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“The boy cried at her heartbreaking tale, and tried to stop her as she opened the door. The first rays of light were already turning the sky pink. ‘Don’t. You’ll die,’ the boy pleaded, having forgiven her for killing his father now that he understood why she’d done it. ‘I was condemned to death the moment my love died. I would rather see the sunrise once in my life than risk another innocent life because of my hunger.’ She caressed his face. ‘Even now I feel the hunger trying to control me, whispering in my ear to ease this horrible thirst.’ Giving him a motherly kiss on the cheek, she placed her child gently in his arms. ‘I have only one request,’ she told him. ‘Please watch over my child. I do not know if you will ever meet another of my kind, and I cannot bear the thought of her life being ended so soon. She is all that I have left of my sweet wizard.’ A single tear of blood rolled down her cheek.
“The boy swore to protect the child with his life. After telling him how to care for her precious daughter, and giving them both one final kiss, she stepped outside. He wanted to run to her, wanted to be with her so she would not die alone, but he knew he could not take the babe into the sunlight or he would condemn her as well. Tears flowed freely down his cheeks as he watched the widow burn in the rising sun, while he stood safely in the shadows of her home.
“True to his word, the boy took great care of the baby girl that had been entrusted to him, calling her his sister whenever someone asked about her. He told her the story of her mother and father, of their love, every morning before she fell asleep. The years passed, and he aged, but the girl remained young. He was careful to never stay in one place too long, terrified of someone finding out their secret and taking away the only family he had. Throughout his life he did everything he could to give her anything she wanted.
“When she was old enough, he held her in his arms as he retold her the story of her people. Everything the widow mentioned about her people, her parents and how she came to be in his care. As time went on, and the girl grew into a beautiful woman, he began to claim her as his daughter, then, finally his granddaughter.
“All too quickly it became time for her to make her own promise. As the boy, now an old man, lay dying he made her swear to tell the story of her mother and father to her own children—should she have any. And to any of her people that she should encounter. He made her promise not to let their story, their love be forgotten.
“The girl kept her word to the man who had always loved and protected her. She knew he wasn’t her father, but she’d loved him as such for her entire life. She knew in her heart that her true father would not mind. Eventually she met another of her kind and fell in love with him. She passed the story on to her love, then her own children, always careful to include the love she felt from the boy. She explained how he’d cared for her, how much she loved him and how he was the only father she had ever known. Through the generations, the sacred story has been passed down from mother to child, reminding us that love is a precious gift from the Moon Goddess. And that though we may feel anger, though we may be tempted to lose all control and give our rage freedom, we must be careful to never hurt an innocent. Because they do not deserve our punishments.”
Seth sat on his motorcycle in tears. The story he had loved so much as a child had new meaning now. The part of him that had always scoffed at such a love, such a perfect mate being out there was silent. His heart broke for the nameless maiden and her wizard—and their fate. He knew exactly how the wizard felt when he thought he was losing his one true love. How the maiden must have felt, when he was taken from her.
Wiping away his tears, he wondered if he would ever be as brave as she was.
“Why did you want to hear that story?” his mother asked, her voice once again normal. “I thought you had grown too old for such a fairy tale centuries ago.”
“I was wrong,” he said, choking back the emotion in his voice.
“Seth, baby, what’s wrong?” He could hear the worry in her voice.
“Nothing, Mom.” He tried to keep his voice emotionless. There was nothing his mother could do to help, now that he knew he was “Blood Mated” just like the maiden and the wizard. He didn’t want her to worry needlessly.
“You never were a good liar, at least not to me. You’re a grown man. I understand if you don’t want to tell your old mother. But promise me you’ll call me again soon. After whatever’s bothering you has been taken care of.”
“Yes, ma’am. I love you, Mom.”
“I love you too, baby. Come home for a visit soon. You can tell me all about what’s going on then.”
His mother hung up without waiting for a response. He was thankful he wouldn’t have to lie to her again. He was afraid he wouldn’t be able to keep the promise to visit her, and thankful he’d at least had one final chance to tell her he loved her.
No sooner had he hung up the phone than it rang again.
Looking at the caller ID in confusion, he saw his own phone number.
“Hello?” Could Willow be up and trying to call him? Dare he hope that she wanted to stick around to talk to him?
/> “Hey man, how are you doing?”
“What do you need, Jason?” Seth still felt too raw to hold a casual conversation.
“You need to make a stop. This lady of yours is feeling a rather large craving for some chocolate.”
Seth promised he would stop and hung up the phone.
A couple hours later Seth walked into his apartment, arms loaded with chocolate and movies. When Jason mentioned that his Willow had a severe craving for chocolate, he had stopped by the next store and practically bought out the entire stock in the candy aisle. He wasn’t sure what she liked and hadn’t wanted to buy the wrong thing by mistake. On impulse he also stopped by an all-night video store and rented Nightmare on Elm Street, parts one and two. He was surprised to see just how many sequels the movie had, and hoped that those two would help him to understand the reference Willow made earlier.
As he walked by, he noticed her curled up on the couch, the credits to some movie rolling across the screen.
Quietly, he took the chocolate and movies into the kitchen.
“Oh great, you remembered to pick up some chocolate. Do you think you bought enough?” Jason teased. “Wow, you got the good stuff.” Jason reached for a dark chocolate and raspberry candy bar. He shot Seth a dirty look when his hand was smacked away.
“You don’t get any.”
“Wow, you have it bad. Now, do you want to tell me what’s going on? Why were you…whatever you were, earlier? And why did you just leave as though someone were trying to kill you?”
“It’s a long story.” Seth sighed.
