CHAPTER 3

And it does, the succubus in me stops. I finally break free and Alec Winters slumps onto the ground. On no, my eyes widen in horror. I quickly kneel on one knee and place a finger on his neck. He’s alive…thank the heavens he’s alive!

My face crumbles and I sob, nestling my face in my palms. I mustn’t stay here, I need to leave. With trembling hands, I reach for the golden ring on the floor and tuck it into my pocket.

“I’m sorry.” I get up and knock down the basement door, flee past screaming nuns and as fast as my feet can carry me, I escape the very walls where I grew up in.

And for the first time in my eighteen years of life, I set foot outside the gates of the convent. But this newfound freedom is not one of happiness, it is one of great pain. Taking one last look at the convent, I whisper, “Forgive me for I have sinned.”

*****

I am lost. The witching hour has come and gone and I haven’t the slightest clue where I am. I had escaped without a concrete plan in mind and once I was out of the confines of the convent walls, I took off into the nearest forest, afraid that the nuns would send the Hunter after me again.

Stupid me. I sigh and pull up my torn blouse, trying to keep myself warm. Far away, a wolf howls and the hair at the back of my neck stand up like little soldiers. It is scary to be alone in the woods. I place a hand over my chest and mutter a string of prayers as my eyes travel up to the pale white orb in the sky. Somehow, just by looking at the moon, I feel more at peace.

I walk some more, ignoring twigs and branches that claw at the soles of my feet. But where do I go? I do not know. If only the Lord would show me the way, if only –

Oh. The moonbeam that shines through the leaves of the dense forest lands on a stream. Wow, is that a sign from the Lord?

I kneel by the stream and scoop some of the water, hungrily gulping it down. The water is fresh and sweet but it does nothing to quell my hunger. In fact, a sudden dizzy spell hits me. I press both palms to the muddy ground to steady myself. Argh…there is a peculiar pounding in my head, like when someone lacks sleep or is low on sugar. I quickly sit on the ground and hug my knees, forcing my eyes to close. Maybe I need to rest awhile.

But as I pull my knees closer, my hand suddenly brushes against a tiny bulge in my pocket.

The ring!

Ignoring the pounding in my head and the impending hunger for a moment, I quickly fish out the ring and hold it under the pale moonlight. Strange, there is a perpetual glint to the ring’s shine even with the minimal amount of light shining on it. I feel a sense of power emanating from it. My brows furrow, this is no ordinary ring.

Gently, I slip it on and…oh God.

Something has happened. I bring my hands to my stomach. The hunger that had threatened to consume my very soul a moment ago has vanished into thin air; it makes no sense, is this my imagination?

I stare at the ring on my finger and pull the ring out and the moment I do, a disquieting chill creeps up upon me. The hunger has returned, this time with a vengeance. I immediately slip the ring back on and all too soon the hunger fades once again.

“What in the name of the Lord?”

I shake my head in disbelief. What sorcery is this? Sister Abbie said this belonged to my parents…but just who were my parents? 

An owl hoots and I jump a little. The leaves around me rustle too as if an animal lurks behind the trees of something. My imagination starts to run wild, what if a tiger or lion attacks? Or even worse, what if creatures from the underworld like werewolves and vampires come?

I slap myself on the face.

“Get a grip of yourself, Alisa!” I hiss. “You are a child of light! You are…oh wait…you’re not. You’re a succubus.”

But that doesn’t mean I deserve any less. I take a deep breath, I will keep the ring on. Hopefully it'll stop me from hurting others.

I need to find shelter. I get up on my feet. My clothes were torn and tattered and I desperately need to find food and lodging. With fingers balled into fists, I follow the stream, hoping and praying that the source of water will lead me somewhere safe.

And it does. At breaking dawn, I stumble upon a path that eventually leads me to a clearing where a lone building looms ahead. I blink, the place is huge, almost as big as the convent! It looks different though, more like a warehouse.

I take a deep breath and make my way towards the entrance, but one foot at the front door and I am greeted by curved glass and steel with RED MOON written over the frosted glass doors.

My eyes narrow in suspicion. The name sounds like one of the many cults that the convent used to warn us of.

