Blood Moon (Moon Books) (13 page)

“Yeah. I don’t ever want to go there again. I feel like I contracted something just by breathing the air.”

He chuckled again. “Next time I think I’ll risk being seen and go to the regular place.”

“There’s a ‘regular’ place?”

“Uh huh. It’s up off of Park and 104
. You’d be amazed how many vampires live on Park Avenue.”

It was my turn to laugh, picturing the Chanel suited socialites whipping out their fangs to suck down blood. I sat quietly for a few moments watching the lights of the city creep by. It wasn’t long before I had to talk, though. I was bursting at the seams. There was so much I didn’t know.

“Okay, so I have a few questions.”

“More?” Noah teased. “Just kidding. I’m sure you’re going to have a million questions. There are things that I don’t even understand yet.”

“Why does PC’s mother look like a teenager?” I’d been collecting my list all night. I hoped that was an easy one to start with.

“Mainly the same reason why I’ll still look like one in twenty years. They’re maturing process freezes when they start phasing. If they stop phasing for a long time, they’ll start to age again, but none of them ever really do.”

“So they’re immortal too?”

“Basically. But lycans are on the endangered species list just like vampires are. Neither one of us tend to last long enough to prove the immortality theory.”

“But PC said she married a human. His father is human?”

“Was. She changed him. He’s not a full lycan. You have to be born one to be considered that. But he phases too and he doesn’t age anymore. Changed lycans can’t control it as well, I’ve heard. You know, I don’t know all the much about them. These lycans are a close knit group.”

“What about Jason? Is he getting older?”

“Really slowly. I think he’s about seventy. Witches outlast regular humans by a lot, but they’re not quite like us. They’ll still get older.”

I chuckled sarcastically. “This sucks. I’m the only one aging and I’m the only one without cool tricks. Speaking of tricks, what is the deal with glamouring anyway? Have you ever done it to me?”

“No. Of course not. I would never do that to you. How could I ask you to trust me if I did? Besides, you’d know. You can tell when you’re being glamoured. From what I’ve heard you know you’re being convinced to do something you don’t want to do but you can’t bring yourself to care.”

“So when have you done it?” I could see Noah’s face turn red even in the darkness of the cab. I smiled and poked him in the side. “Tell me.”

“Well, your mother didn’t want to let you come to New York with me.” He looked so ashamed that I had to laugh. I’d have given anything to be able to pull that kind of trick on my mom when I was younger.

“You know I would have come anyway. I’m old enough that I don’t have to listen to her. You just made the whole situation more pleasant.”

“You’re not mad?”

“Of course not. Envious is more like it.” He winked at me. “So how did you know she wasn’t going to come around on her own?”

“I’ve gotten pretty good at reading people. From what I could tell, she doesn’t have any problems with us being a couple; I just think she didn’t like the idea of us living together in the city. She doesn’t think it’s...proper or something.”

“Oh, Jesus. Is it the eighteen hundreds?”

Noah grinned. “Give your mom a break. She’s just watching out for you. She probably doesn’t want me to take you for granted. I wish I could show her how I feel about you. I don’t think she has a clue what you mean to me.”

I leaned over and kissed him, slow and soft. “I know how you feel. That’s enough for me.”

* * * *

“Noh? Are you awake?” We’d been lying down for about twenty minutes but the silence was making me itchy. It was probably close to dawn but I wasn’t tired at all. The night had given me so much to think about that the idea of sleep was impossible.

“Yeah, I’m awake.” He scooted closer to me and turned me so we were facing each other, faces only inches apart. “I can hear your brain spinning. What’s going on in there? More questions?” He ran his fingers through my hair, pushing it off my face.

I took a deep breath. Here goes...

“Listen, Noah. I don’t want you to have to protect me. I know you said you would, but wouldn’t it be better if you didn’t need to?”

He sighed then leaned his face in and nuzzled my lips softly. “How long have you been thinking about it?”

“Consciously? Since last night. After your grandpa.”

“I’ve thought about it too. Even before that,” he confessed.

I was shocked. I’d expected a huge argument out of him. “So you’d be willing to turn me?” I was quiet and hesitant, not wanting to push my apparent luck.

“You’d be willing to turn for me?”

