Christmas Moon by J.R. Rain

was waiting for an invitation to come in. This coming from a guy who was actively trying to ruin me. I thanked him for the presents, wished him a merry Christmas and, against my better judgment, gave him a half-hearted offer to come in, which he pounced on. He pushed past me and immediately went over to kitchen table where he began piling snacks on a paper plate.
    Watching him, I reminded myself that it was Christmas, a day when even porn kings and slimeballs were given a one-day pardon.
    When it came time for dinner, I thought of Fang alone in his little apartment. I had invited him, too, but was secretly relieved when he declined. He and Kingsley in the same room would have made everyone uncomfortable. Yes, Kingsley knew all about Fang. I believe in honesty and openness in a relationship. To a degree. Kingsley didn’t need to know about Fang’s criminal past.
    I kept myself busy serving dinner, so busy that everyone forgot that I hadn’t actually eaten. I would eat later tonight, with Kingsley. A rather nontraditional holiday meal, you could say.
    With dinner over and dessert being served, I thought it best to step outside and get some fresh air. I excused myself, patting Kingsley’s meaty thigh. He was deep in a conversation with, of all people, my ex-husband. Two attorneys talking shop.
    Blech.
    My house is small, but I have a big yard. I followed a curving, cement path that led from my front door to my garage, a path I had sprinted across many times during the heat of the day, each time gasping for breath and sometimes literally thinking I couldn’t take another step. But I did it each and every day to pick up my kids from school.
    A small price to pay.
    The sun had long ago set. I felt strong and clear-headed. Cars were parked seemingly randomly outside my house. I lived in a narrow cul-de-sac, and parking here was always a challenge. Especially for Kingsley, who was a surprisingly bad parker. Even now, his black Escalade barely touching the curb, with most of the rear end blocking my driveway.
    Pathetic. I expected more from an immortal with decades of driving experience.
    I slipped my hands into my coat pocket and looked up into the evening sky. This would have been a good night for flying. Clear, cool skies, with Christmas tree lights sparkling far below. In fact, maybe I would try to get up tonight. Maybe fly out to see Kingsley later.
    Maybe.
    As I stepped out from behind the comically-parked Cadillac, I saw him standing there in the middle of the street, watching me.
    Ishmael.

Chapter Seventeen

    Once again, I gasped.
    “ I didn’t mean to startle you, Samantha.”
    “ You have a way of doing that.”
    “ Sometimes, I forget how easily humans startle. Humans…and vampires.”
    “ I’m not human?”
    “ You haven’t been human for many years, Sam.”
    “ I feel human.”
    “ Do you feel human when you’re soaring above the earth?”
    He stepped closer to me, hands clasped behind his back. To my eyes he seemed a little taller than I remembered.
    He nodded. “I am taller, Sam. I am whatever I choose to be.”
    Glowing particles of light swarmed around him…and disappeared into him. He was a being unlike anything I had ever seen. And to be clear, I’ve seen some weird shit.
    But as he drew closer, walking casually with his hands behind his back, his movements so fluid and smooth that he appeared to be walking on air, I saw something else. Intermixed within the light particles were darker particles. The darker particles were new to me…and alarming. Never had I seen anything so black. Worse, the dark particles seemed to contaminate the light, spreading like a disease.
    “ A disease?” he said, nodding thoughtfully. “An interesting choice of words, since you yourself often call the darkness living within you a disease.”
    “ There is no darkness in me.”
    Ishmael threw back his head and laughed, and it was the first time he had expressed real emotion. His first seeming loss of control.