I headed outside. The sky was a mixture of night and day; light blue with streaks of oranges and pinks. The sun hovered behind the clouds making them glow with brilliance. Releasing a heavy breath, my body relaxed the tiniest bit at the notion my life may go back to normal. Not having Ian in my head or visiting my dreams was enough to make me giddy. Not to mention whatever his plan was for me, it wouldn’t unfold like he thought.

I walked down the cobblestone road with my spirits high. Moon was designed to look like a small English town. I’d never been to England, but from what I’d seen in movies, it looked like it would fit right in.

Downtown Moon was a single street with businesses on either side. Each building was constructed out of brick or smooth river rock. The roofs were thatched and tall chimneys climbed along the sides and flooded the air with the smell of burning wood and cooking food—a smell I loved. Worn wooden signs dangled and swayed above the businesses doors. I headed towards The Cooking Cauldron, one of four restaurants in the town.

When I pushed through the door, my eyes immediately found Dorian’s. He sat along the wall in a booth with a tall mug of frothy beer. He sat back, his hand on the beer, and watched me. The blonde sitting across from him didn’t seem to notice he wasn’t listening to a word she said. Lowering my gaze, I headed towards an empty booth by the window. Since our “fieldtrip” I hadn’t seen him and wasn’t sure how to be around him. The tension between us confused and scared me.

“What’ll have, dear?” the waitress asked, holding a pad and pen.

“Um, I’ll have a Corona, and I’ll need a moment to decide on the food,” I told her with a smile. I wasn’t going to allow Dorian’s presence to upset my good mood. I came here to enjoy some food and have a normal night, and that’s what I was going to do.

“No problem,” the waitress walked away.

As I scanned the menu, I could feel Dorian’s eyes on my back. It was just my luck he turned up at the place I decided to go. I yearned for the day I could return to Flora and not have to worry about him or any of the other witches and their judgmental looks.

“So, have you decided?” The waitressed asked as she set my Corona in front of me. I hadn’t been paying attention to the menu, so I picked the first item that caught my eye.

“I’ll have the roasted chicken and vegetables,” I told her.

When she walked away, I leaned back, took a sip of my beer and stared out the window. It’d been a while since I could relax and get lost in my thoughts. I had been training nonstop since I arrived in Moon. My mind wandered to Fiona. I hadn’t seen much of her since we’d gotten here. She met Ethan and spent most of her time with him learning how to mix potions, which was okay, but I felt like she was avoiding me. Fiona and I met when we were sixteen, and at the time, we found something in each other which satisfied our needs for friendship. Now we were twenty-six, and I wasn’t sure if we were friends simply because it was convenient or if our friendship was genuine. Fiona was there in my times of need, but she’d also abandoned other times. People, like the seasons, change. Maybe Fiona and I were growing apart, and we just didn’t want to acknowledge it. We were so different I wondered how we became friends in the first place. Or maybe our lives were just taking different paths away from each other. Either way our friendship was hanging on by a thread, and that was a sad thought.

I let my mind move on to happier thoughts, Aiden. Thinking of him always made me smile. If life would allow me to, I’d stay wrapped in his arms and feel safe forever. If I was a live wire, then he was what grounded me. A lighthouse that guided me to safety when I was lost.

My cell phone rang, bringing me out of my thoughts.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Gwen,” Penny said. We hadn’t spoken since the night I witnessed the car accident and saw Dorian for the first time.

“Hi, Penny. I’m sorry I haven’t called you back. How is the shop?”

“It’s fine, business has been steady. I just wanted to let you know what my big idea was,” she said, her voice nervous.

“Okay.”

“I set up a website where people can buy online. Right now you only reach residents of Flora. This way you can sell to everyone, even humans. Our entire inventory is linked to the website so we’re not selling stuff that may not be in stock.”

“That’s an excellent idea! Remind me to give you a raise when I get back,” I laughed. Broomsticks did enough business to keep the doors open, but that was about it. If Penny’s online store worked, then that’d be another aspect of my life I wouldn’t have to worry about.

“No big deal, I had fun setting it up,” she paused. “How’s Moon?”

I didn’t tell her what was happening. While she was mature and reliable, she was also young and didn’t need to worry about a war that might not occur.

“I’ll be happy to come home. The NAWC is a pain.” Penny knew witches were being bled dry for the sole purpose of vampires getting high and absorbing magic, but she didn’t know exactly why the NAWC called Fiona and me to Moon. The council didn’t include children in their affairs, and in their eyes Penny was still considered a child.