“RED MOON?” I mutter, shaking my head. “What blasphemy is this? This goes against the teachings of –“

Oh. Bacon….I smell bacon. Cults don’t serve bacon. Umm…maybe RED MOON’s just a fancy name for the warehouse. My stomach grumbles and I realize I haven’t eaten anything since yesterday!

Cautiously, I push against the frosted glass door, ready to run at a moment’s notice but upon setting foot in the building, a voice sweet like an angel’s calls out.

“Good morning, are you hungry?”

Where’d the voice come from? I look to my left and right but see no one in the lobby. The lobby, though dark is beautiful. A plush maroon carpet pools across the lobby and covers the walls where full-length mirrors do not.

“Hello? I’m sorry to intrude but I'm looking for a place to stay,” I call out with my hand still on the glass door. My heart goes thump thump thump. If anyone pounces on me I will scream and run.

“Come to the kitchen! We can have breakfast together!” There! That angelic voice again! And wait, I smell toast too! My stomach growls and I let go of the door.

“Oh, okay.”

The aroma of food leads me down a hallway and straight to a massive kitchen. One word, wow. My gaze immediately flies to the massive island table in the middle of the kitchen. On it is a sea of food, glorious food, food enough to feed an orphanage of children!

I tear my eyes away from the food and turn my attention to a little girl with pigtails in one corner. She has hair the colour of midnight and eyes as clear as a still lake. The little girl stares at the wall behind me and smiles, she is missing two front teeth. She can’t be more than six or seven years old.

“Have a seat and eat.” She places her tiny hands on one of the many chairs that surround the island table.

Dumbfounded, I make my way to the table. “Did you make all this?”

I pick up a bun and stuff it into my mouth, chewing on it hungrily and swallowing it dry. Hmm, this is good. I quickly fish for another one. There would be time for formalities later, right now food comes first.

The little girl laughs, trails her hand over to a teapot and seamlessly pours it into a teacup. The tea is filled to the brim without a single drop being spilt and all this while, her steel-blue eyes remain on the wall behind me.

“Some…the rest were made by Nana but she left a while ago to buy groceries. My name’s Marlene. What’s yours?”

“Alisa.” I stuff yet another bun into my mouth, choking a little. The little girl points to her teacup and motions for me to drink. It’s odd, but it doesn’t seem as if she can see me.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I wave a hand in front of Marlene. The little girl does not blink.

“I’m blind,” she says, answering the burning question in my mind. My cheeks heat up with embarrassment and I lower my head in shame.

“I’m sorry..” I whisper, unsure of what to say.

Marlene laughs and does a little skip. “Don’t be. My other senses make up for the lack of vision.  I hear and smell better than common folks.”

The little girl’s cheerfulness is infectious and for the first time since yesterday, a little smile plays on my lips.

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

I take a sip of her tea. It is deliciously warm and fragrant. “For all this.”

My eyes roam the kitchen, the place is filled with rays of sun and love and it reminds me of the kitchen in the convent where I used to cook and the thought makes me sad.

Marlene wrinkles her button nose, picking up a strawberry cream pie for herself. “You smell like you need a bath,” she complains.

Oops. I sniff my armpits. Ugh…Marlene is right. I badly need a shower and a change of clothes. My habit is torn and barely clinging onto my body.

“Did you run away from your home?” Marlene continues, licking off the cream from her pie and smudging her little fingers in the process. The little girl is like a tiny ball of sunshine, I like her.

“Yes…something like that. I’m looking for food and shelter actually. Do you know if anyone is looking for a kitchen helper? Or any helper of sorts?“

Marlene suddenly squeals and I almost swallow my bun whole.

“Talk about fate! The Alpha’s looking for assistants to tend the bar!”

I blink. “Wait, this RED MOON is a bar?”

But bars are for sinners. I can’t mingle with them, it goes against my teachings!

Marlene happily continues, “Yes, RED MOON provides food and lodging for employees too.”

Food and lodging! Oh well, maybe I can preach to the patrons.

I am still thinking of whether to take up the offer when Marlene takes a step closer and sniffs at me. Breaking into a toothy grin, she says, “I’m sure Alpha Ryder will like you very much, you smell nice underneath all the grime and sweat.”

There, she said THAT word again. I cock my head and drum my fingers on the tabletop.

“Marlene, what do you mean by ‘Alpha’?”