Beneath a Blood Moon - Book Two (Moon Child Series)

Chapter Eleven

Luca’s POV

My phone vibrated in my pocket, pulling me from my deep sleep and I jolted up, digging into my pocket to grab my phone. Amelia groaned from my lap where her head was still resting and I apologised as her eyes opened, full of pain.

Just checked into hotel in Florida, awaiting hurricane. How is Amelia? Mia’s text said.

Good, be safe. She seems ok, will keep you updated.  I quickly replied before placing my phone back into my pocket and turning my attention to Amelia, who hadn’t moved from her spot. I carefully lifted up her shirt to check on her wound, as her pain filled eyes watched me. Peeling back the bandages I wince a little to see the wound still very open, but no longer bleeding. I quickly and gently changed the bandages and pulled her shirt down when I was done.

“Thank you.” Amelia said to me in a quiet voice and I smiled in return. She winced slightly as she sat up and I stood, dusting my pants before carefully pulling her to her feet.

“Are you ok to walk?” I ask, holding her waist softly, supporting her weight. She nods, and I let go of her waist to grab the bags.

“So where are we supposed to go?” she asked as her gaze took in our surroundings. I did the same.

“I have no idea. The legend says that her song of sorrow leads those who need her tears, so maybe we need to just walk and listen.” I felt a little lost, not knowing our next move. Amelia just nods and starts walking slowly, a hand clutching at her side. I stay close to her side just in case she fell. We walked in comfortable silence through the woods for a couple of hours, listening to the sounds of the forest in hope that the song would grace our ears.

After those few hours I could see Amelia beginning to pale, as sweat covered her brow. I grabbed her arm gently, pulling her to a stop and making her sit atop a fallen tree. I knelt on the ground before her, reaching into my satchel at my waist and pulled a bottle of water from it and handing it to her. She smiled gratefully and thirstily gulped at the water. While she drank, I reached into my duffel and retrieved the first aid kit once again. She lifted her shirt for me, and I tended to the wound again, glad to see the wound had diminished in size if even by a few millimetres. After wrapping her wound in new bandages, she lowered her shirt and smiled a thanks at me. My eyes fell to her greenish blue ones, my heart jumping. And then I looked away quickly, guilt and heartache gripping at my heart as I saw another pair of eyes, emerald green ones, flash before my vision. I knew I was falling for Amelia, there was no denying the pull of the mate bond. But guilt was stopping me from allowing those feelings to come forth. The lust and s****l feelings I had for her, I had no problem showing, however when It came to my heart, I just wasn’t sure I could give it to her after losing Fae.

I busied myself in the satchel as I pulled out a prepacked sandwich and handing it to Amelia, we sat in silence as we ate. As I ate my sandwich my mind wandered back to Fae. Her beautiful green eyes that had glowed with innocence as I’d pulled her to me, and then dulled to nothing as her life left her body. I’d never known pain like that before as my heart was ripped from my body, and all hope for the future was ripped with it. But then my eyes had collided with fiery green-blue ones and my life had been turned on its head. My heart was torn, and still aching for Fae and I wasn’t sure what to do.

A shiver ran down my spine, pulling me from my reverie and my back straightened of its own accord as I perked my ears for suspicious noises. A faint hypnotic voice ran through me and I felt my body vibrate with its power. Standing from the grass I glanced around the clearing, my ears more attentive now. Amelia stood as well, her hand on my arm to gain my attention.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, following my gaze around the clearing, prepared to fight if it came to it.

“I thought I heard… singing.” I replied quietly, still intently listening to the sounds of the forest. I spun around as the sound hit me. Soft, sorrowful singing. My hands grabbed at our bags and I was off, checking every now again to make sure Amelia was following, as the song pulled me forward through the trees. Ten minutes of walking later, the song swelled in volume until we entered a clearing where a large sharp boulder sat wrapped within the trunk of a large oak tree. Amelia and I approached the stone, and it started softly glowing. We stopped just before the stone and I watched as Amelia reached towards the stone, her face in a daze. As her fingers brushed the glowing stone, writing began to appear on its surface.

I hurt the most when lost, yet also when not had at all. I'm sometimes the hardest to express, but the easiest to ignore. I can be given to many, or just one. What am I?[SD1] 

I watch as Amelia reads the words now carved into the stone and her face turns thoughtful. After a few minutes of thinking she spoke, her tone unsure.

“Love?” her eyes go wide as the earth beneath her opens up and then she’s gone. I pull at the grass, calling her name, desperation gripping at my heart. What the hell had just happened? The song once again filled my ears, pulling my attention back to the rock. My hand moves on its own accord, brushing against the cool stone. I watch in awe as new words replaced the riddle that Amelia had had to solve.

