Immortal Moon

by June Stevens

  At first the blood oozed out slowly. Then it began to stream down his arm, mingling with Anya’s. He pulled his shirt away from her neck and lowered his arm so the blood flowed directly into her wound. It wasn’t doing anything. It wasn’t working fast enough, she was too weak.

  “I need more blood,” he said, holding his other wrist out to Fiona, the dagger in his palm. “Cut this one.”

  “Jarrett, that’s dangerous. If you lose too much blood…” she said, hesitating.

  “Do it,” he repeated, using her earlier words and tone.

  She grasped the blade and slid it across his wrist.

  He held that wrist over Anya’s mouth, hoping that drinking the blood would help strengthen her so the virus would have time to take hold and heal her.

  “Come on, Ginger. Don’t you go out like this. You fight, you hard-headed little thing. You fight like a demon. I know you can do it,” he choked the words out, fear and blood loss slurring his speech.

  After what seemed like hours, but could have only been seconds, he heard Fiona let out a whoop. He looked up to see Anya’s wrist between her fingers.

  “It’s working Jarrett,” she said, her voice jubilant. “Her heart is still beating. It’s slow, and weak, but it’s beating. And look, the wound is closing.”

  He looked down and saw she was right. Part of the gash on Anya’s neck was knit together and looked like it was several days old, instead of minutes. It was a start, but she was so weak. He had to keep giving her blood until the entire wound closed. It was the only way to insure the virus had taken hold.

  “Jarrett,” Fiona’s voice sounded far away. “That’s enough, the healers are here. They’ll take care of her. You saved her. She’s going to be okay.”

  “No, I have to make sure.” His throat was dry, and his head ached, but he had to make sure Anya survived. If she didn’t get enough of his blood into her body through the wound, she would still die.

  “Damn it! Sam, help me!”

  Jarrett heard Fiona whisper to Sam, and he wondered why she was talking so softly. Then he felt strong hands pulling him back and pushing him onto the ground. He tried to fight them, tried to get back to Anya, but they overpowered him.

  “Damn it, boy, be still.” Now Sam was whispering. “He’s lost a lot of blood.”

  “Put his wrist in his mouth. The saliva will help seal the wound and stop the blood flow,” someone else said, from far away.

  “Anya,” he gasped. “Anya.”

  “She’s right here, Jarrett. She’s going to be okay.” He felt someone put something in his hand, and he knew it was Anya’s hand. It was limp, but warm. She was warm, she was alive. She may hate him forever for what he’d done to her, the fate he’d forced upon her to make sure she survived, but she would live and that was all that mattered.

  He let the darkness hovering around the edges of his vision take over.

  THE END

  The acknowledgments section is always one of the hardest parts of a book for me to write. I wouldn’t be able to write anything without the amazing people in my life, but I’m always afraid I’ll miss someone and hurt their feelings. I think I’ll keep it simple this time.

  First, I want to thank everyone who read Voodoo Moon. On the days when writing is super hard, I think about the reviews and the messages I received asking for more stories about the Moon sisters. It keeps me going.

  Second I want to send a special shout out to two members of my street team, Amy Stogner and Kristy Hamilton. Amy spent her summer helping me with promotional duties so I had time to write. Kristy read every single chapter of Immortal Moon as it was written, giving feedback to help make it stronger. I am so lucky to have such wonderful people on my team.

  I also want to thank my sister, Tammy, because without having known and loved her for these past thirty plus years, I’d never be able to write the beautiful relationship between the Moon sisters.

  No acknowledgments page would be complete without an “I Love Your Guts” to my #1 Bish, Sherry. She encourages me, deals with my crazy, and pulls me back into the land of the sane when I’ve gone over the edge.

  And last, but never least, my husband Steve. He is my answer to life, the universe, and everything.

  June is a geek girl, fat chick, and unrepentant romantic. She writes full time and is both independently and traditionally published. She also works part time running her greeting card company.

  When not working, June can be found making jewelry, reading, cooking, or watching geeky movies with her husband and snuggling with her 6…YES 6, furbabies. Notice cleaning wasn’t listed…