Moonlight Calls (Demon's Call Series Book 1) (8 page)

I shook my head
in exasperation.  “I really wish you wouldn’t,” I said, pleading.

He frowned in
mock disappointment.  “Please don’t tell me you have a thing for one of them,”
he said with a flirtatious tone in his voice.

I frowned.  “Not
in a million years.”  The dark haired man had been watching us quietly. He
nudged his friend and nodded at my sleeve. 

“Do you have a
dog?” the brown-haired guy asked, picking a black hair off my shirt.

I glanced down
and saw the shiny black dog hair on my cuff, courtesy of my romp in the yard
with the stray earlier that day.  I shook my head, trying to edge away.  “No,
there’s this stray I kind of adopted.  It comes to my house every once in a
while looking for food.”  I turned to go, shaking my head as I recalled Kyle
telling me that one of his friends had actually borrowed a dog so he could pick
up chicks in the park near his house.  “I suppose you have a cute little
puppy.”

He smirked. 
“Actually it’s more of a wolf.”

I laughed. 
Wow.  Male ego at its finest.  “I’m sure it is,” I said sarcastically.  “You
need a new pick-up line,” I said over my shoulder, as I walked away.  “The dog
thing is kind of old.”        

That night, I
stayed up as long as I could waiting for Ailis to get home, but in the end I
shuffled off to bed without seeing her.  I tossed and turned all night and all
too soon the alarm was ringing in my ear.

As time passed,
Ailis and I began to ease back into a normal routine.  She didn’t bring up
vampires or supernatural powers- at least, not very often- so it was easy to
just let it go.  I didn’t dare tell her about my stupidity at the mall.

It would have
been easy to pretend that there was nothing unusual going on, except for one
thing.  As time went on, I noticed that Ailis was becoming increasingly
protective of me.  She seemed to think it was her business to know where I went
and what I was doing every moment of the day. She said it was for my own
protection, to shelter me from some mysterious danger. Personally, I couldn’t
help but doubt her motives. She
had
been sent here to spy on me after
all. I found it increasingly annoying and I was getting fed up with being
treated like a child or a science experiment. 

Things came to a
head a few weeks after what I mockingly referred to in my head as the
big
reveal.
  I was talking on the phone when she drifted in.  She kept pacing
while I was talking, so I removed myself to the patio, firmly shutting the door
behind me.

When I went back
inside she was waiting, pretending to wipe down the counters that I had just
cleaned off five minutes ago.  I put the handset back in the receiver and she
turned to me.  “So,” she said casually.  “Who was that?”

I shrugged.  “An
old acquaintance.”

She wasn’t happy
with the answer.  “Are you sure?”

I frowned at
her.  “I know who I was talking to.”

She shook her
head and gave me a patronizing look that made my blood pressure rise.  “How do
you know?”  Rinsing out the dishcloth, she hung it on the edge of the sink to
dry. “If it’s not someone you know well, it would be easy to fake a call like
that.”

I rolled my
eyes.  “It wasn’t a fake call.  I’ve known Ann for years.  She needed a
reference.”

Ailis narrowed
her eyes.  “You gave her your address?  You told her where you live?”

I threw up my
hands in exasperation.  “Yes.  Typically you need to give contact information
when you give a reference.”  Geez.

She still didn’t
seem happy, so I relented and elaborated.  “I’ve known her for years.  We grew
up at the girls’ home together.  She even brought up the time when I tried to
slide down the banister like you do in the movies and ended up twisting my
ankle and spending the day with the evil nurse.”  I crossed my arms over my
chest.  “Does that suit you, oh Queen of paranoia?”

Ailis stepped
closer, invading my personal space.  I stood my ground and glared as she
slipped a long white hand around the back of my neck and leaned in.  Something
stirred inside me, urging me to draw her closer.  I kept my arms crossed.  Her
warm breath tickled my ear and sent shivers down my neck.  “Do you realize how
vulnerable you are?” she breathed. 

