by Amos Cassidy
Soon the conversation, inevitably due to the reason for their gathering, turned to love. Thistle sat back and allowed the stories to wash over her, happy just to listen. Soon the spotlight turned to Gabriel and she saw a flash of something dark in his eyes. But then he put down his glass and regaled them with a story of his first and only love, and although he spoke in an airy, almost flippant way, she couldn’t fail to detect an underlying thread of melancholy.
It had been in New York that he stumbled across love. She had been a vampire too, 200 years his senior. He had been 152 years at the time of their brief romance, back in the 1970s. Anna had been her name, a beauty and a powerful social animal. He’d fallen in love quickly and so deeply, drawn into her world of expensive living. She would dress in the most stunning outfits, her blonde hair styled to enviable perfection. She would attend Studio 54 almost every night, dancing amongst people such as Andy Warhol and Liza Minnelli, taking in the glamour and fun of it all. They’d met there and every night he would be there with her, in the presence of legends. They’d dance and make love and sleep all day. Then they’d do it all again when the night returned. Everything had seemed so perfect, he had never been happier. Then one night he had awoken, ready for the excitement of the new night. And Anna had gone. There was no note, no nothing. To this day he had never learned what happened to her.
“But we must go on,” he finished, smiling at his audience. “Love can be fickle– as I am sure many of us know.” He looked suddenly uncomfortable with his disclosure.
Thistle felt her heart go out to him. Yes, he was a pompous prat, but he didn’t deserve what had happened.
“The moon tonight, though, brings hope to all our hearts.” Thistle said. She tipped her head to the sky, inviting others to do the same. The moon and the Goddess were two things vampires loved to talk about, and just as she had anticipated, the group moved on to praise Diana, then someone began to play a guitar, there was dancing and laughter, and blood until Jeremiah joined them.
“We’re ready to go,” Jeremiah said. “Kevin has the bus waiting. Come along.” He looked at the Harvest Moon and said his praises too before he and the vampires left the roof and boarded the large bus. They then set off for Richmond Park.
Anthony and Jared stood at the shrine for the moon. They looked longingly into each other’s eyes, cocooned in an aura of love.
The shrine for the moon was an ornate collection of silver roses and statues of Diana, carved by Jeremiah, on a large stone table, raised on a stone platform. The vampires were deep into Richmond Park, far away from the eyes of humans, and spied upon only by curious yet wary deer. The leaves of the trees were a beautiful mix of gold, red and green, kissed by autumn.
Jeremiah stood at the shrine with Anthony and Jared. The vampires were all seated facing the shrine. Phillip and Cassandra joined the happy couple by the shrine.
Phillip addressed the gathering. “We have been blessed all of these years. Love touched us so many years ago and continued to do so for the years that followed.”
Cassandra spoke next. “To be touched so deeply by love is the greatest blessing Diana can bestow upon us. And we are forever grateful for what she has done for us. Praise the Goddess.”
“Praise her!” Phillip seconded.
“Praise Diana!” The vampires cried in unison.
“And so,” Cassandra continued, “it is an absolute pleasure to stand here today and witness this special union between two vampires who I can see has been blessed with the same love for one another as Phillip and I have been.” She kissed Anthony on the cheek and then Jared. “Your love is a special bond. And under the Harvest Moon you will be united forever.”
Phillip kissed Jared’s cheek and then Anthony’s. “May Diana bless you and may the moon guide you through your bonded lives.”
The vampires applauded and two young male vampires came to escort the elderly Phillip and Cassandra from the shrine and to their seats in the front row.
Thistle blinked back her tears.
“And so,” Jeremiah said, his voice loud and clear, “we begin with a beautiful song to be sung by Sienna, a gift for Anthony and Jared.”
Thistle had to admit that Sienna performed the song beautifully. She had expected a lot of wailing and struggling with the high notes, but there was none of that. Sienna had a lovely voice.
“This song was written by Thistle,” Sienna said when she had finished and gave Thistle a nod and a tiny smile.
