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Ancient One
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Afternoon crept up on me like a shadowy thief in the night. I had tried to search for Rakesh in the area I had last seen him in but had no success. My grandparents warned me that I'd not find him and even if I did, it wouldn't be during the day time but I refused to listen like a stubborn child.
I fell back onto my bed with a small sigh of defeat. They did not chide me or comment on me returning empty-handed. I figured they were happy with the results even if they didn't voice them. I held my mobile above my head and began to browse my social media page to see what my friends were up to.I must have fallen asleep as I woke to a light tap. I wasn't sure what it was at first, thinking it was my phone vibrating on the wooden flooring. I lazily groped around, found it and began to scroll through the messages when another tap alerted me to the actual source of the sound.Glancing up with a blink, I saw Rakesh at my bedroom window with that smug little grin of his. How he managed to get on the balcony I had no idea, but I imagined he climbed up somehow.The little bastard. I had spent all day looking for him and he just turned up unexpectedly in such a place instead. Slowly, I made my way to the sliding door, unlocking it. Only a faint hint of natural light was left on the horizon. It was as though he really was a vampire.I wasn't sure what to say to Rakesh at first. Rather than ask the questions that had run through my mind all day, the first thing out of my mouth was, “what do you want? Are you some sort of stalker now?”His grin grew and I instantly wanted to smack his stupid face.“Did you not just spend all day searching for me?” He asked with a tilt of his head.I rolled my eyes and folded my arms. I stood in the doorway, keeping him from entering my room though I wasn't sure if I could stop him with the height difference between us. He did not seem to desire to intrude, however, which made me feel somewhat more comfortable with his presence here.Rakesh's gaze shifted over to the other balcony, the one belonging to my grandparents' bedroom, but there was no movement as far as I could tell. I wondered at their reaction to him being here now.“How did they react? Should I be prepared for a stake to the heart?” Rakesh asked with that same stupidly smug smile.I shrugged my shoulders and then said, “at the very least, or silver bullets.”Rakesh seemed to find that amusing as he uttered a cheerful little chuckle then looked back to me. “And what of you?” He asked me with an inquisitive tilt of his head.“I haven't decided yet,” I admitted with a shrug. I didn't believe in this whole vampire thing but if he was the reason my parents were gone or worse, dead, I wanted to know one way or the other. “I'd like to know what you know about my parents before I figure out if I should punch your teeth in or not,” I added with a blank stare. I still didn't like this man.Rakesh smirked wider before he gave my head a condescending pat. I hated him even more. I was not a child and was about to protest his actions before he pushed my chest. It felt light, yet it was enough to send me back into my room. I blinked, confused as time seemed to go slow. Something shiny sped passed between us and Rakesh leaned back away from it slowly.It was only after he picked the dagger up, that I realised what it was. “What the fuck,” I said under my breath as I regained my balance, my eyes were wide open.“You could have hit your grandson,” Rakesh said as he looked to the side.Grandson?! I peeked my head out of the door, and sure enough, my grandfather was there, holding another dagger which he was readying for another attack. He was not kidding when he said he wanted to kill Rakesh!“Kayden! Don't just invite a vampire into your room!” He scolded me and I held up my hands in defence.“I didn't invite him for a start! And enough with the vampire talk, Gramps!” I shot back.My reply must have been exceedingly funny to Rakesh as he sniggered softly before he added his own quip, “Ancient One, not Vampire. At least don't group me with those uncultured beasts.”My grandfather snorted and tossed the dagger right at Rakesh, though the man seemed to gain superhuman speed and strength as he caught the dagger between his fingers.I was gobsmacked.Related chapters
Under the Pale Moon Hunter Blood
The tension in the room could be cut with a knife, that is how thick it was. Rakesh sat on the sofa next to me while my grandparents stood across from us. It had taken some begging on Rakesh's part to convince my grandfather to let him into the house to talk things over. Of course, my wanting to know the truth helped smooth things over as well.“It was supposed to be a quick trip,” Rakesh was trying to explain in that slightly off northern English accent he had. “Things just got more complicated than I expected. I tried to break them free, but I can't do so on my own.”“So they're alive still?” I asked him, shooting a glance at my grandparents. They glanced back at
Under the Pale Moon Do I Stay or Do I Go now?