I thought about it for about two seconds then I nodded. “It would be for both of us. I need to be with you and I don’t want you always to have to be watching over me. It’s not fair to either of us. I want you to be my boyfriend, not my bodyguard.”

“But if you become a vampire, you’re going to be hunted. Just like I am.”

“I’m already hunted. Wasn’t your grandfather going to kill me so I‘d be quiet?”

“Yeah, but he’d forget about you. If I weren’t here, you could disappear and no hunter would ever come looking for you.”

I slugged him on the arm. “That’s the last time I want to hear about you taking off on me. We’re in this together, whether I’m a human or a vampire or a horny toad, got it?”

He made a little snorting noise and smiled. “And you really would be okay with becoming like me?”

“Yes. Then we could watch out for each other.”

“You know, it’s not the protecting thing at all, Zack; at least not for me. As far as I’m concerned, that has nothing to do with it. I’d defend you in a heartbeat, just like you did with my grandfather. Even if you become a vampire, I’ll still want to protect you because I love you.” He stopped and kissed me. “For me it’s more the idea of getting to have you by my side always. I can’t imagine ever finding someone else like you. Not in a hundred lifetimes.”

I wrapped my upper leg around his hips and pulled him as close as I could. “Me neither,” I whispered and gave him a soft kiss. “So when are we going to do this? Now?”

He chuckled softly. “Impatient, aren’t we? No, I don’t want to rush into it before I know what I’m doing. I’ve never even seen someone get turned. I want to talk to Leila and make sure I’m doing it the best way for you.”

“But you won’t back out.”

He closed his eyes and squeezed me close. “No. If you’re really sure that this is what you want too, then I won’t back out.” He kissed me slowly, his lips lingering. “I can’t wait to be with you forever, Zack Parker.” He trailed his lips down the side of my neck. If it was physically possible, I would’ve melted into a puddle all over my bed.

“I can’t wait either.” I was trying to stay rational. It was just hard with him licking and sucking and breathing on the tiny hairs of my nape. “I will miss the, uh, biting a little,” I confessed.

Noah growled softly and nicked my skin, licking the tiny drop of blood that came from it. I shivered violently and grabbed at him wanting more.

“It won’t be gone, just different,” he told me when we’d both gained a bit of equilibrium.

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know what it’s like from personal experience, but vampires can feed off of each other. It doesn’t sustain us at all but it’s supposed to feel amazing.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, kinda like being the vampire and the human all at once. Or so I’ve heard.”

I couldn’t even imagine.

“And you never tried it?”

He shook his head. “Didn’t really want to. I mean it’s incredibly intimate and vulnerable, way more than sex. It would have to be with the right vampire.”

“Like me?” I gave him a sly smile.

“Yes, like you,” he replied rubbing his nose against mine.

“So you’re going to talk to Leila?”

He nodded.

I wound my fingers into his hair and gave him a long kiss. “We should go to sleep. It’s nearly dawn.”

“Okay,” he mumbled against my lips. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” I whispered and closed my eyes.

I still had a million more questions, (maybe two or three million) but I felt much better. I hadn’t realized just how much that conversation needed to happen. It was such a relief to know that he actually wanted it too. I closed my eyes, my body finally feeling restful and quiet. I couldn’t wait to be with Noah forever, just like he’d said. I smiled and finally let myself fall asleep.

* * * *

When I awoke, the faint glow from the afternoon sun was pushing in around the edges of my curtains and Noah’s soft lips were brushing little kisses across my chest and my collarbone.

“Morning, baby.” He said in that rough barely awake voice that I loved. “Or should I say good afternoon?”

I smiled sleepily at him. “Hi.”

I reached up for a kiss. His lips were warm and sexy and familiar. I hummed happily and opened my mouth, wanting to feel his tongue. He obliged, sliding his tongue into my mouth and rubbing it against mine. I knew I’d never get sick of his flavor, or the feel of him so close to me. He crawled over me, slipping between my open legs. I lifted my knees to hug his hips and tugged at his briefs, wanting them gone.

“You know, I think we should just sleep naked all the time. These things get in the way,” I murmured in his ear, pulling the briefs over the rounded curve of his ass.

