Blue Moon

Chapter 1

Lyla stood at the balcony, hidden in the darkness, watching the vampires in the great hall. Her eyes narrowed, unimpressed. It had been a week of utter nonsense, in her opinion. Charlton invited the group into his home, welcoming them with an open and warm embrace. He'd never once faltered in being the gracious host, giving them sanctuary from the vampire that he'd dubbed the worst on this planet. Lyla thought that Gamichee was a monster, that was true, but at least she knew what he was up to. Charlton was like a snake in the grass, waiting to strike.

Lennon was in the great hall with a few vampires that had been introduced to the group, but Lyla struggled to remember their names. There was a lot of them, and while they were always pleasant, they were never forthcoming in approaching her for a conversation or to see if she needed anything. Charlton said that this was their home, albeit temporary, but still their home. They were free to roam wherever they wanted, and if they grew hungry, there were plenty of blood bags in the kitchen.

Lyla felt the presence of another. She looked over her shoulder to see Merissa approaching. Remaining behind Lyla in the shadows, Ris looked at the scene before her. She knew why Lyla was here, and she knew why it sounded like her teeth were gnashing together. Lennon was in the thick of it, laughing it up with his newfound friends.

"Will there be an end to this?" Ris whispered.

"Not if Lennon has anything to do with it."

"This is ridiculous. I don't mind being a part of this coven, but we should be allowed to leave. We'd be better off with my father. At least he never held us captive."

Lyla looked at Ris with an eyebrow raised. She hesitated for a moment, then relented.

"Yes, fine. So maybe you might have been held captive."

"And forced into a situation that I might not have agreed to. You know that there is a term for it, and it is highly illegal. I hope that your father is not doing any of that because if he is, I will make waves for him, and I will do it to drown him. Bribed cops or not, I will take him down for harming women."

"He's not like that."

"You've never seen the truth about that place."

"You haven't either. Trust me when I say that my father is all about the smokescreen. Take a step back and wait until it clears, then you'll get the real picture."

She looked at Merissa with a curious thought floating through her mind. Did she know more than she let on? It might be true, given that she grew up in his house. How much time did she spend with her adoptive father?

Grabbing her shirt, Lyla turned Ris and gently thumped her to the wall.

"What do you know?" Lyla whispered.

"More than I'd like, things that I should not know and not enough for what you want. I never saw anything, but I know him, the real Gamichee. He's not the monster you think he is."

Lyla heard a soft growl emerge from the darkness, the warmth of an amorous werewolf sliding up behind her.

She smiled when she heard the word hot from the miscreant. His hands smoothed over her hips, pushing Lyla forward as he took a step closer. Ris grinned madly.

"You know," she said quietly. "If there's anything that will make Lennon move, it's the realisation that the werewolf is about to steal his woman. You want to drag him up here away from them, then you need to make him think you've given up on him, and you're taking Adley up on his offer."

Biting her lip, Lyla thought about the deceptive game that these two wanted to play. She missed Lennon, even if he was under the same roof. He'd slept beside her but always came in after she'd gone to bed. Of an afternoon, he'd be out the door before she could talk to him. As for sex, it had disappeared, much like their freedom.

Adley leaned down, growling words softly into Lyla's ear. She didn't catch a single one, but she knew that it would be incredibly filthy, and it was enough to make her smile.

Ris raised an eyebrow at her.

"I didn't get a single word."

"He said that he will make you scream better than Lennon ever will, and he can't wait to get you naked and between my legs. I gotta say, it's certainly a good way to kill a few hours."

"Yeah, but I don't want to cheat on Lennon."

"Guaranteed he won't even know."

"I will. Besides, I'd rather spend the night planning our escape. He's better off down there because I know he will be opposed to the idea."

Merissa nodded, glancing at Adley. He'd made himself quite comfortable behind Lyla, refusing to move and definitely not letting go. His aim was to be in her space, it might be annoying for Lyla, but if he was always there and Lennon happened to walk past them, he'd see it.

Adley wanted Lennon angry. He wanted the raw emotions that exposed the vulnerability. Maybe if he laid it all bare, he'd realise what an idiot he's been. Lyla was a rare creature, no longer a human, now a vampire. She'd been a hybrid for far too long, creating a woman that looked like she was far too young to have a teenage daughter. Lyla had tenacity, a fiery attitude, and she cared immensely.

Lennon was engrossed in listening to Charlton as he spoke of the clan to the southwest. Something caught his attention. He looked up and saw Adley. In the darkness of the second level corridor, Adley appeared to be talking to someone. Lennon couldn't see who but was curious as to what his friend was doing.

Adley's gaze shifted, realising that Lennon was now watching him. With a smirk that Lennon could not see, Adley turned so that his back was all that was exposed. One final blow to the vampire that was about to lose it all, Adley took a slight step back, pulling Lyla with him. She frowned, wondering what he was up to when his arms wrapped tight around her waist.

Lennon's eyes narrowed as he rose from the seat.

"Excuse me for a moment." He murmured.