Nicoli frowned. He hated being reminded that he wasn’t strong like the others given the simple fact that he was human.

“What this means is,” Gavin continued. “That if someone much stronger comes along and wants the secrets that are in your mind bad enough, that person could easily break through the mind link and that would have horrible repercussions on you.”

“…what?” Nicoli said meekly, not having heard any of this before. He assumed that once the mind link was done he was protected against all kinds of mental invasions save for Ethan. He never heard that someone could break the link. “What kind of repercussions?”

“Simply put that if anyone were to ever successfully break the link between you by force you would be snapped mentally and, if the damage is severe enough, you could die.”

Nicoli froze, stopping so abruptly that Cora almost ran into him. His mouth hung open and he stared at Gavin in complete alarm as the man stopped to look back at him.

“Die?” he repeated, feeling cold. He had faced death too many times already, but he never expected that the one thing that was supposed to protect him could also kill him. “Why was I not told about this?”

“Well, I’m guessing that if Ethan told you that part that you wouldn’t have agreed to it,” Cora said with a sheepish smile.

“Damn straight I wouldn’t have agreed to it!” Nicoli exclaimed then quickly hushed and looked around to make sure no one saw or noticed his outburst. When he was sure the street was deserted he turned back to the vampires. “If I had known that after this was done that I could get killed by someone that just waltzes in and breaks the link like a twig I would have never gone through with it. What the hell am I supposed to do?”

“Calm yourself, Nicoli,” Gavin said, and, if Nicoli didn’t know any better, he could have sworn that a touch of softness had entered Gavin’s tone. “If both you and Ethan can strengthen the mind link then there is no reason you can’t fend off someone that tries to break it. I will agree to help you not only so you can have your privacy from Ethan, but so you can protect yourself from malicious intruders, also.”

“Really?” Nicoli said, not able to hide his surprise and excitement. “Thank you so much, don’t worry I’ll be a really good student,” he promised.

“As long as you are more inclined to learn than Ethan we should not have a problem,” Gavin said before turning from him and continuing on his way, but before he had Nicoli could have sworn he saw a shadow of a smile on his face, but then brushed it off as a trick from the sun.

With his thoughts to himself now in sight Nicoli let out a quiet whoop and did a little jump while pumping his fist into the air. Cora laughed at the display and the two went after Gavin. The day had just taken on an even sunnier disposition.

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

After arriving at the library the three immediately went to the archives section to begin their search. It went slow. Painfully slow. Even though Nicoli was witness to Cora and Gavin’s amazing speed reading abilities – it looked as though they spent half a second at most on each page before flipping to the next – the material had to be looked over more than once to make sure nothing was missed. Something that was hard for Nicoli. He hated history with a passion and he soon found his eyes glazing over and had to reread entire paragraphs numerous times. Having to be thorough made it even more difficult to keep his concentration. Near the end of the first hour Nicoli was beginning to side with Conrad. He wasn’t going to be any help at all and maybe it was best that he was just there so the two vampires could babysit him.

Cora came out from the archives bookshelf with one of the folders in her hands. She paced down the length of the other shelves until she reached the tables where Nicoli was seated. The upper floor was completely deserted save for them, and it made their searching that much easier.

She was quickly flipping through the pages and her eyes were roving over each page and word lightening fast. She paced around the tables for a while, finding that moving while she read helped her. When she finished the entire folder she closed it and sighed.

“Nothing, absolutely nothing,” she muttered. Something she was saying a lot as time stretched on. She glanced over at Nicoli, who was hunched over another folder. She noticed that he had taken his notebook from his backpack and was leisurely scribbling in it. Thinking he found something she went over to take a look.

“Having any luck?” she asked as she came up behind him and looked over his shoulder.

Nicoli let out an amusing squeak and jumped. When he realized who it was that had snuck up on him he pressed the notebook to his chest and looked up at her with a shaky smile.

“Uh, no, haven’t found anything yet. Still looking, though,” he told her that same smile seemingly plastered to his face.

Cora raised a brow while staring him suspiciously. She set down her folder on the table and put the hand on her hip.

“All right, what are you really up to?” she asked, grabbing for the notebook.

“Nothing! I’m not up to anything,” Nicoli insisted, using all of his strength to hold the notebook to him, but Cora was stronger and pried it away from him and took it.