I glanced sideways
at her, catching a glimpse of silver eyes through the curtain of her fiery
hair.  My hands ached to touch her.  I uncrossed my arms and turned to her,
placing my hands flat on her chest.  And shoved. 

Ailis gave a
startled laugh and took a few steps back, her eyes returning to their usual
blue-grey.  She snorted and scooped up her purse.  “I’m going out to grab a
bite to eat.  Don’t talk to strangers while I’m gone.”  She leveled a gaze at
me.  “And keep the door locked.”  I waited until she was out of sight to give
her the bird.

*****

I looked around
me.  I was surrounded by teenagers trying to look cool, and harried mothers
with strollers who looked like they wished they were teenagers trying to look
cool.  Déjà vu.  Ailis had managed to drag me to the mall despite my
protestations about crowds and spending money.  I didn’t dare admit to her that
I had been here before.  That I was scared I might run into those boys again. 
My roommate didn’t approve of my wardrobe of ratty t-shirts and faded jeans. 
Fed up with her exasperated sighs and meaningful looks, I finally admitted that
I needed to spend some of my meager budget on new clothes.

Ailis herded me
to several stores in the mall, pushing my absolute limit for trying on
clothes.  People always think being a woman means you automatically love
shopping.  Like there’s some shopping gene in that extra x-chromosome or
something.  They’re wrong.  I hate it with a passion.  Nothing ever fits me
right, and I hate wasting my time trying on ten different pairs of jeans before
finally buying the last ones I tried on because if I kept it up I was gonna
kill someone.  Seriously, it’s that painful.  Ailis took it all in stride,
playing dressing room attendant in order to keep me trapped in the little room
trying on clothes.  I think she knew that if she let me out of there, I’d bolt
for the car.

 At the last
store, the attractive guy ringing up my purchases was just a little too
friendly.  He had beautiful brown eyes and a good-natured smile.  I smiled at
his flirting comments as he bagged up my items.

Ailis snatched
my bags off the counter as he gave me the total and stood there, arms crossed
and toe tapping.  She was the picture of tall, svelt, bitchiness.  The poor
clerk glanced her way and stopped his credit card spiel mid-sentence.  No, I
would not like to save twenty percent by opening up a charge account today.  It
wouldn’t be worth the bloodshed.

Not impressed
with my roommate, I gave the cashier a friendly smile and followed her out at a
sedate stroll.  “You don’t own me,” I said, flatly.

She gave me a
once-over and kept walking, snapping a pair of dark sunglasses on as we left
the mall and headed for the car.  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she
said calmly.  “That idiot was the slowest clerk I’ve ever seen.”

I rolled my
eyes.  “I thought he was nice.”

She snorted. 
“If bland is your thing.”

I stopped and
crossed my arms.  “This has to stop,” I said, irritated. “You watch my every
move, you grill me every time I talk to a friend, or run to the grocery store,
and
now
you’re acting like a jealous boyfriend.”

She sighed and
headed to the car again.  “I’m just trying to keep you safe.”

I followed. 
“And keep tabs on me for Master.”

“You don’t
understand your position,” she said, tossing my bags into the back of my little
car.

“There is no
position,”
I said, determined not to discuss anything supernatural.  “There’s nothing
anyone could possibly gain from me.  I don’t have supernatural powers.  I’m
just a human.  End of story.”

Ailis didn’t
look the least bit convinced, but she kept her voice calm.  She took a deep
breath and gave me a wry look.  “I’m sorry.  You’re right that I’m being…
annoying.”  She waved a hand dismissively.  “You don’t realize how hard it is
to be around you.  Just by being under my protection, well… part of me thinks
that I
do
own you.” 

I scowled. 
“Well you don’t.”

She nodded.  “I
don’t.”  Crossing her arms over her chest, she regarded me like a difficult
child.  “But you do need to be more careful.  No matter how you deny it, I can
feel the power in you.  You can’t use it yet.  But someday you will.  And there
are a lot of people out there who would like it if you were under their control
when that time comes. 
Like you?
  I wondered.

