The Moon Shines Red (Heart of Darkness Book 1)
Page 23
“How…how you would kiss me.”
Lochlan’s eyes snapped open at her words and a smile formed. With his other hand, he removed the hood of his cloak. Locks of dark hair fell over his forehead. Unease sidled up beside him and his smile slipped.
“What’s wrong?” Elin asked.
He swallowed. “I don’t know how to kiss, Elin. I’m–”
She pressed a finger to his lips and Lochlan tried not to tense. “Shhh. We can teach each other.”
His eyes fell to her mouth. That beautiful pink mouth. He had pressed his lips to hers only once before, but it had been different. He was saving her life. Now she was saving his.
“Show me, Lochlan.”
The softness in her voice melted a bit of his unease. He palmed one smooth cheek and then the other. “I would hold you like this.” His legs moved into the folds of her skirts, wanting to get as close as humanly possible. His eyes grew heavy with want. Her eyes fluttered with anticipation.
Lowering his head, his mouth hovered over hers, sharing each other’s breaths. It was torture not to do something rash, like slam his lips down on hers, but he had waited five hundred years. He could wait five more minutes to get this right.
His pulse thrummed at the base of his neck. He swallowed, and then licked his lips. “I would think…I will never be the same after this.”
The tip of his nose brushed hers when his lips touched the corner of her mouth. For an eternity he held still, trembling, knowing that once their lips melded he would be indelibly marked.
He felt Elin’s breaths against his and then her tongue slipped out between her parted lips. Lochlan answered in kind. A choked cry tore from her throat when Lochlan’s tongue brushed hers. He moaned like a man in pain. It was agony for him not to take what he wanted. Still, he did not rush. Their tongues met and retreated, their mouths never fully melding. It was a dance of nipping and tasting, like sampling fine wine.
“Acushla,” he murmured against her lips. “I’m in love with you too.” Now, now he would truly kiss her. Their breathing became pants as he grabbed her hair and she clutched his cloak. She moaned when his tongue slipped deeper, invading her mouth, and finally, finally, their lips sealed in union.
Their worries and troubles dissipated in that kiss. The world faded to black and all that remained was two hearts that beat as one. When their lips became swollen and bruised, Lochlan broke the kiss and pressed her head to his chest, their breathing still heavy, though his heart no longer felt burdened. For the first time in his life, he was well and truly happy.
His eyes drifted up at that siren he called the moon. It still shined red, but no longer would he look upon it with fear and trepidation. He had no need. Maybe it was the heart of the Lord. Maybe it wasn’t. Perhaps the moon was only a moon. Either way, he would make his peace with it.
“Aut vincere, aut mori,” Searly had once said. Either conquer or die.
Lochlan endeavored to always conquer.
“Lochlan?”
“Yes?” he whispered, stroking Elin’s hair, reveling in the feel of it.
“I can see your happiest memory now.” She pulled back and stared into his mint-pearl eyes.
Lochlan blinked. “You can?” She nodded. “Tell me.”
“It’s…me,” she marveled. “How…why couldn’t I see–”
He hushed her with a kiss. “Because before you, I did not have any.”
Look for Zeph’s story next
A Monster Like Me
Release date TBD
Moon Shines Red on Spotify
I was speaking with my good friend Christie one day and told her I wanted to try my hand at fantasy. I wanted to write something different. And she said, “Oh this makes me happy. Write about Faes! Please! They’re my favorite to read about.” I said, “Okay. Sure. Yeah. I can do that.”
Confession: I had never read a single book about Faes. Not one. Soooo, yeah, I was like…uhh…I guess I need to do some research and figure out what I don’t know. I did a lot of reading, both fiction and Irish mythology and then I went to my nineteen year old son, Tyler, because he has a pretty wild imagination and told him that I was going to write a fantasy novel about Faes and asked if he wanted to brainstorm with me. One evening we knocked around ideas, and through that brainstorming session a curse was written.
From there the story developed, growing and evolving throughout the writing process. One suggestion and one idea at a time (with a kernel of self-doubt thrown into the mix for good measure) is how The Moon Shines Red came to be. So thank you Tyler and Christie.
There’s also a beautiful message within the context of this story, as there are with all of my stories. It came to be during that brainstorming session. And it is in essence: We all have burdens to bear and crosses to carry, and we all have to learn to live with them. Not every problem has a solution and that’s okay. Because it is in the way we live with our burdens that shape who we are, who we want to be, and who we eventually become.
And that is so true. No matter who you are or what you believe in. It is the same for us all.
There are, of course, other meaningful messages weaved throughout the story. But I’ll leave you, the reader, to decide what they are because they may be different for all of us.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading The Moon Shines Red. And I hope you consider leaving a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads. It is the best way to support an author and share your love of their stories. And I would be forever grateful.