Thistle returned the gesture, feeling suddenly guilty for thinking all of those horrible things about Sienna.
Anthony and Jared faced each other once more after Sienna left the shrine and joined hands. Jeremiah took some silver ribbon from the shrine and wrapped it around the arms of the couple in slow, even spirals as he spoke. “With this you are bound. The silver ribbon of Diana is your connection, your connection to one another.” Once he’d finished with the ribbon, he retrieved two pendants from the shrine of the moon. A beautifully designed pattern was carved onto the silver oval that hung from a silver chain. Jeremiah attached one to Anthony and one to Jared as he spoke. “These are the symbols of love. Wear these and feel the blessings of love and the moon and the Goddess. Your love is strong and unfading, it shall endure long after you both fade, like the silver I bestow upon you now.” He took Anthony’s head in his hands and kissed him on one cheek. “Is Jared your love? Is he the one who you choose to live and love and fade with in this life and in many more?”
“Yes, I choose Jared.” Anthony said.
Jeremiah kissed the other cheek. It was Jared’s turn. Jeremiah followed the same procedure, kissing one cheek. “Is Anthony your love? Is he the one who you choose to live and love and fade with in this life and many more?”
“Yes, I choose Anthony.” Jared said.
Jeremiah kissed his other cheek and stood back, facing the crowd. “On this night, under the Harvest Moon and under the ever loving eyes of Diana, I proclaim these two wed. You may now kiss and forever be together.”
Anthony and Jared kissed and the vampires gave them a standing ovation. Cheers and applause filled the night.
“THE MOON DANCE!” Someone cried and the rest of the congregation picked up the chant.
And so the vampires celebrated the wedding of Anthony and Jared and the Harvest Moon. The band played. They danced with ribbons and silver sparklers. Tables were laid out with lavish silver tablecloths and centre pieces– effigies of Diana surrounded by silver flowers. The vampires conversed excitedly. There was singing and games of Limbo and Catch the Dancing Rays. There was A-Positive Punch and plenty of it. Everyone was happy. A love was being celebrated. A stunning and full Harvest Moon was being rejoiced. Diana was praised over and over. For Anthony and Jared it was a wedding to remember.
Thistle danced with a male vampire called Pierre who was visiting from Paris.
Anthony and Jared were dancing slowly nearby, holding each other in a loving embrace.
“They’re so lovely together,” Thistle said, wistfully.
“Yes they are,” Pierre agreed, his eyes resting intently on her face. “Happiness is lovely to see.” His eyes travelled down to her cleavage and rested there a moment before coming up to meet her eyes.
Thistle noticed his gaze, the obvious intent, and whispered, “Later,” before pulling him closer and leading him further into the throng of bodies.
The celebrations wound down in the early hours, the vampires going off to take their customary weeklong holiday after a moon celebration to do whatever they so wished before returning to their lives and jobs.
Thistle had decided to wander Richmond Park, take in the beauty, climb trees and be alone with nature before heading off for her holiday. Pierre had joined her for a while and they had made love. Thistle always enjoyed having sex with Pierre when he came to visit. He was the most giving of all her lovers. He knew how to send her deep into the arms of ecstasy.
When Pierre left, Thistle continued to wander Richmond Park. She pushed awa
y all other thoughts, all negative feeling. She enjoyed the moon’s reflection on the calm surface of the lake, the trees, the breeze and the open stretches. She twirled and sang to Diana and the Harvest Moon, rejoiced and celebrated her happiness. She sang for Anthony and Jared who would now be heading out on their honeymoon, danced for their love. There was rustling in the bushes nearby and she sang about the deer that would be hiding in there.
“Come out, little deer,” she sang. “Come out and see the moon with me.” She skipped closer to the bushes.
A figure stepped out. It wasn’t a deer but a person.