“Never try to out muscle a vampire,” she said with a smirk. “Now, let’s see here…” Both her brows rose this time when she looked over the sheet of paper Nicoli had been doodling on.

What she saw was all the names of the clan. In the middle was Conrad’s name and a line went down from there to Ethan and Faith’s names. Around the side was Andre and Cora’s name was below his with another line and Gavin’s name was sketched near the top corner with a few question marks after it.

“What is this?” Cora asked, looking down at Nicoli. “It looks like some kind of family tree.”

“Er, well, kind of,” Nicoli murmured, tapping his fingers on the desk. “Sorry, I get bored easily and I’ve kinda been curious on how you guys are all related, so I was trying to figure it out,” he explained, moving his fingers in the air and crossing them like he was connecting imaginary lines.

Cora chuckled as she took the seat next to Nicoli and sat down.

“It’s not that confusing, is it?” she asked.

“Well, Conrad, Ethan and Faith are easy,” Nicoli said. He leaned over to point at the names when Cora set the notebook down. “A sire and two fledglings. Not rocket science. And I know that you’re Andre’s fledgling, but I don’t know who made him. Ethan always calls him cousin and Andre calls Conrad ‘Uncle’, so it’s obviously not Conrad…is Isaak his sire?” he inquired with a tilt of his head. He decided to take a guess at one of Conrad’s brothers. He knew, including Conrad, that there were three of them, but he had no idea if Conrad had any other Blood Siblings to speak of.

Cora’s eyes widened in surprise at his question.

“You know about Isaak?” she asked.

“Yeah, Ethan mentioned him to me once, but he didn’t say much about him. Just that Isaak is Conrad’s Twice Sibling. So, am I right?” It was a tried and true guess, but it also had a secret motive. He was hoping that, if he was wrong, Andre’s sire would really be Dimitri and if that was true maybe Nicoli would be able to get some information out of Cora about the mysterious brother. From the way Felix acted the last time he brought Dimitri up he didn’t want to ask about the man directly, so he thought this was the best way to do it.

Cora chuckled as she took Nicoli’s pencil and erased both her name and Andre’s.

“Well, Nicoli, you’d be exactly right,” she told him as she began scribbling on the paper.

“I am?” he asked, feeling just a tinge of disappointment.

“Yes, see, this is how the family tree looks,” she said as she showed him what she had done. A line now ran from the side of Conrad’s name and ended in Isaak’s. A line then ran down from his name to Andre’s and another line finished in Cora’s name.

“Oh, not as confusing as I first thought,” Nicoli murmured as he looked it over.

“Nope, as simple as simple can be. Andre’s my sire and Isaak was his and since he and Conrad were siblings in both senses Ethan and Faith are related to us,” Cora said with a nod.

“…Cora, can I ask you a question?”

“Sure, go ahead,” she said.

“I’ve noticed that you’ve never called Andre your father,” Nicoli said as he crossed his arms and rested them on the table. “Ethan and Faith call Conrad dad all the time, but you’ve never done so with Andre. How come?” He figured it was a silly question, but one that had him curious nevertheless.

“There’s a good reason for that,” Cora said as she leaned back in her chair. “For one, I love Andre to death, but does he really seem like a father figure to you?”

“Er, I guess not. Actually you seem more like the adult in the relationship.”

“Very true,” Cora said with a sigh. “Something I’m reminded of everyday. But there’s a bigger reason why I don’t call Andre ‘Father.’”

“Why?” Nicoli asked, becoming very intrigued.

“Because my real father would have quite a problem with it and would probably strangle Andre till there was nothing left of his neck,” Cora said with a light laugh.

“Your…real father?” Nicoli said, so distracted by the odd words that he completely missed her joke. “Wait, you’re real family is still alive?”

The laughter left her features and she stared at Nicoli with just as much bewilderment as he had.

“Yes, they are. Is that so shocking?” she asked.

“Well, yeah. How old are you?”

Cora was taken aback by the question, but then her face reddened and she scowled as she crossed her arms.

“Come now, Nicoli. I know you’re young but even you should know never to ask a woman her age,” she scolded him. “But I’ll let you know that I’m just a little over one hundred years old,” she said. “Which is still young for a vampire,” she quickly answered.