I thank you for reading!
My beta readers and my family are closest to my heart and without them I couldn’t write the books I write. But there are also so many people behind the scenes that make publishing a book possible. So, let me begin my thanks…
To my son, Tyler: Thank you for brainstorming with me and helping me figure out the last lines of the curse. Now, you said if I wrote a fantasy book you would read it. Well, kiddo, I wrote one. I’ll be waiting over there > for your verdict.
Christie Parker: I love you. What else is there to say? I love you. You are my rock. My cheerleader. My person. You are partly responsible for this book. Faes was your suggestion and I went with it, even though I had no idea what the heck I was doing. But I think I figured it out. Remember when I said, “I know how this book ends.” And you were like, “Really?” And I said, “Yep. I just have no idea how it begins.” < Oh yeah, it’s funny now. At the time, though, I was pulling my hair out. You helped keep me sane. Always encouraging, always punching me in the arm, saying, “You got this.” So, thank you. A million times, thank you. I know I couldn’t have finished it without you. Or even started it. I am beyond grateful to know you and call you my friend. You’re my soul sister.
Anne Woodall: Beta and proofreader. As always, you truly make me smile with your excitement and encouraging words. Every time I would read your feedback my smile would be huge! Your enthusiasm for this story was contagious. You always make me feel like I can soar – like I can do anything. And on days when I couldn’t feel the words – I would go back and re-read your feedback and something within me would spark and the words would eventually come. Thank you for that, Anne. Thank you for taking these long journeys with me. You are dear to me and I love you.
Author Melyssa Winchester: Thank you for all the reading you do and have done for me. I appreciate you more than you know. Your play by play reactions always crack me up and I never know what you’re gonna say but I always look forward to whatever it is. You have my back and I have yours. *fist bump* I love your face, lady!
Trisha Rai: You’ve been on this ride with me for a while now. Thank you so much for your sweet friendship and for being such an amazing person. You’ll never know how much I truly adore, love, and appreciate you. Thank you for your kindness and all the warmth you bring into my life. You always make me laugh and smile. And I love that you love what I do. Thank you.
Maayan Nahmani: Thank you for always talking about my books and spreading the love of them. I’m happy
for the journeys we’ve shared and I wish you much success in your own endeavors. May you always find what speaks to your heart and never be afraid of where it may lead you. Courage and passion is the hallmark of success. Be fearless.
Sharon Hanson: You, my dear, feed my soul. You lift me up with your praise and endless supply of support. Thank you so much for believing in me. I can’t tell you how much that matters. I am honored to call you my friend and I can’t wait for our next journey to begin.
To my dad: Thank you for believing in me. That alone is priceless. But I also thank you for the time you’ve given and for the love you’ve shown me. It’s invaluable and I love you from the bottom of my heart.
To my daughter, Katelyn: Thank you for being you! For being a great mom and a loving wife. You make me proud. Thank you for always supporting me and cheering me on. How you see me matters more than you’ll ever know. I hope I always make you proud. Always.
To my cover artist, Letitia Hasser with RBA Designs: Thank you for your amazing cover art. I absolutely love working with you. You are positively the sweetest and I adore you. Thank you for making my covers beautiful.
E.M.Tippetts Book Design: Thank you for always making the interior of my books beautiful.
To my editor, Felicia Sullivan: Thank you for all the hard work you do to help me whip my words into shape. You are a gem. And I appreciate you more than you realize.
And finally, to my husband: Your unfailing support and undying devotion is EVERYTHING. Your reminders for me to eat while I’m writing may make some people laugh, but it makes me smile. Thank you for eating pizza too many nights a week because I’m locked away in the writing cave to finish a story. You never complain. Never. Not once. Thank you for that and so much more. I love you more than words can say.
And to my readers and all the bloggers out there: THANK YOU ALL. I do this for you and you make all the hours I spend doing it worth it. Without you, I’m just putting words on paper. It is your reaction to those words that make all the blood, sweat, and tears mean something. Thank you for your time and for choosing to read ‘my’ words and letting them sink into your hearts. Here’s to you!
Pamela Sparkman grew up in Alabama. She became an avid reader at a young age. The written word has always fascinated her and she wrote her first short story while still in elementary school. Inspiration for her stories always begins with a song. She believes music is the pulse of life and books are the heart of it.
When she isn’t writing, however, she’s spending time with her family and taking one day at a time.
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Copyright © 2017 Pamela Sparkman
Edited by Felicia A Sullivan
Cover Design by RBA Designs
Interior designed and formatted by:
www.emtippettsbookdesigns.com
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.