A kiss under the Velvet Moon

MacHayden is my father

Those eyes, they haunted me, had always haunted since that day my home went up in flames.

As soon as I closed my eyes to sleep, they were always staring at me, through me.

A sad reminder, of what I'd lost, my home, my children, my life, they were all gone in an instant.

I stood in the middle of what was left of my home, our home. My eyes stung from the smoke and ash. I was covered in it from head to toe, it was in my hair, on my face, in between my fingernails.

My family, they survived, why didn't I search for them, why didn't they search for me? Wasn't my love enough ? Sadly, sometimes love just ain't enough, at least that's what they always said in "love songs", in stories, in movies, in real life.

Shaking my head, I keep my eyes to the crumbling floor and kicked at wooden beams, and pieces of glass.

I couldn't believe it, could not fathom it, I told her I'd never hurt her, never make her cry, but I did, I, f*cking hurt her.

I had nothing left to give, my anger, my sadness, I let it take over, I let everything in me, that I had been sheltering, hiding within, escape.

The hurt, the pain, everything, I could not hold on to it any longer.

What was left of the building vibrated and shook, until each wall that was still holding up on the foundation, collapsed on top of me.

I deserved it, wished I could die beneath it but because of what and whom I am, it wouldn't happen, it was impossible, I was immortal, on earth and even in hell. Nothing could hurt me, well physically, mentally, I was f*cked!

This is my punishment, I deserved to rot inside this place. It was almost fitting as I was stuck beneath the rubble of something I destroyed, which I should have protected at all costs.

My heart which was burned had always been buried beneath.

My soul, my heart at least what was left of it, had always been hers, the moment I first met her, it had always been hers.

As the sun set behind the trees, the house was but embers, a smoldering shell, turning to ash,

and I was in ashes beneath it. My body was intact, not a scratch on me but my mind lost and it couldn't bare to escape the prison it had hidden beneath.

I think at some point, I had fallen asleep because everything around me grew still, and dark.

A million of sparkling lights lit of the night sky, the mountain air was crisp and the smell of pine needles floated around me, hidden beneath the scent of cinnamon.

" Elias wake up my son, did you faint ? Here is some water to quench your thirst.". The voice was faint but familiar, my eye lids slowly lifted to reveal, my father, standing over me.

Cool, mountain spring water splashed at my parched cracked lips. It felt, so good, I wished I could bathe in his glorious wetness.

" Whe.re., Where am I ? " I asked choking on the words.

" You are, are here with me son, I pulled you from the rubble, you are safe. " My father's voice rang in my ears. Silvery eyes looked off in the distance but he was talking to me.

Reaching my arm up to my father's face, the tips of fingertips barely reached the edge of the red stubble against his jawline.

He resembled my father but was he really him?

He now went by the name, MacHayden, a man I hated. This man could not and would never be, the man I knew and loved as my father.

That name instantly made my skin crawl, instinctively, I pushed myself a few feet away from him, trying to get some distance between us.

I wanted to be nowhere near the man who took my family away. I detested this man, he was not my father, he was a coward. He'd left his family behind for what ?

For a vampire gene in his blood, ha ! I am still here , doing just fine! I stomped my feet, kicking and screaming like a school aged child, sticking my tongue out , throwing multiple raspberries.

At least that's what it felt like I'd of done, if it wasn't for the simple fact that, it was only in my head!

Was I fine? No, not really,

not a week before this, I was on the hunt for death but also intended to kill, " the man who called himself, MacHayden".

I was more confused, angry, and blatantly, downright pissed.

How could he even have the audacity to show his face around here?

I swore under my breath, we were still in hell, this man whoever, he is, was from somewhere hidden deep within my subconscious.

Alexandria called this man" grandfather" had said our children had grown up with him around, but never did they once speak his name ?

" Was I that f*cking gullible?" I pleaded, slamming my fist against the ground infront of me, like a small child, I tell ya.

" Not once did my lovely wife mention anything to me of your whereabouts?

Why?" I demanded, anger building an the edge of my lips.

Finding enough strength, I climbed up onto my elbows and pushed myself into a seated position.

My father looked passed me into the trees and green fields behind the rubble that was an once my home.

" Son, I never wanted to leave you and your mom, I had to, I just lost it. I had just turned thirty and soon after, my anger was an all time high. " My father, aka, MacHayden held his head low, embarrassment spread across his face.

The day the animals started missing, it wasn't a fox or mountain lion, or what ever lame excuse I made it up, it was me. Your mother asked me to leave, I just didn't have the heart to tell you son.

I am truly sorry, that is why when I knew you were to turn of age, I had to warn Alexia.

Told her to keep an eye out, if anything changed I would be there. "

I was at a loss for words, couldn't believe what this man was saying. He and my wife, even my mother knew.... but they hid it from me all those years. Damned him, I had to raised with out a father and I had to do the same for my own children because of some " curse" are family

apparently had in their blood.

Bullshit, it was total bullshit.

My father took in a long breath, and then reached out to grab my hand, but I pushed his away, sliding myself up against a tree instead.

" I am truly sorry son but I am not sorry I was there for your wife, I refused to walk away again, I couldn't let you loose your soul, if you hurt them. Your much stronger then me Elias." My father paused for a minute, as if trying to remember or perhaps, try avoid the conversation, but continued after he cleared his throat.

" After your 30th birthday, I had come to your house, was going to finally reveal myself to you but Alexandria stopped me, told me it would only hurt you." He shrugged, and smacked his leg, breathing in heavy.

" I agreed to keep my distance, but it happened just as I said but it was worse then what I'd experienced, far worse. You accidentally killed, Eve, my son. " He became quiet and then added.

" You caused the fire son, after you'd realized what you had done. I barely made it out of there alive with your wife and Samuel. " Shaking his head back and forth, a few blood red tears fell to his cheeks, as relived every thing that happened day.

Standing to my feet, I hollered so loud, I made the tree branches around me snap and break, leaves fall to my feet, the ground shake.

My father, who had only seconds before been sitting along the edge of the evergreens beside that lush grass, was no longer where I'd left him.

Had he simply said his peace and vanished?

I suppose, that could be the case, or this part of my " hell experience" was about to come to an end!

Or maybe it had only just begun?

Maybe this had been " his" plan all along, kick me when Im down, lower me down to the level of a rock, that I now wanted to run under, just to show me, his wiener was bigger.

He'd accomplish that, deserved a blue ribbon for

originality.

Bring me to hell, make me re-live every horrible thing I had done in my life and then on top of everything, reveal to me, my father was alive.

If I could punch the devil in his smug face right now, I would dance like a girl and sing a Britney Sp..ears, songs, into the new dawn.

" Nikolai Lucian Dark, you win, I am broken! You are the superior one in this world, I am just a pawn.".

I practically fell off my feet as I pranced like a teenager learning to wear high heels for the first time.

Humiliation was an all time high, and my prowess, insignificant, like a fly in a room full of spiders. I was used up, chewed up, I was utterly broken.