“Over a hundred?” Nicoli mouthed, and he was even more confused than before. “If that’s true then how is your family still alive?”

If anything Cora’s gaze became just as confused as he felt.

“Well, because, Nicoli, werewolves may not live as long as vampires, but they still live quite a while,” she told him.

At this point Nicoli’s jaw went completely slack and it took a few seconds for his brain to kick back in.

“W-Whoa, wait…what?” he said, stumbling over his words as he tried to recover from his shock. “Your family…they’re werewolves? All of them?” he asked.

“Immediate family, yes. My parents and my little brother are all werewolves,” she told him, as if it was completely natural.

“…how did that happen?” Nicoli asked. “Did they get randomly attacked by werewolves and you escaped only to become a vampire?”

“What?” Cora asked before laughing. “No, no, that’s ridiculous,” she said. “I was born in a werewolf pack and that’s why they’re werewolves.” She then shook her head as she continued to chuckle. “Randomly attacked. That’s funny.”

Nicoli’s mouth refused to close and he tried desperately several times to form words, but none would come to him. Finally he shook his head to try and loosen something in his brain and was able to find his voice.

“Okay, wait, I’m seriously, seriously not getting this,” he said as he rubbed his temples. “So, you were a werewolf and got turned into a vampire? Is that possible?”

“What? Nooooo, no, no, no,” Cora said with a shake of her head. “Believe me, that’s not possible. Werewolves cannot become vampires and vice-versa and I have never been a werewolf. I don’t understand why you’re not…” Cora trailed off and then her mouth became a perfect O as realization struck her. “Ethan hasn’t told you how werewolves work, has he?” she asked.

“Um no. I actually didn’t know werewolves existed until just now. My knowledge is just of vampires and a little bit of witches,” he answered.

“Well no wonder you’re confused then. I’m sorry, I just assumed that you knew about werewolves and my background, but I guess I shouldn’t be surprised since your fountain of knowledge only stems from Ethan. That man is nothing but a trickle,” she said with a chuckle.

“I so agree,” Nicoli said with a smirk. “But you’re here now so why don’t you enlighten me. How could you have been born in a werewolf pack and never have been a werewolf?”

“Well, let’s see, where do I begin,” Cora muttered as she crossed her legs and rested her hands in her lap. “I guess I can start by saying that whatever your preconceived notions of werewolves are is probably wrong. Silver bullets or anything of the sort aren’t the only ways to kill werewolves. They’re strong and have a high regenerative rate, but a regular bullet to the head, or damaging any other important organs for that matter, will do the trick also. Werewolves also do not need the full moon to change that’s pure myth. The moon is an essential part of the change, true, but it can be done in any phase of the moon except for a new moon,” she explained.

“How come?” Nicoli asked. He had his cheek resting in the palm of his hand as he listened intently to her, eager to hear all about another paranormal creature he hadn’t though existed.

“Because there is no moonlight during that night,” she explained. “Old legends say that the existence of the werewolf is tied directly to the moon and if there is no moon to give its light then there can be no change.”

“So does that mean if it’s cloudy they can’t change either?”

“They can because there is still moonlight. Whether it is cloudy or not does not matter. There just needs to be the existence of moonlight in order for the change to occur. Now, here is where my true point of werewolves comes in that deals with my situation,” she said. “There is no such thing as a hereditary werewolf.”

“Really?” Nicoli asked, struck by awe and wonder. “So no werewolf can ever be born?”

“Nope, you see, the bite that turns a human into a werewolf changes everything but the reproductive organs. So, while the person is a full blooded werewolf those certain organs are still considered human. Why this happens no one is really sure. Some have speculated it could be to make sure that the werewolf population doesn’t get out of hand, but that’s not conclusive,” she told him.

“So, that means werewolves give birth to humans, right? And that’s why you were never a werewolf?” Nicoli asked and received a nod in confirmation. “Wait, isn’t it kind of dangerous for werewolves to be taking care of human children? Isn’t there that whole animal instinct, out of control thing to worry about?”

Cora chuckled at the question.