It was a strange night and in the end, Rakesh and my grandparents left the option to me if I wanted to go with the man or if I would rather not and stay here instead. I told them I'd figure it out tomorrow and give them my reply after thinking it over.I wanted to find my parents, naturally, but my grandparents did not trust Rakesh and truth be told, I didn't fully trust him either. He was hiding something from me, but I couldn't quite place what that something was.In the end, the morning came far too quickly. Rakesh said he would return by sundown and although I said I'd probably have my answer before then, he refused to come before that moment. Part of me wondered if maybe he really was a vampire.I spent most of the morning spending time with my grandparents. They had tried to discourage my going, but I had already made my choice. They understood, even if they didn't agree with my decision and as a way of support they offered up a silver choker t
Under the Pale Moon The Hotel
I wondered where the end of the journey would be. Rakesh had only told me not to pack too much or else I would be tied down and that should I need anything, he would buy it for me. I wondered how he had the money for something like that but he just assured me that it was of little concern."Are we going to be walking all night?" I complained, I was exhausted and tired. I wasn't used to being out all night. I wasn't an early bird, but neither was I a night owl.Rakesh seemed to mull this over before he looked at me. "I prefer to travel by night, it is quieter," he said with a tilt of his head."And not because you'll turn to dust?" I asked harshly. I didn't mean to come across that way, but I was tired and cranky."I won't turn to dust, though I might burn harshly," Rakesh replied with a small smile to me. His skin was fairly pale, I noticed. I wondered if he had a skin condition. I knew there was one that some people had which caused them
Under the Pale Moon Snack Time
Rakesh had vanished before I had even gotten out of the shower, it seemed. I wasn't sure what to make of it when I noticed he was gone. I was too tired to try and follow, however, and part of me feared what I might find if I did. Instead, I went to bed and fell asleep.It was still fairly dark when I heard the hotel room door open. I groped for my phone and looked at the time. It was almost dawn. I grumbled and placed the phone back down. "You were out all night?" I asked, my head only just peeking out from the blankets.Me being awake must have surprised Rakesh as he stopped mid-sneak and looked at me with an innocent little gaze. He nodded once then casually moved over to my bed. "You should wear the choker at night," he replied, dodging my question. His fingers patting the blanket where my neck was.I frowned at him and rolled my eyes. "You know I do not believe the whole 'you are a vampire thing' right?" I scoffed at him.He smirked an
Under the Pale Moon The Notebook
After a little more sleep, I was up and dressed just in time for room service to bring breakfast. A full English breakfast which I wolfed down hungrily. I left the tray just outside of the door and then lazed about on the bed for a while longer, looking over my grandfather's notebook for lack of anything better to do. I could have put the tv on, but I knew there wouldn't be anything of interest on there.I glanced over at Rakesh who was sleeping peacefully, then to the closed curtains. I was half tempted to see what would happen if I opened them, even for a little bit. Then out of curiosity, I flipped the page to the notes on vampires. Some of it felt like it had come out of a movie or book but other bits were a surprise to me. For example, it was a lie that vampires couldn't be near garlic and that this was a lie told by them to prove they were not vampires. This apparently came about due to the odd vampire who, in their human lives, was allergic to garlic and not becaus
Under the Pale Moon Like Grandfather like Grandson
I spent the rest of the day wandering around the hotel and enjoying the time away from home. We weren't that far from where I lived, but it was somewhere new and I wanted to enjoy it. I did not have any prior engagements since I had finished school and although I was hoping to find a job soon, it wasn't like my grandparents needed the money or demanded I do so. They seemed to have an endless amount of funds somehow.It was getting close to the evening when I made my way back to the room. Rakesh was only just now stirring awake but hadn't quite roused himself just yet. I made sure not to disturb him too much and moved to the curtains. I gathered it would be fine to open them now, seeing as the sun was no longer on this side of the room. He grumbled in retaliation which caused me to let out a little laugh. He was like a kid being woken up for school."Rise and shine sleeping beauty," I teased him gently.He huffed
Under the Pale Moon Silver and Monsters
After having lunch in the hotel's restaurant, the two of us were travelling once again. Rakesh promised we would find a place to rest again before midnight, if only so that I could sleep but between now and then, I had to answer his pop-quiz questions on the various monsters that were in the notebook and how to kill each of them.I played along with him because he refused to answer questions about himself and I had little else to talk about."How do you escape from a kelpie? Or kill it?" Rakesh questioned me.I sighed out and said, "silver hurts it. Are there any monsters that aren't fearful of silver? And why silver anyway? What is so special about it?"Rakesh seemed thoughtful about it for a moment and then paused in his steps. He looked at my neck where the choker was and then replied, "back in the early days of humanity, they put water in a silver pitcher, because it takes a lot longer for the water to go scummy. There are medical prop
Under the Pale Moon Friendly Hunters or Foes?