“Oh. Hello.” Thistle looked bemused, her euphoria dimming slightly “What are you doing out here? I didn’t expect to see you here.” All euphoria died at the look on the figure’s face. Something wasn’t right, she took a step back. The figure moved toward her quickly, an arm raised high. Pain burst through Thistle’s head as something hard struck her. She felt the hot trickle of blood down the side of her face. A foul stench on the air and a horrible growl were the last things she sensed before the moon died and darkness claimed her.
31.
FRIDAY NIGHT BLUES
As Tina walked home from the bad date Friday night, her new top covered in curry, she decided there and then that she would not be dating anyone again for a while. The dating world was a dangerous world, a sea with way too many fish in it.
Her name, the date that is, was Juliet and she was so lovely. Everything about her had seemed perfect– the lustrous red hair, the sparkling blue eyes, the warm personality, the intelligence. Tina really thought she’d struck gold. And she was doing great herself, being charming and all the good stuff that her best friend Amanda had told her to do.
“Listen,” Amanda had said. “Everyone loves a listener. But don’t be too quiet and let her do all the talking. Be warm and have a sense of humour – you’ve got a great sense of humour. Oh, and absolutely no talking about rats.”
“What’s wrong with rats?” Tina had protested.
“Nothing, but some people have issues with them.”
“If they can’t love rats then I can’t love them,” Tina said with an air of disdain for all rat haters.
“That’s exactly why you’re single.”
Mrs Uppity and her wife, Tina said to herself. Amanda could be a little snobby towards the world of singles and dating just because she had found the love of her life, Tracy, and they had married. What was wrong with wanting to find someone who loved rats too?
Amanda had insisted on taking her shopping for a new outfit and now that outfit - new top and jeans - was covered in curry. Chicken Korma stains down the blue fabric of the top and some specks on the dark blue jeans. Her feet hurt in the too-high heels she had worn and so did her head. Juliet had been horrified at Tina’s shocking inability to connect the food to her mouth without it going anywhere else. Not only that, but Tina had indeed started talking about rats and how great it would be if one ran up her leg right now. Well, Juliet had brought up the subject of pets – her choice being the vermin that are cats – and Tina, unable to help herself, had openly declared her love for the pear-shaped bundles of joy with substantial tails.
The date had ended earlier than planned. So Tina walked home under the big bright moon, taking a shortcut through an empty park, and contemplated being a nun or taking a vow of celibacy or something. Her rats didn’t make her feel like this! She should have seen it coming. What good was being a clairvoyant if you couldn’t see such things? Not that she understood her gift. Lately she’d kept having visions of a strange place, a cold and dark place that scared the crap out of her.
Her phone vibrated in her pocket.
Something wrapped itself around her legs and pulled her to the ground, the grass cold on her face. Before she could cry out for help or just scream in general, something slithered into her mouth to muffle any sound she could make. The cold, slimy and scaly thing was secreting thick ooze that forced its way down her throat. She was on the brink of vomiting but held back. There was nowhere for it to go. The smell of rotting fish overwhelmed her, only increased the turning of her stomach and the desire to spew up. And then she was carried away into the night, slowly drifting into unconsciousness as the ooze continued to fill her stomach.
Tina hadn’t noticed that her phone had fallen out of her pocket. It was the least of her concerns. This was a great shame. For there was a new text message on it that would have made her happy when she’d read it.
HI TINA. SORRY I ACTED THE WAY I DID. IT’S JUST THAT I’VE NEVER MET ANYONE LIKE YOU. OKAY, SO THE MESSY EATING THING WAS A LITTLE SHOCKING. BUT WHO CARES? AND RATS…OKAY, MAYBE I COULD LEARN TO LOVE THEM. LOL. I’M SORRY I ENDED IT EARLY AND ACTED LIKE A SNOB. I’M NOT EVEN HOME YET BECAUSE I WANT TO CARRY ON. I CANT GET YOU OUT OF MY HEAD! I’M ACTUALLY HANGING AROUND AT A BUS STOP BECAUSE I DON’T WANT TO GO HOME! SORRY FOR THE LONG TEXT. I’M TOO NERVOUS TO CALL. LOL! WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW? DO YOU WANT TO MEET UP AND START AGAIN? XXX JULIET XXX
32.