“Well, yes, new werewolves have that problem, but veterans can keep full control of themselves. That’s also a lie that all werewolves are out of control animals. Yes, they do have to deal with animal like instincts, but they still have what you would call an intelligent human mind and are able to prevent themselves from being raving beasts. But it’s true that it’s sort of hard for werewolves to raise human children. That is why most packs are split into two segments. Those that are the actual werewolves and the humans that were born in the pack but decided to stay human. See the wolves in the pack stay focused with pack like things, like keeping order, defending territory and all that. The humans in the pack help the others blend in with human society and also help raise the human children, especially when the wolves of the pack have to go through their change.”

“Huh, so you can either become a werewolf or stay a human. That’d be a weird choice,” Nicoli muttered.

“Oh, it is, believe me and for some it’s a really hard choice. But luckily that choice doesn’t come till a member of the pack turns eighteen, so they have some time to consider their choices and even when that time comes they don’t need to make the decision right away, they can decide to change or not throughout their entire lives,” Cora said.

“Sooo…what about you? How did you end up becoming a vampire?” Nicoli asked.

“Oh, well, that’s an interesting story,” she said with an awkward smile. “You see I always felt a bit…out of place growing up. I knew the choice that was before me when I reached maturity and, to tell the truth, I didn’t like either of them. I guess you can say I never really had the ‘Heart of the Wolf’ as my brother Riley calls it, but I also wasn’t looking forward to a life as a human. I never really knew why I felt that way, still don’t, but I knew I wouldn’t be happy as either.”

Nicoli watched as she looked off, as if she had left the library and went back to that time in her past.

“But there was a light at the end of the tunnel for me,” she said, coming out of her revere with a smile. “When I was eleven my pack made an alliance with a vampire clan in an attempt to strengthen the treaty between werewolves and vampires.”

“Wait there’s a treaty? Why? Are werewolves and vampires enemies?” Nicoli asked.

“They used to be, yes. Way back when, werewolves and vampires were always at odds with each other. Whether it be over hunting grounds or living territory, the two species were always at each others throats. In fact the treaty between the two was established recently. Only about two hundred years ago. Werewolves and vampires realized they had to put their differences aside in order to deal with the modern age that was steadily coming upon them. In this modern world it’s almost impossible to stay in the shadows and go unnoticed, especially if you’re at war with another race. That was why the treaty was formed, so werewolves and vampires could live in peace with each other and not draw attention to themselves,” Cora clarified. “It’s been hard on both sides, and squabbles still break out from time to time, but everyone is a lot happier and a lot safer this way.

“But back to my story,” she said, getting back on track. “We had a party to celebrate the union of my pack and the vampire clan and it was the first time I had ever seen any creatures like them and I soon found myself enthralled by both their beauty and nobility. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you who those vampires were.”

“Conrad and the others?” Nicoli guessed.

“Exactly right. Throughout the night, though, I found myself drawn to one vampire in particular. He was a suave man with a laugh that rang like music and an air about him that just made me feel so at ease in his presence. I was also mesmerized by his eyes that shined and sparkled like gold. He was the most breathtaking man I had ever met and still is in his own way.”

“I’m guessing you’re talking about Andre,” Nicoli said with a grin.

“You’re two for two. Of course, now that I’m older he doesn’t quite hold me in as much rapture as when I was a child, but back then I would have swam the seven seas just to be near him. That night a friendship sparked between us, one that carried on for years afterwards. Since the clan and my pack were “friends” to a certain extent it gave me an excuse to be around Andre whenever they happened into town. Over time, and as my time as an adult drew nearer, I revealed my doubts and fears to Andre and asked for his help on what to do. He made a humorous comment that maybe I should just let him turn me into a vampire and join the dark side as his fledgling. He meant it as a joke, of course, but what he didn’t know is that I took it seriously. That seed that he planted soon bloomed into a full blown idea and soon an obsession. I knew what I wanted. I wanted to become a vampire. But I kept that to my self and chewed on it for a few more years until I was brave enough to speak of this thought,” she said.

“Why?” Nicoli asked, lifting his head from his hand with furrowed brows. “Why would you wait so long?”

“Because you have to understand, Nicoli, even though the werewolves and vampires were at peace with each other, it was still a rather shaky peace, and a member of a pack leaving to join the ranks of the vampires would be seen as a great sign of disrespect and possibly even an act of betrayal against the pack, against all packs, against all werewolf kind.” Cora’s voice had been steadily rising as she spoke and she took in a deep breath and slowly released it when she finished.