“I totally agree,” he purred, making the hairs on my neck stand on end. I trembled and arched my chest into him. “You know, you promised me something yesterday. I think I’m going to hold you to that promise.”

“What did I promise?” It was so hard to remember anything at all with him licking the curve of my ear.

“That you’d finish what you started,” he breathed and pulled my boxers over my hips.

Oh. That.

My heart started pounding in my throat. I wanted to be inside of him more than anything but I was afraid that I would hurt him, or not make it good enough. What if he didn’t like it?

“So, I have a confession.”

“What, baby?” He rolled his hips, pressing his hard erection up against my stomach.

I moaned and tugged on him, wanting more. It took a second for me to remember what I was trying to tell him. “Well...” It wasn’t a big deal but I hated to admit it. “I’ve never exactly been on top before.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. It seemed like too much responsibility—you know to make sure it was good for the other person. But I want to with you. I really do. I’m just afraid that I’ll suck.”

He chuckled and rolled us over so I was on top of him, straddling his thighs. “You won’t suck, I promise.” He reached between my legs to stroke me slowly. I couldn’t help but to shudder when he ran one soft fingertip along the underside of my shaft.

“So you aren’t worried that I don’t know what I’m doing?”

He smiled and pulled me down so I was sprawled across him. “Do you love me?”

“You know I do.”

“And you care about making me feel good?” I nodded. “Then it will be fine. I actually like the idea. I’ve been wishing that we’d waited for each other. Now in a way we have. We’re both about to do something we’ve never done before. That’s one way to look at it, right?”

I smiled and nodded, feeling dumb because there were tears pricking at the corner of my eyes. “And you’ll tell me what feels good?”

“Yeah, I’ll tell you, just like you always tell me,” he grinned.

My face turned red. “Shut up,” I grumbled, mashing my face into his chest.

He threaded his fingers through my hair and kissed my forehead, chuckling. “You have to know how much I love when you tell me what you want. When your voice gets all out of control. It’s the hottest thing in the world.”

“Well in that case,” I murmured kissing his lips, his cheeks, the tip of his nose. “What do you want?”

His eyes grew heated. “I want you inside of me. I want to feel every single one of your breaths, to taste the light on your skin.” He breathed and arched his neck against my groan. “Make me yours, Zack.”

I trailed a trembling finger down the contours of his chest. Slowly, hesitatingly, I leaned over and followed my hand with my lips. It felt like the first time again. Like we’d never touched at all. I couldn’t believe how scared I was.

Get a grip. He loves you. It’ll be fine.

I wanted it to be so perfect. He tugged on my hair when I sucked gently on his nipples. It was something I’d done so many times before but I felt awkward and shaky and new.

He moaned and lifted his hips, which gave me a little more confidence. “Touch me, baby, please. I need to feel your hands.”

I lifted my head and grinned at him, circling his straining erection with my hand. He rolled his hips again and clutched at my shoulder. I covered his body with my hands and my kisses, making him squirm and moan. When I finally took him deep into my mouth, he arched off the bed and cried out. I knew he was nearly ready.

I reached over to my nightstand and pulled out my little bottle of lube. Coating my fingers, I gently started to work him open, get him ready for my body.

“God, that feels amazing,” Noah choked out. It probably didn’t hurt that I had fastened my lips to the side of his neck and was sucking as hard as I could in his favorite spot. “I’m ready,” he finally murmured. “I need you inside of me.”

“You sure?” I whispered.

He nodded and clutched at my arm when I rubbed against his prostate. My stomach jumped, but I nodded and gently pulled my fingers from his body, reaching for the lube and slicking myself up.

Trembling, I spread Noah’s legs as far as they could go and guided myself slowly, pushing at his tight entrance little by little until I was completely buried in him. He cried out and arched up into me, wrapping his legs around me. I couldn’t believe how good he felt. If he were any warmer or tighter, I would have passed out. It was nearly impossible, but I stayed still, letting him get used to the way I felt inside of him. Then slowly, ever so slowly, I started to move.

I could hear a loud groan as I pulled out and sank back into the tight grip of his body. It took me a second to realize that it was me. I tilted him up and tried to angle my hips the way he always did so I’d hit him in exactly the right spot. It took a few tries but finally I got it right. I knew the second that he convulsed and nearly screamed that I’d done something different.