I slipped into
the car and buckled my seatbelt without comment.

*****

I spent the
workday in a daze, going through my duties like a drone, on tired autopilot.  I
really needed to finish my pre-requisites and start nursing school so I could
get out of this rut. Then there was my messed up home life.  I had so many
questions about Ailis’ intentions.  If,
if
 I chose to believe what she
said about me being some sort of developing magic user, then could I really
believe that she was here with me simply for my own good?  I knew that she had
been sent here initially to check me out for her master.  That alone was enough
to make me want to kick her to the curb.  Whenever we got even remotely close
to having this discussion, she would always end it by saying that there were
things that she just couldn’t tell me.  Well,
screw that.
  And to top it
all off, it was hard to even
have
 a conversation without one of us
getting all hot and bothered.  I didn’t even what to contemplate that whole
issue.

I had been going
over it all throughout my shift, and my head was starting to ache.  I got
glimpses of the world outside from the patients’ rooms as I went about my day,
and the urge to escape was growing exponentially.  The weatherman had predicted
rain, but as I stripped soiled bedding from a patient’s bed, the sun made a
glorious appearance just outside the little window.  I really wanted to get out
of the hospital and spend some time in that sunshine, letting it burn away all
of my worries and confusion.

I was given the
opportunity around lunchtime.  Amanda drifted into the break room as I was just
finishing up the last of my lunch.  She raised an eyebrow as she watched me pop
the last of my homemade rolled egg into my mouth.  My cusine had undergone a massive
makeover now that I had a roommate who could cook.  No more peanut butter
sandwiches for me. 

“Hey,” she said
with an air of purposeful nonchalance as she drifted toward the time clock. 
“I’m leaving, but I thought you might want to know there’s a delivery out
back.”  She kept her gaze on the time clock as she swiped her badge, but the
corner of her mouth twitched.  “I know you like to help out sometimes.” 

Most of the
other hospital staff get angry when they’re asked to help with something they don’t
consider part of the job description.  I, on the other hand, welcome the change
of pace. Besides, it was always an excuse to outside for a while.  I didn’t
quite trust Amanda’s mood.  She was definitely up to something.  But I couldn’t
pass up the opportunity.

“Thanks.”  I
packed up my lunch things and waved goodbye as she grabbed her bag.

I made my way to
the loading area at the back of the hospital, where I was welcomed by a chorus
of feminine giggles.  Seriously, they were
giggling.
 I was surprised
there were that many people helping today.  There was a small crowd of
miscellaneous staff gathered around the back of the delivery truck, each vying
for their turn to take a box of supplies.  When I saw the guy inside the truck,
it all made sense.  As I walked down the narrow paved stretch alongside the
loading area, he put his hands up in a helpless gesture, having reached the end
of the boxes.

The gaggle of
females began to trickle back inside and he jumped out of the truck, landing in
the sunshine.  He was easily the tallest man I had ever seen.  He was also
rippling with muscles from his wide shoulders to his long legs, and everywhere
in-between.  His hair was midnight black, and the sun glinted off it when he
moved.  As a rule, I usually don’t care for long hair on men, but he could
break that rule all he wanted.  His glorious mane of hair was tied back in a
thick ponytail that reached his hips.  It was striking, but then everything
about him was striking. 

 I sighed
wistfully as I sank down on a bench outside the door, not bothering to try to
get rid of the red haze that ringed his outline as he moved.  I was kind of
getting used to the technicolor glow that some people had, and it was getting
to the point where it wasn’t worth the effort to fight it.  He turned and
looked right at me as if he’d heard my sigh, an impossible feat from that
distance.

 I looked away
and felt my cheeks getting hot, although I don’t know why; he had to be used to
having women gawk at him.  I closed my eyes and leaned my head back, letting
the sun warm my face.  I really didn’t want to go back inside the sterile
hospital with its overly powerful air conditioners.  I swear they run those
things in the winter too, in some sort of effort to refrigerate the patients. 
Maybe they think they’ll keep longer.