“Wow,” Nicoli said, sitting back as he blinked at her. “Yeah, I can kinda see why you waited so long then.”

“Yeeeah,” she said in a long sigh. “I knew what I was getting myself into. There was a strong possibility that if I voiced my desire I would be ostracized not only from my pack, but my entire family. I knew those were the risks, but I knew if I didn’t try I would never be happy. It’s what I wanted and I was willing to do anything to get it. My moment of selfishness, if you will.”

“So what happened?” Nicoli asked anxiously.

“Pretty much what I thought was going to happen. My family was in shock when I told them and then my father blew up and rampaged about it for days. Forbidding me from ever associating with the clan ever again or even thinking about them and went so far as to locking me in my room. Think about it, a twenty-four year old woman locked in her room like a child,” she said with a huff. “After a week he finally settled down enough for my mother to talk some sense into him. She knew how miserable I was and, like every good mother, just wanted me happy, even though she wasn’t too keen about the whole idea either. I never loved my mother more than when she stood up for me and I owe her more than I could ever repay,” she said, a sense of fondness coming to her voice. “Then after lots and lots and lots of convincing, my father finally saw where my mother and I were coming from and begrudgingly agreed to the idea.”

“So then you were able to become a vampire and keep your family?” Nicoli asked, a smile beginning to show, but it was quickly swept away by Cora’s next words.

“It wasn’t that easy. You see the easy part was getting my family to agree. The hard part came in getting the same result from the alpha of the pack. Even though I was human I was still part of the pack, his pack and I needed his consent before I could even think of acting upon my wishes. My future literally rested in his hands. The convincing dance started all over again and my parents spoke on my behalf. Having my father on board was the real key because he and our alpha were playmates when they were young and they had remained friends throughout their lives and who better to convince the leader than his closest friend?

“It took months for him to make a decision. I mean, a human from a pack wanting to be a vampire? It was unheard of. He’s a careful man, and meticulously went through all the pros and cons if he went one way or the other. He called in Conrad and Andre both and spoke at lengths with them privately about what my fate would be if he agreed. Finally, one day he came to me and told me that he would allow me to become a vampire and join Conrad’s clan, but what shocked me, though, was that he said I would always be part of his pack and was welcomed to be with them anytime I wanted. So, with the blessing of the pack, I went through with the turning and have been with the clan ever since.”

“Sounds like a happily ever after to me,” Nicoli said, letting the smile from before shine through.

“More or less. There have been a few bumps along the way, but I don’t regret my decision,” she replied, returning his smile.

“Sheesh, you’re a lot more interesting than I first thought you were. Here I thought you were just some smokin’ hot chick that Andre picked up,” Nicoli said teasingly with a waggle of his brows.

Cora tried to quiet her laughter by covering her mouth with her hand, and once the laugh diminished she fluttered her eyelashes at him.

“Really now? That just goes to show you to not let a pretty face fool you,” she cooed as she ran her finger along the underside of Nicoli’s chin.

A shiver went through Nicoli and he had to stop himself from purring at her playfully. He was beginning to see that he was really going to like Cora’s company. As they both chuckled he picked up his notebook to put it away, but before he closed it his eyes scanned the page and he stopped.

“Hey, wait a minute,” he said as he zeroed in on one particular piece of the paper.

“What?” Cora asked, leaning over to see what got his attention.

“You left out Gavin,” he said as he held up the notebook to show her. “You didn’t tell me how he’s related to you guys.”

“Oh, whoops,” Cora said as she studied the scribbled name. “I did, didn’t I? I was so caught up in the werewolf talk that I forgot about that part.” With a uncomfortable chuckle she glanced at the archives bookshelf where Gavin had slunk off to, to make sure the man hadn’t over heard her blunder.

“So, out with it, who’s his sire and does he have siblings or any fledglings? Is it Isaak again? Is Gavin your uncle?” Nicoli asked impatiently, wanting the final piece to his puzzle.

“No and no,” Cora answered with a cheeky grin. “Truth is he isn’t related to any of us.”

“What? Oh…I just assumed that clans were made up of vampires who were related. Not the case, huh?” Nicoli said.

“Well, not in this one. You’re right, usually clan members are all related to each other, but sometimes non-related vampires are allowed to join certain clans. The reason Gavin is with us is because his sire and Conrad’s sire were good friends.”