It brings back the lost as though never gone, shines laughter and tears with light long since shone; a moment to make, a lifetime to shed; valued then but lost when your dead. What Is It?

I read the words again and again, racking my brain to come up with an answer and then it hit me.

“A memory.” My voice was no more than a whisper, but it had obviously been loud enough for whoever magicked the riddle onto the rock, because within the moment the words had left my lips I was plummeting into the earth. I landed atop something soft and heard a cry of pain. Pulling myself up, I rested my weight on my forearms, and my eyes collided with Amelia’s green-blue ones. She winced as she shifted beneath me and I quickly rolled off of her with an apology. I helped her to her feet, cringing when her face contorted in pain.

“Are you ok?” I ask softly. She nods in reply and I glance around at our surroundings. We were obviously underground, in a long winding tunnel with only one direction to go. With a glance back at Amelia we started walking. We walked in comfortable silence for what felt like ages, until the sound of animals skittering and birds twittering, and a fresh breeze replacing the stench of wet earth and mould. We entered a domed cave, its walls rocky and grey, as if we were inside of a mountain, or an underground cave.  Symbols were carved into the rock, glowing slightly. A majority of the cavern was dominated by a large crystal-clear lake, and in its middle was a small island. On this island sat a twelve-foot weeping willow, its branches drooping to kiss the edge of the water and shrouding the little island in deeper shadow. The glowing symbols carved into the rock were the only light source, giving the cavern an eerie feel. I dumped our bags at the edge of the lake and placed my phone atop it and Amelia followed suite, before following me into the cool water surrounding the island where the tree stood. I helped Amelia onto the little island, the mud giving her trouble in her tired and injured state and pulled back the curtain of leaves into the hidden world beneath. A tall drooping trunk, wide in size was before us in the near darkness. We stood there for a few silent minutes looking around before I threw my hands into the air in frustration.

“Well, now what?” I said impatiently to the air. Wood creaked and my attention snapped to the trunk of the tree as, in the large knot upon its surface, a face of an old woman started to form. My heart almost fell out of my butt as I fell back in shock as the face of the woman spoke.

“You politely ask the tree to reveal itself, young wolf.” My eyes felt as though they were bugging out of my head and my mouth hit the floor.

“This is some real Pocahontas type shit.” I exclaimed as I rose slowly to my feet and dusting myself off. Amelia stood beside me; her face full of shock as her gaze fell on the face in the tree.

“Close your mouth young man, its rude.” I snapped my jaw shut with an audible click and cleared my throat. “That’s better.” I turned to Amelia, our eyes wide, and then back to the tree. “Come forward, children. My eyes are not as sharp as they used to be.” We did as she asked, taking slow cautious steps towards her. Her wrinkled old face smiled at our approach, and slightly put us at ease. But not too much considering she was a talking bloody tree! The only talking tree I’d ever seen was in the Disney Classic Pocahontas as a child, in real life it just didn’t happen. But apparently it did. Because I was standing here conversing with a tree. Goddess help me, I’ve gone mad. A silver leafed branch reached forward, brushing softly against my cheek, making a shiver run down my spine.

“I was wondering how long it would take you to hear my sorrow song. I was singing it for hours.” I looked questioningly at her. How did she know we were searching for her? “The tress have ears, and the wind is a hopeless gossip.” She answered my unspoken question. But a new one took its place. How did the wind reach her when she was in this cavern? Again she answered my question without me needing to utter a word. “I’m a magical talking tree young man, you figure it out!” Amelia snorted in laughter next to me at the trees attitude and I sent her a mock glare. My mind was spinning a hundred miles a minute. What were we to do next? What was her name? We couldn’t keep calling her tree.

“You may call me Mother Willow, young man. And as for what to do next, that all depends on what you need.”

“Stop doing that!” I exclaimed, frustrated that my every thought was being read and answered before I’d been able to voice them. Her wooden eyebrow rose in a ‘did you really just use that tone with me’ kind of gesture, and I gulped. “Sorry, Mother Willow. I’m just a bit overwhelmed.” Amelia took this moment to step forward and smile kindly at Mother Willow.

“Mother Willow, we kindly ask for your help. We need your tears.” Mother Willows head seemed to nod, and she returned Amelia’s kind smile with her own.

“They do come with a price, my dear. One that some people are not willing to pay.”

“What price?” I asked, my curiosity taking precedence over my manners. Mother Willows eyes fell on me, her gaze turning serious.