Stretching my arms out as we finally made it to the second hotel. This one wasn't fancy and the room was smaller, but with Rakesh going out for his midnight snacks, I didn't mind too much. He hadn't spoken to me in a while and had left without a word. Though I wasn't sure what I had said exactly to upset him.I fell asleep easily enough but instead of waking up in the morning as I had planned, it was Rakesh who was shaking my shoulders, telling me to get up. I shot him a glare as I had not had nearly enough sleep and it was still dark outside, but the look of worry on his face alerted me to something being wrong."What?" I asked, sitting up quickly.Rakesh glanced to the door, then uttered, "I may or may not have killed a newly turned and I may or may not have accidentally got a hunter on my hide. Though I did them a favour if you ask me."I blinked at him for a moment and then looked to the door. Sure enough, I could hear someone trying t
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Under the Pale Moon Cover Artwork
Greetings to all my wonderful readers!As you've likely noticed, I have actual artwork of my characters for the cover of my book now. This was a commission I paid for from a very dear artist friend by the name of Rydi on DeviantART also known as lucia-garcia on ArtCorgi.We've known each other for a long time now, and I was super happy she gave me permission to use the old commissions in this way, so if you like her style, feel free to check her out.Thanks for reading my story and feel free to check out my others also here.Have a wonderful day!
Under the Pale Moon The Epilogue
A month passed by quickly. My grandfather Edward had been convinced to come to where we were and was rather glad that I was well though he was shocked when he learned the truth of everything. He worried about the other side of my family not accepting me anymore, but otherwise, he was happy to stay with us for a few weeks to help. He and Tudyr seemed to get along well.Eris and DJay had bonded and had started a relationship much to the joy of most of the supernatural beings that had belonged to the group. Only the other Ancient Ones and vampires from the red-eyed family were not fully accepting of the match, but they were well aware they couldn't hassle the pair. Tudyr was very firm about that.Tudyr, of course, bonded with Eris making him the official leader. Their relationship wasn't great but Eris settled down after a couple of days. Though she held her usual spark whenever she disagreed with something he said or did. The two were almost like an old married c
Under the Pale Moon The Bonds that Tie
With Rakesh's fate as my lover sealed, the only thing left was to decide what to do with Eris. Had she not over-taken Rakesh for the leader position when he became unable - it would have meant I would have been the new leader in joint with Rakesh. However, because they had swapped positions, this meant she would need to either bond with me or Tudyr.She was unhappy with either outcome as Tudyr expected. Rakesh didn't want to share me with yet another person and I was not willing to go against Rakesh's wishes but at the same time, I wasn't about to force Eris into bonding with Tudyr if it made her uncomfortable and if it would be easier for her to bond with me.Being Tudyr's second meant that he was a little more lenient and willing to let me take charge of this group of misfits but of course, we were going to let Eris make the choice. Personally, I didn't much care to lead, I just wanted to make sure the fighting was over."I don't want to share him,
Under the Pale Moon Let's Get Down To Business
Eris was surprised to see Rakesh and me enter through the door and in one piece and without an escort. She stopped yelling and marched over to us. Rakesh hid behind me and clung tighter to my shoulders. It was an awkward sight with him being taller than me but I did my best not to laugh. He was genuinely nervous.I gave Eris a small look of warning, it was gentle but commanding enough that she paused in her steps once she got close enough to me. She hesitated, noticing the change in my blood right away. She opened her lips to speak but found herself unable to bring herself to scold us.I looked over to Tudyr who was sitting at Eris' desk with a rather professional look on his face. He nodded at me in greeting and then waited expectantly for us to come further inside the office. It was a command regardless if it had been said or not and thus, I moved over to where the chairs were placed across the desk and facing Tudyr.Rakesh followed me, unwilling t
Under the Pale Moon Never Alone