“…so how did he end up in this clan?” Nicoli asked since Cora’s explanation gave him no real answer.

“Gavin’s sire is well known for being kind of…nomadic. He kept Gavin with him for quite a while, but then he just up and left one day…without Gavin. When his sire disappeared he left instructions for Gavin to go talk with Conrad’s sire and ask to be accepted into the fold. He was gladly taken in and has been with the clan ever since and has been relentlessly loyal to every leader we’ve had since. In my opinion, is an invaluable member,” Cora said, puffing out her chest with great pride.

“Huh,” Nicoli murmured, not exactly sharing her enthusiasm. “So…you’re saying Gavin’s sire…abandoned him?” he asked.

Cora’s smile faded and she scratched her cheek.

“Well, I wouldn’t say that, necessarily. He, just, he…okay, I honestly don’t know why he did it. No one really knows why, except for maybe Gavin, but he’s never been inclined to tell any of us. I think abandonment is a little strong, though. From what I’ve heard Gavin’s sire is a little on the weird side. So, for all we know, whatever his reason was he found it completely justifiable. I myself have never met the man, so I don’t really have a gauge on him.”

“Just who is this guy?” Nicoli asked. “Gimmie a name. Gimmie something,” he said, wanting to know more about this strange, mysterious sire. He didn’t care what Cora said. It sounded like he abandoned Gavin, plain and simple. And in Nicoli’s book that classified him as a grade A jerk.

“All I really know is his name. Mylo,” she said.

Nicoli was aware that he was making a very odd face at the reveal of the name, but he just couldn’t help it.

“Milo? Like in Milo and Otis?” he asked.

“Kind of, except it’s spelled with a Y not an I,” she corrected him.

The look of disbelief did not leave Nicoli’s face. In fact, it only deepened.

“…that has to be the gayest name for a vampire I have ever heard,” he muttered.

“I’ve heard worse actually and you better watch what you say,” she warned him as she glanced around again then leaned in closer. “Because rumor has it that Mylo may very well be one of the oldest vampires known to exist today. Quite possibly he was alive when the vampires’ who the Hearts came from were still around.”

“You’ve gotta be shitting me,” Nicoli murmured.

“I shit you not,” Cora assured him. “No one’s exactly sure how old he is, though. Again its part of that whole nomadic thing. People hardly ever see him, let alone get to talk to him. Plus, I hear he’s pretty elusive when he’s asked about his age anyway.”

“So, do you think it’s true?”

“I think there’s a strong possibility that it is. Because I know that Gavin’s old. So his sire must be really old,” Cora told him.

“How old is Gavin?”

“Older than Conrad, I’ll tell you that much. Conrad is over one thousand years old and Gavin must be twice that age.”

Nicoli’s mouth fell open for what seemed like the hundredth time that day.

“Twice that? So…he’s over three thousand years old?” Nicoli could not comprehend such a tremendous age. In either Gavin or Conrad’s case. A life time that spanned over thousands of years seemed impossible. Even for vampires.

“Uh-huh. Why do you think Gavin is so strong? It’s because he’s so old,” Cora said.

It made sense to Nicoli, in a way. If Gavin really was that old no wonder he was considered the “teacher” of the family and it also explained why Gavin didn’t have an umbrella with him. The sun must not affect vampires who were nearly ancient.

“There’s also something else about Gavin you should know,” Cora said, her voice becoming secretive once more.

“What?” Nicoli asked, automatically lowering his own voice and also leaning in.

“Another thing that makes Gavin so extraordinary is because he has a special ability that he’s had since he was human and it’s one no other vampire or human has been recorded having.”

“Really? What is it?” Nicoli asked, excitement seeping into his bones at the prospect of a unique ability.

“Gavin has the ability to…Nicoli, what’s wrong?” Cora abruptly asked.

Nicoli had gone extremely pale and was gazing somewhere above Cora’s head and had a look on his face that was like he had seen Death himself. Cora’s face fell and she sighed.

“He’s right behind me, isn’t he?”

Nicoli nodded vigorously and made a squeaky noise in his throat as a confirmation.

Cora twisted around in her seat and innocently smiled up at Gavin, who loomed over her like a malicious shadow. He may have been known for not showing much emotion, but it was clear he was not amused by the way he stared holes through the pair before him.