“Heartbreak.” My stomach flipped. What the hell was that supposed to mean? Mother Willow sighed, her branches and leaves rustling with the act, and smiled sadly. “Do you know of how I became what I am?” she asked, her voice low and serious. We both nodded, waiting for her to continue. “Heartbreak at the loss of my dear William led me to cry until I morphed with the earth and became a weeping willow. I did not always live this hidden from the world, my tears used to run freely with the rain. But many began using my tears for evil. So I sank beneath the earth and only allowed those to find me that truly needed my tears and were of pure intention.” Amelia and I listened in awed silence and fascination as she continued on with her tale. “For many centuries now I have lived beneath the earth, and my tears have long since dried out without the rain to carry them for me. So for those that seek my tears they must sacrifice a memory of their own heartache in order for my tears to flow.” My heart starts to ache at the memory of my own heartache, not sure I could willingly part with it. And then my eyes fell on Amelia, her own eyes filled with sorrow as she reminisced on her own heartache and my heart was torn. My heart felt like it could love no other after the loss of Fae, but it also felt like it was done mourning a love that was lost and live in the moment of the new love before me. Would giving up my heartache over Fae allow me to finally allow my heart to be Amelia’s? Since meeting Amelia, her fiery spirit and kind heart had pulled me from the darkness I hadn’t realised I’d sunk into. The way she made me goad her just to see the fire in her eyes, the way I caught myself staring at her because her smile was so infectious. I felt like I wanted to be around others again, like I wanted to joke and have fun. She had opened my eyes to how serious a person heartache had made me.

Lost in my thoughts I didn’t notice Amelia step forward until she spoke, effectively puling me from my contemplation.

“Take mine.” She whispered, a tear sliding down her cheek as she spoke. “My father is gone and would not want me to dwell on my heartache anymore.” Mother Willow’s silver branch reached out and gently wiped the tear from Amelia’s cheek, before resting beneath her chin to hold her gaze.

“You’re sacrifice is honourable, dear one. And the heartache of losing a parent is indeed painful. But not painful enough for me to shed my tears.” Amelia’s eyes went wide with question.

“What is then?” she asked, incredulous. I felt my resolve strengthen in that moment. If she were willing to sacrifice her heartache without a second thought, then so could I. For her. I wanted to do it for her. I wanted a future with her. It was never clearer than in that moment. I stepped forward, softly taking her hand in mine, and looking deep into her eyes.

“The loss of a mate.” I croaked out, barely able to get the words out through my tight throat. I watched as realisation hit her, and her eyes filled with fresh tears.

“Fae.” She whispered. “She was your first…” I nodded solemnly my eyes falling to the ground as tears welled in my eyes and threatened to fall.

“I met her at the King’s summit.” Amelia covered her mouth with her hand and gasped. I didn’t need to finish my sentence; she knew the words I was going to say. I turned to Mother Willow; my shoulders set determinedly.

“I willingly give you my heartache.” Mother Willow’s face softened as she nodded.

“I accept. Stand before me, young man.” I did as she told and came to stand before her, my heart pounding in my chest. “You will retain the memories of the moment you experienced the heartache; all I take is the emotional memories that your heart has retained. Do you understand?” she asked softly. I nodded, setting my chin, and preparing myself for the unknown ahead. Amelia came towards me and reached into the satchel at my waist, removing one of the vials Mia had given us to collect our ingredients in. She came to stand before Mother Willows face in the tree and unstoppered the bottle, ready to catch the tears as they fell. A branch floated down towards me and came to rest above my heart.

“This might hurt.” She warned. And then I felt my eyes cloud over, and memories flicked across my vision. I felt a pulling sensation in my chest as the memories of that day flashed before me, and pain deeper than I remember ran through my being and out through my heart. My cheeks burned with tears as they streamed from my eyes, the heartache overwhelming. I wasn’t sure how long I stood there, my heartache crippling me as it was drained through my heart, but at the last memory everything came rushing forward. My eyes returned to normal, focusing on the gnarled face of Mother Willow before me and I fell to my knees, sucking in a well needed breath. Soft hands grasped at my cheeks, pulling my eyes up to look into her green-blue ones. And my heart sang.

Mate. Nero purred contentedly. My hands had a mind of their own as they grasped the back of her head and pulled her lips to mine in a soul burning kiss. I felt my heart sing, and my soul soar. Without my heartache keeping me down, my heart was able to fully appreciate the mate bond I shared with Amelia. Fae was not forgotten. She would always have a place in my heart, that I knew, but now I had room for Amelia, and just a glance in those eyes had me realising how empty my life had really been before her. And how full it was about to become. A soft cough from behind Amelia had us breaking the kiss, sucking in well needed air. We turned sheepishly towards Mother Willow as I came to stand again, my hands possessively gripping Amelia’s waist, careful of her wound.