SOME CLARITY, PLEASE!
Roman softly shut his bedroom door and sat down on the edge of his bed with a soft thwump. Bent at the waist, he held his head in his hands as if the mere action would calm his messy thoughts.
What was he doing? If his mum hadn’t walked in when she did, what would he have done? He shook his head to clear it. The fact was, that she had come home and he hadn’t done anything, so it was okay…right?
Damn! Who was he kidding? Another few minutes and he would have buried himself inside Rose, fuck the consequences. He felt himself getting hard just thinking about it. The feel of her body under his, firm but soft in all the right places, the taste of her lips, the naked hunger in her eyes, which made his blood heat. How could he have even thought that things could be normal between them? The attraction was just too great, amplified by the forbidden fruit aspect of the situation. He fell backwards onto the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling illuminated by moonlight. There was no choice– he would have to distance himself from her. Polite but distant, it was the only way to overcome these feelings. Eventually the attraction would fade. If he was lucky he might even meet his bond mate, and then the grip that Rose had on him would fade. But what about Rose? A small voice in his head asked. Would it fade for her? Would it hurt her to see him with someone else?
The thought of hurting Rose brought to the fore a mess of protective feelings. He had it bad, if only…if only what? If only he wasn’t a werewolf, if only she wasn’t so damn attractive, so appealing, so…Rose.
He closed his eyes, shutting out the moonlight. He needed Thistle, needed her badly. He thought he would never sleep but sleep claimed him, stealthy and unexpectedly, as slumber sometimes has the tendency to do. He tumbled quickly into the land of dreams, into the arms of Rose
33.
JUST FRIENDS
Rose woke earlier then she had hoped and lay in bed trying to block out the chirping of the early bird and hoping that the oblivion of sleep would claim her again. After ten long minutes of the sandman being a no show, she admitted defeat and pulled herself out of bed.
Might as well face the music.
She wasn’t working this weekend and had planned a day with Faye, shopping, lunch then more shopping– Faye’s idea. Before she could immerse herself in retail therapy, however, she needed to see Roman, needed to sort things out with him. Ideally, she would have loved to speak to Thistle, get her head straight first. But Thistle would be unavailable all week, some vampire holiday thing where they went off on a short sabbatical or something. She shook her head as she pulled on yesterday’s jeans and a fresh jumper– the mornings were getting chillier. Slipping her feet into her slippers, she glanced at her bedside clock, which read half past seven. She wasn’t sure if Roman was working today, but if he was she wanted to catch him before he headed out. She needed to clear the air, to apologise.
She found him in the kitchen spooning cereal into his mouth so fast she was surprised he hadn’t choked. He froze as sh
e entered, then set down his spoon, sighing deeply. He stood quickly, dumping his bowl into the sink. Rose’s face heated as she realised what he had been trying to do. The expression on his face when she had walked into the kitchen was akin to that of a naughty school boy caught breaking into the head master’s office– shock, guilt then resignation.
“Were you trying to avoid me?” she asked.
Roman turned to face her. “I think that’s best, don’t you?”
Rose exhaled in frustration. This is not how she expected things to be. “Look, I’m sorry about last night. I egged you on…I knew you were on the edge and I pushed you. I don’t have any excuse really. I guess I was listening to Miss Horny on my left shoulder. It won’t happen again.” She looked him straight in the eye, her gaze open and sincere.
He smiled tiredly. “But it will. I could have stopped, Rose, believe me. I could have stopped if I had wanted to, but the thing is…I didn’t want to and if mum hadn’t come back when she did…well, I wouldn’t have stopped.” He shrugged. “We need to stay away from each other, and we can’t be friends, not while this attraction is still there.” He was right, she knew that he was right. Then why did it feel like he was squeezing her guts with his bare hands?