A while had passed from when Rakesh and I had reaffirmed our bond and he was curled up in my arms, happily resting in my company. We were merely enjoying being near each other again after what seemed like forever. I wasn't even sure how long it had actually been since we had seen one another.I briefly worried about how my grandparents and Rem had not been in contact with me, let alone poor Eddie, for as long. I hoped they would not think this was Rakesh's fault or think I had failed and been killed. Curious, I sent a message to Tudyr about it.'Are you sure it is wise to keep in contact with Hunters? You are no longer human enough for them to care,' he replied through the mind.Rakesh wiggled his nose in annoyance. He still wasn't happy to share me, but he didn't complain. I kissed his forehead in reassurance.'They're my family, if I don't let them know I am well, they will probably gather up the Hunters to come and find me. I don't know
Under the Pale Moon Near to You
After giving Rakesh some time to take in all of the information I had tossed on top of him, we laid on his cot in near silence. He couldn't remember hurting anyone or feasting on flesh and part of him didn't want to remember it. There were so many thoughts running through his mind but he couldn't find the answers to any of them just yet."It'll be alright, probably," I offered as I felt his mind fretting again. "I mean, Tudyr isn't going to kill us, just bring us into his fold, so things could be a lot worse, right?" I gave Rakesh a small smile."Only because of dumb luck that you're of his blood. Though in truth, I am surprised he wants you, you not being fully blooded..." Rakesh trailed off. "Or are you now? Though now I wonder why did my blood not do that for you?"I looked up thoughtfully. Tudyr wasn't exactly invading my mind at all as he had wanted to give me and Rakesh space - but that didn't mean he had blocked himself out of my thoughts. I s
Under the Pale Moon Sleeping Beauty Awakens
With everything I had gone through lately, I was exhausted. It didn't matter if I had been unconscious for a while, that wasn't exactly resting. I watched Rakesh from where I laid on my cot. He seemed peaceful despite the fact that he had also been through so much.I reached out to him with my mind and although I didn't get a worded reply, there was a sense of warmth that surrounded me as Rakesh sensed me. That was enough to soothe my fears and the feelings of being isolated from him for so long finally seemed to melt away and I could truly relax and bathe in the bond we shared.I fell asleep listening to the beating of hearts inside my mind. It was still strange that I could sense it no matter where the bonded one was, but it was even stranger now that there were three of them. Still, it was a relaxing sound and quite the lullaby to listen to.A few hours must have ticked by as I sensed Rakesh stirring awake. My own eyes flickered open and I slowly
Under the Pale Moon Like Stealing Candy
The beating of my heart was loud and swift in my chest as I felt Tudyr's fingers tickle my neck while he brushed my hair out of his way. My eyes closed and my head tilted slightly to the side as I anxiously anticipated him feasting on my blood. It wasn't a sexual experience like it had been with Rakesh, but it was still somehow exciting to me.We were already somewhat bonded due to the family blood we shared, but this was much more than just a vague feeling. It felt as though my whole body was aching for us to be fully bonded. I wondered if it was indeed just this reason why it felt so right? Or maybe it was more a servant and master connection? In the end, I guessed it didn't matter too much. I had agreed to share a bond with Tudyr.I let out a pleased sound from my throat as I felt his fangs pierce the skin of my neck. That familiar sound of two hearts joining and beating as one echoed through my ears and mind. The sound was lo
Under the Pale Moon Blind Leading the Blind
Tudyr watched me painfully mull over my options which only made me feel further pressured. Finally, I asked, my fingers holding onto my neck tightly, "what if I say no? What would happen to them?""I have no use for families that do not submit to the First," Tudyr said harshly but with no malice within his voice. "I will spare your life, only because you are one of mine, but like those of the red-eyes, Rakesh and his sister must submit or they will die.""And why do you need me for that? You could just ask them yourself..." I uttered, glancing away.Tudyr gave me a long look before he replied, "Eris will never submit and Rakesh has bonded with you, I cannot force him into anything without your permission. The same was true for Eris with you and him, is that not correct?"I gave a thoughtful frown and then nodded slowly. "I thought that was for all Ancient Ones... but you said... my blood was your right?" I looked back to Tudyr with the sam