“I bet. Well we miss you and hope you come home soon,” Penny said with an upbeat tone.

“Thanks, I miss you guys too!”

When I hung up the phone, the waitress set down my food. There wasn’t a lot of time to sit down to a full meal since I arrived, so I planned on savoring this one. The food on the plate smelled like heaven and tasted better.

I watched as rain pelted the window and the sky darkened. The VC would be arriving soon, and hopefully, that meant my bond with Ian would be disappearing very soon too. The bell above the door chimed, bringing my attention away from my food. Dorian had an arm wrapped around the blonde’s waist, and just before she left, he glanced in my direction. His sunglasses were perched on his nose, but that didn’t distract from the look of turmoil contorting his facial features. His jaw was tight, and his brows drew together as if he was debating some internal question. I smiled and nodded towards the blonde. He didn’t appreciate my praise; he shook his head and walked out. I couldn’t help the connection that formed between Dorian and me, but I could ignore it and that’s precisely what I planned to do. Whether he could or not was another story.

After dinner, I made my way around town. Moon wasn’t very big but walking through it was just what I needed. The solitude and fresh air brought me out of the funk that had taken over my life. Rain spit from the sky leaving me damp and dewy, and I watched as lights illuminated windows and the tree branches swayed in the night air. Clouds crept along the darkened sky while the full moon backlit them in a silvery glow. The breeze had just the right amount of crispness and left me rejuvenated from its cool caress.

Everything is going to be okay. I thought to myself. I hadn’t been this happy since arriving in this town. If it all went as planned, then the two councils would come to a understanding, and Fiona and I could be on the next plane back to Flora where I could see Aiden as often as I liked. Moon wasn’t the most understanding town, the witches tended to think only their opinions mattered.

The price of my freedom crawled into my brain and squashed some of the happiness. Six vampires would drink from me. All at once? One at a time? Would I wither and moan in pleasure or cry out in pain? Did the VC get off on making it hurt or would they devour the feeling of controlling my body through euphoria and horniness? It was an intimate situation, one I never planned to share with anyone other than Aiden. The one time he bit me was a memory I wanted to keep solely between us. But the universe didn’t grant that wish. Since then Ian tainted the memory by drinking from me and now the council would do the same. I hated it. I didn’t think the VC would accept a simple thank you card instead of the gift of my blood. Vampires include blood in everything from bonds, gifts, vows and so on, one way or another, blood was always their desired payment. Aiden once said my blood was strong, stronger than any he ever had. What did that mean? Why was it so strong? Was it because I walked between both realities and the blood running through my veins was a mixture of life and death?

Complaining about it wouldn’t help. The price was high, but the risk of staying bonded to Ian was higher. My mind wandered to the dream last night while my feet wandered towards the small park in the middle of town. Did Ian try to trick me into thinking he was Aiden so he could have sex with me or to convince me not to allow the VC to break the bond? What was his angle? Did I even care? Aside from random visits to my dreams and mind, Ian had been scarce. If he had a plan, what was taking him so long to execute it? Would he still come for me once the bond was broken? Ian stirred a plethora of questions, ones he could answer. I knew the only real solution to my problems would be his death. I fantasized about killing him multiple times, seeing the look of surprise and anguish on his beautiful face as I drove a stake through his heart. Even now the thought made me smile.

I stepped around a bench and sat. A large pond with a small waterfall was in the middle of the circled park and large oak trees stood guard around the perimeter while wrought iron lampposts lent a warm glow. Wisteria, in full bloom, climbed the wooden pergola that the benches were nestled in. I enjoyed the illusion of privacy they offered. Inhaling the floral scent all around me, I closed my eyes and released the breath slowly, a sense of peace overcoming me. But it was short lived as my eyes snapped open at the sound of approaching footsteps.

Kye gave me a sheepish smile in apology. “Holly would like to see you.”

I grumbled and said, “Why are you so loyal to her? I mean I understand she’s a member of our council, but you’re overly loyal, why?” The witches showed the council respect, but they didn’t wait on the sidelines to do their bidding like he did. I smiled. “Are you two in a relationship?”

Kye walked over and sat down while he stared straight ahead. His spiky brown hair was limp from the drizzle and his soft brown eyes were hard. “We’re not in a relationship. As far as I know, Holly has only ever loved one man and hasn’t been with anyone since.” Kye paused, his eyes shifting towards me. “We have an arrangement.”