“Hiiii Gavin,” Cora said, her voice trying hard not to waver. “How’s it going?”

Gavin slowly crossed his arms as his relentless stony gaze never lifted from Cora.

“…are you going to say anything?” she asked after a minute went by in uncomfortable silence.

After another minute of the unbearable staring Gavin sighed through his nose and wondered over to the other side of the table.

“My worst fears are confirmed. Andre’s loose lips disease is contagious,” he muttered. “I said I would not fault you two for gossiping, but I can only forgive so long when you talk about me so fervently as if I were not here,” he said, looking from one to the other.

“Awe, come on, Gavin,” Cora said. “Nicoli was just asking some questions about us and I was giving him a bit of background so he could get to know us a little more.”

Nicoli forced his best smile when Gavin’s glacier eyes slid over to him and a shudder coursed through them when they moved on to Cora.

“You are free to give as much of your history as you like, but please refrain from speaking about mine when I give no such permission,” Gavin told her, his voice holding the same levelness it always had, but had a tinge of a chill to it.

“Sorry, won’t happen again,” Cora apologized as she bowed her head like a scolded child.

“Er, yeah, sorry,” Nicoli muttered, feeling like he had to apologize also since it was because of him that Cora let loose so many details.

“Apology accepted,” Gavin said. “Now, have you two been doing any research or have been talking the entire time?” he asked.

“Did some research, found nothing and started talking,” Cora said, placing her hand on the forgotten archives folder that was on the table.

“Um, I maybe read two sentences, then started doodling, then the rest was talking,” Nicoli admitted, not looking Gavin in the eye as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Gavin shook his head and sighed.

“I suppose it matters not. I did not find anything of use either. It seems Ethan was right and has given all the information that these records have to offer,” he said, his hand gesturing towards the folder under Cora’s hand.

“But there must be something,” Cora insisted. “We know Deloris had the Heart before she died. She must have hid it somewhere before she was executed.”

“You know, I’ve actually been thinking about that,” Nicoli piped up. “Amelia told me Deloris was convicted because she “had a stone that seemed to have a life of its own.” If that’s true than that means she must have had the Heart out in the open where people could see it, but then after she and those other women died all the items, including the Heart, went missing. But that’s the one thing I don’t get. How could those things go missing after they died? Did Deloris use some hocus pocus to make them go away? Cause that’s the only thing I can think of.”

“Unless she had an accomplice.”

Nicoli and Cora looked at Gavin as the words slipped from his lips.

“What?” they asked in unison.

“Yes, it makes perfect sense,” Gavin said. “We’ve been assuming that Miss Mary-Weather had done all of this alone, but they may have been a foolhardy theory. Guardianship would have to pass on to someone else after she died. She must have been prepared for something to happen to her and had a disciple.”

“So you’re saying that after she died someone took the Heart and hid it?” Nicoli asked and Gavin nodded.

“It could have been anyone in her family. She was said to have a large family, but if that’s true then they would have taken the Heart when they fled,” Cora said and a grim look clouded her face. “That means its not here in Whixton anymore. We’re on a wild goose chase…again.”

“I don’t believe so,” Gavin contradicted her. “If that was the case they would have taken the book with them, too. Why leave it behind?”

“Maybe it’s not actually anything important. Maybe it’s something to throw us off the trail and make us think the Heart is still here,” Cora insisted. “Again, a big wild goose chase.”

“Wait a minute,” Nicoli said slowly. “That may not be true.” At Cora and Gavin’s words a faint memory had begun to tickle the back of Nicoli’s mind. It was something that he had passed off before, but realized now that it may be important. “When I found the secret room in Deloris’ house there was something about it that was really, really weird. While I was riffling through some loose papers that was on one of the tables the ink came off on my fingers, like they had just been written on. How would that happen if the room has been abandoned for over a hundred years?”

A dead, still silence descended upon them, leaving Nicoli’s revelation hanging in the air. Abruptly Gavin left the table and headed for the stairs to the lower level.

“Come, we’re leaving,” he called over his shoulder.

“Where are we going?” Cora asked as she and Nicoli stood up.

“To Miss Mary-Weather’s house. We’re going to find the last piece to this puzzle and we’re going to find it now,” Gavin said before disappearing down the steps.

