15
1030 Words
“That's why you're training me, isn't it?” I grinned at her, trying to get that sad, defeated look out of her eyes. “I'll protect you."
Larkin still didn't look convinced, but she gave me a half-hearted smile as she stood. “Better get back to it then. You're not going to be protecting anyone if you can't make a proper moonbeam bolt."
I jumped up and shook my limbs out, feeling a little better after all. Maybe Larkin had been right about taking a break. Besides, now I had even more motivation—I had to save my cousin too.
That night, Celeste invited some of the other witches over for dinner. They spilled into the house with laughter and warmth, bringing various dishes ranging from green bean casseroles to stuffed grape leaves to fruit pies. Each one of them gave me a hug like I was a member of their family, and I diligently tried to remember names—Mariel, who had given me the scarf in town and had the warmest smile; Elsa and Kena, both covered in cat hair, their arms linked together the entire night; Erik, one of the few male witches I'd seen, along with his wife, Patricia, who brought me tea they'd made themselves; and Rowena, known as the oldest witch in Lunatera, with paper-thin skin and eyes that shone with wisdom. To my surprise, Killian came too, and though my wolf kept wanting to growl at him, he only offered me a polite smile that showed only the tips of his fangs.
“You know, you're the first visitor we've had in a long time," he said as we all sat down to eat. "A decade, at least.”
"How long have you all been here?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.
"Some of us have been here for centuries," Mariel said, with a nod to Rowena.
"Aye, I've been here long enough to forget what Earth is like," the elderly woman said with a slow chuckle.
"Most of us came here in 1861," Patricia explained. "That's when Celeste decided it would be safer for Moon Witches to live here than on Earth."
I glanced between all of them, trying to imagine how they'd survived here for over one hundred fifty years without losing their minds. "What happened?"
"The Sun Witches attacked us during one of our coven meetings," Elsa said. "They slaughtered so many of our people..." Her voice faded and she shook her head, while Kena wrapped an arm around her.
"That's when most of the men were killed," Patricia said, clasping onto Erik's hand. "Including Celeste's husband."
My eyes jerked back to Celeste's face. She'd had a husband?
Celeste looked down at her food, and when she spoke her words were laced with pain. "The Sun Witches had been hunting us for some time, and though we tried to fight back, I knew the only way we'd survive was if we went into hiding."
"She saved us," Mariel said, raising her glass of wine in a salute. "And we've been safe here ever since."
I swallowed my bite of food and asked, "How do you stay sane?"
Larkin laughed. "Hobbies. Lots and lots of hobbies."
Then they each told me all about their hobbies—baking, painting, making candles, embroidery, learning new languages, and so many others. They all seemed happy on the surface, but I sensed deep pain and longing inside all of them.
"And you?" I asked, turning to Killian, who had been quiet all this time. "How did a vampire end up here?"
"I fell in love," he said with a charming smile as he swirled his wine. "How else?"
Rowena patted his arm. "Killian joined us a century ago when he married one of our kind."
"Yes, I was lucky they accepted me here." He bowed his head. "Alas, my dear Lucy was murdered by the Sun Witches during a visit to Earth a few decades ago."
"I'm sorry to hear that." I knew what it was like to lose someone I loved to the Sun Witches. I still woke up with the image of Kaden being blasted by the Sun Witches' magic in cold sweats most mornings.
He nodded in response. “I debated going back to Earth, but at that point, I'd lived here so long, it felt like home. Besides, I'm protected from the Sun Curse here, since there's no daylight."
“How do you get blood?” I asked, but then wanted to bite my tongue. "Sorry if that's a rude question. I've never met a vampire before."
Luckily Killian didn't seem to mind. “I don't need much of it, since time moves oddly here. But when I do, people in town donate for me.”
"Killian is a great help to our people," Mariel said with a big smile. "We're happy to make sure his special needs are met."
I bet they'd like to help with some of his other needs too, I thought as I watched the way the ladies all made heart-eyes at him. I couldn't blame them. Killian was freaking gorgeous, and there was something about him that drew you in and made you want to get closer, like some kind of allure. It didn't work on me though—partly because I was taken, and partly because my wolf kept wanting to bite him.
"I do love it here," Killian said, flashing the ladies some more of his charm. "Even if I were to go back, I'm not sure if I would be welcome among my own kind anymore, or how I would adapt to not going out during the day. It's been so long."
I shrugged. "Well, we have the internet now, and you can order pretty much anything you want from the comfort of your home. You wouldn't have to leave at all during the day."
"Tempting," he said with a wicked smile that sent a shiver through me. "Perhaps one day I will return. I've heard Larkin and some of the others talking about all the wonderful modern conveniences, but I didn't consider how they could help someone like me.”
- Writer