“I have a gift for you, young lady. To help with the pain and hasten the healing of your wound.” One of her branches reached down, handing Amelia a drawstring bag. Amelia took the bag and peeked inside revealing pieces of bark inside. “Seep them in hot water for two to three minutes and it will ease your pain.”

“Thank you, Mother Willow. For everything.” I said, gratefulness apparent in my voice. My eyes fell to Amelia’s again, seeing love deep within their depths that I found myself returning whole heartedly. In less than a week this woman had made me feel a myriad of emotions and now she was making me feel love.

“You are most welcome, young man. I hope you have many years before you and grow wrinkly and old together.” I smiled, turning a grateful smile to the woman in the tree. Something flashed across Amelia’s face, but was gone too quick that I thought I’d imagined it, so I shrugged it off. With one last thank you to Mother Willow, I took the vial from Amelia and placed it in the satchel at my waist. As we were about to exit the canopy of her leaves we stopped, as we were not sure how the hell we were going to get out of here. We heard Mother Willow chuckle in amusement and turned back to her.

“Close your eyes.” She ordered gently. We did as we were told and felt a calming whoosh of wind blow across our faces before the cool night air tingled against our skin. Opening our eyes we found ourselves in front of the stone that had held the riddles, our bags at our feet. I pulled Amelia gently into my chest and kissed her softly.

“Let’s get out of these woods and find a place to stay, while we figure out how we’re going to get to Greece.” She nodded, a bright smile on her face and I grabbed the bags. We walked as far as we could until we reached a road where I called for a taxi. When the taxi arrived, I asked for the driver to take us to the nearest hotel, and we sat back silently, my arm holding Amelia close to me. I paid the taxi driver with the credit card Seth had given me for any needed expenses when we arrived at our destination, and then went to the front desk of the hotel to pay for a night stay. When we entered the room, I dumped the bags into the closet and collapsed on the bed with a big sigh. I pulled out my phone and started brainstorming how we were going to get to Greece without the help of Amelia’s shimmering. The wound might be healing well, and the wound by itself wouldn’t have affected her shimmering, it was the dead man’s blood that was the impact. I watched with a small grin on my face as Amelia boiled some water in a kettle and pulled out a mug. It was amazing how intense my feelings towards her were now, and how much the loss of Fae had impacted my view on life. Amelia was my second chance, and I wasn’t going to waste it. The kettle came to a boil and Amelia placed a piece of bark in her mug along with the boiling water and came to sit beside me, giving me a soft peck on the lips from where I lay, making me smile wide like the Cheshire Cat.

“Any ideas how we’re getting to Greece?” She asked, blowing on the hot liquid in the cup before taking a sip. Relief floods through her face as the effects of the bark tea take place instantly, and I’m grateful for Mother Willow giving us her gift. Amelia gave a content sigh and finished off her tea as I continued to brainstorm our dilemma. My phone vibrated in my hand, and I glanced at it to see that Mia was calling me.

“Hey Mia. What’s up?” Amelia points towards the bathroom, indicating she’s going to go have a shower and I nodded in understanding watching her walk away with hungry eyes.

“Just checking up on you. Have you guys gotten the tears yet?” I slipped the satchel from around my shoulder and walked over to the safe inside the closet, placing it in there.

“We’re fine. Amelia still can’t shimmer, but Mother Willow gave her some of her bark, so the pain of her wound is managed. And yes we got the tears.”

“Mother Willow?” Mia asked, confusion obvious in her voice. I smirked, knowing she was going to love what I was about to say next.

“Yeah. Mother Willow. It was like we had stepped right into Pocahontas and walked right up to Grandmother Willow herself.”

“Shut up! That is so cool!” I laughed at Mia’s excitedness, knowing how jealous my twin was that I got to experience that. “I’m glad Amelia is ok. Have you figured out how you’re getting to Greece yet?”

“No. I don’t want to fly commercially in case Adrienne gets wind of it, and driving would take way too long. Do you have any ideas?” I grabbed our bags and set them on the bed, ready for Amelia when she got out of the shower and started digging through mine for some clean clothes.

“Why not call Charlie? He might have a pilot friend that can help you out, and he owes us one after saving his ass from that crazy stalker of his.” I could’ve kissed Mia! Charlie! How could I have forgotten him?

“Mia, you’re a bloody genius!” I heard her chuckle through the line.

“I know. I’ll send you through his number, keep me updated.” With a few words of goodbye, I hung up and waited for her to send through the number, which I dialled the minute she had. When Charlie picked up, I got straight to the point, and Goddess bless him, he had someone who could help. We set up a meeting place and time and with many thanks I hung up with new hope.

 [SD1]https://www.riddles.com/quiz/love-riddles