Nicoli and Cora shared a baffled look before they gathered up their things and chased after Gavin.

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

In the old house of Deloris Mary-Weather a group of people marched up the stairs, making the house shake and rumble as if a herd of elephants was leisurely making their way through.

“And this was Deloris’ beautiful study room!” the perky tour guide gushed as she threw open the door and moved out of the way as the group filed in. Once there the guide practically bounded into the room. “Isn’t it just lovely? The wooden vines on the wall are said to be carved by non-other than Deloris herself. Why she did it is anyone’s guess, but Deloris was known for her artistic flair, so she probably just wanted to add her own personal touch to the room.”

She listed off more miscellaneous facts about the room and the occupant who used it as her sanctuary as the tour group looked around and examined the room in its entirety.

“Now, come along, everyone. We have much more to see and little time to do it,” the guide said as she began to usher people out. “Next we’re going to see the room where it’s said that…” Her voice continued on as she reached for the door and closed it as she left. What she didn’t notice was the young man hiding behind the very same door and, when it closed, was left in utter seclusion.

“God damn,” Nicoli grumbled when he heard the footsteps recede. “If I had to listen to that woman’s voice for one more second I was going to lose my fucking mind.” He strode over to the window, cursing Cora’s idea for him to take the tour for easy access to the room and so they knew when it was empty. Nicoli opened the window and leaned out.

“Okay guys, get up here,” he hollered in the lowest voice he could. He stepped back and, in the blink of an eye, Cora and Gavin appeared in the room with him. “Okay, we don’t have much time. The second group is going to be coming any minute,” Nicoli said as he went over to the wall with the hidden button.

“As I recall you were supposed to be in the second group,” Cora said as she and Gavin followed him.

“Yeah, well apparently that’s not up to me,” Nicoli shot back as he began to grope the wall. “They split us up into two groups and we don’t get a say in it.”

“How annoying,” Cora said.

“No, what’s annoying is the tour guide I got stuck with. She’s lucky I had no firearm handy,” he growled through his teeth.

“You can discuss the vexes of the woman at a later date. I can hear the others coming,” Gavin said with a warning tone.

It wasn’t long before Nicoli could hear the thundering elephants climb the steps. The window of opportunity was slowly closing.

“Gah, why the hell are there so many of these damn leaves?” he said as his search became frantic. His heart nearly stopped when one of the leaves sank into the wall. “Got it!”

The three disappeared into the secret room just as the door opened and the next group came in. A sense of relief washed over them as the tour went on and none was the wiser to the two vampires and the human boy in the wall.

“That was close,” Cora whispered.

“You’re telling me. Now let’s search this place and…” Nicoli’s voice trailed off as he turned towards the entirety of the room.

“Is something the matter?” Gavin asked, but his question was answered when he followed Nicoli’s gaze.

The secret room was completely bare. All of the items that had cluttered it before were gone and all that was left were the tables and the candles that rested atop them that were now extinguished. Even the pedestal that had held the book was gone.

“Um there’s nothing here,” Cora said, stating the obvious.

“But-But it was all here!” Nicoli exclaimed, not caring if the room was sound proof or not, but the people on the other side of the wall seemed none the wiser to his outburst. “There were old, musty books all over the place, and papers that had recipes for potions and stuff and jars filled with God knows what all over these tables! There was even a miniature cauldron right here!” he said, gesturing to the place the little cauldron had sat.

“Someone obviously has vacated all of the mentioned items from this space,” Gavin said. He ran his fingers along one of the stone walls and looked at them. “Someone has also cleaned vigorously. Not a speck of dust or a hint of a scent in here.” He rubbed his fingers together then, to Nicoli’s ultimate surprise, he smiled. “I believe we have our answer.”

“What are you talking about? There’s nothing here,” Cora said, waving her arm around. “How does that help us?”

“Because, it proves someone else knows about this room. Someone that doesn’t want us finding anything,” Gavin said. He moved passed the others to the back of the room. There was a groove in the wooden table that showed where the pedestal had rested for many, many years. He lightly touched it, tracing the curve of the groove with the most delicate of touches before turning to his companions.

“My friends, the Guardianship has indeed passed on and that Guardian is somewhere here in Whixton.”

=========================================Ch. 36 End