Blessing of Luna (Wolfgods Book 1) Page 2

  The conversation died as many of them did. Charlie broke the silence by getting up to grab his jacket and truck keys. “We better get going. I'll need the truck for work. Mind asking Rob or Chelsea to bring you home? I should get a cruiser today so you can have the truck.”

  “Yeah, I can ask Rob for a lift. Thanks.”

  Robert McAllister, one of Damien’s two remaining friends, still lived in Big Timber after Damien moved. Chelsea Masterson was the second. She was one of the most flirtatious girls in town and harbored a not so secret crush on Damien.

  Following Sarah’s death, Charlie brought Damien back so he could recover in familiar surroundings as suggested by the therapist.

  When an opportunity opened for Charlie to become the new police chief, Charlie took the position despite Damien’s many objections.

  ****

  Damien jumped out of the passenger's side of the truck, closing the door after they arrived at the college. The front lawn bustled with new students joining the transfers to head for the auditorium.

  “Dame.”

  Damien turned back around. “Yeah?”

  “I love you, son. Things will get better, I promise.”

  Damien nodded. He wasn't reassured by his dad's words but he was grateful he was at least trying. The thought made Damien angry at himself. He’d detached from everything and just wasn’t capable of being more receptive.

  After Charlie pulled off, Damien turned to walk up to the auditorium. He paused to look around until his attention fell on a young woman with long raven hair sitting on the cement wall serving as a barrier between the grassy knoll and the sidewalk. His heart pounded behind his ribs at how beautiful she was. He kept staring as she rose from her sitting position to make her way towards the library.

  She wore a black shirt cut so low he could almost see the tops of her breasts layered under a deep green shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. She wore low-riding black nylon pants much like something a barista at a coffee shop would wear. The black leather boots came up her to calves and tied in the back with leather laces.

  The way she walked was so lithe and graceful. The movement of her hips reminded him of a dancer.

  Damien swallowed the knot in his throat so he could keep breathing. He couldn't help it, his jaw almost hit the ground. His head started to hurt, hitting him with a sudden wave of dizziness. His heart pounded hard behind his chest.

  What? What’s going on? There was something oddly familiar about the woman. He couldn’t understand where he’d seen her before.

  Once the episode passed, he began to stand slowly when Chelsea ran into him at full speed. The impact threatening to take them both down if not for his quick thinking to grip the armrest of the bench.

  “Damien!” Chelsea wrapped her arms around his neck. “It’s so good to see you! How long has it been? Ten years?” Chelsea was a bouncy blonde who only came up to Damien's chest. She’d once been a cheerleader when they were in high school together.

  Her crush on Damien had been common knowledge. She often bashed anyone who dared to try to ask him out with fierce gossip or rumors. Her deep blue eyes and large breasts made most of the football players in the school chase after her. The encounters wouldn’t end well and she’d often shoot them down in ways that made even Damien's masculinity ache.

  “Yeah. It’s good to see you again too, Chels.” Damien replied, looking down then up again, hoping to see the raven haired woman. His eyes scanned every face to see if he could find her but she was gone “Where'd she go?”

  Chelsea turned her head to follow Damien's gaze, her lips pursed in annoyance. “She? Dame, do you have a girlfriend?”

  “What? No, it's not like that.” He ignored the look of relief on her face, prying her arms off from around his neck. “I just thought I saw someone I knew. I have no idea how but she seemed familiar to me.”

  “Maybe she goes to school here. You might see her again or even have a class with her. Come on or we'll be late!” Chelsea took his hand and pulled so hard Damien stumbled forward.

  Deep inside him, he hoped and wanted to see the raven-haired woman again.

  ****

  Jillian stood behind a tree, ignoring the glances and cat calls of the passersby. A low growl escaped her throat.

  She’d had him. So close to tempting him to come to her only to have his attention ripped away.

  Another young man came up to stand next to her. From the looks of him, he was about to lay yet another corny pick up line on her.

  Annoyed, Jill snapped at him, her voice low. She didn’t bother to change her closed off posture or make eye contact. “Before you talk, I'm not interested.”

  The young man backed away from her. He ran as fast as he could, calling her a cold bitch over his shoulder. Had Jill wanted to, she could have caught up to him and beat the crap out of him.

  She was frustrated but at least she’d come to know the name of the target of her curiosity. Her only comfort from the disappointment of her failure.

  Damien. Your name...is Damien. Her eyes glowed almost silver. How appropriate. She smiled a fanged smirk.

  Chapter Two

  “Man do I hate orientations. They always act like we don't know anything about how school works. Like none of us have ever been in public school for twelve years. It's almost insulting.” Rob said with an air of annoyance in his voice, while stretching his arms above his head as he spoke. He’d run into Damien and Chelsea in the auditorium following the orientation.

  Damien was too distracted by the woman he saw earlier to respond. She was almost too beautiful, flawless like an angel one might see at the top of a Christmas tree or in a painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.

  “Dame, you alright, bro?”

  The snapping of Rob's fingers in Damien's face brought him back to reality. “Yeah, sorry Rob. I was just thinking about something.”

  Rob shrugged. “Nice to know you still space out on us, D. I swear man, where do you go in these crazy trances of yours?”

  Damien ignored him. There was still a lot on his mind that he was trying to sort through. Everyone around him didn’t seem to recognize him as the one they’d once slapped the label of town freak show on. However, he couldn’t help the feeling he still didn’t belong.

  His friends and family loved him but deep inside, there was still a void. Almost like he was missing a crucial part of himself. The sensation made him feel alone even in a crowded room.

  “Hey, mind if I get a lift home? My old man took the truck.”

  “Sure, bro. Want to get a burger like old times on the way?”

  “Yeah, sounds good.”

  Once they made it back to Damien's house, Rob asked if he wanted to go hiking over the weekend like they used to in their scout days.

  Damien agreed, looking forward to getting a few photographs for his portfolio. He’d taken up photography after his accident. The trauma made him realize collecting memories was more important than going to the skate park to see how many bones he could break.

  “Cool! I'll bring my old man's poles. You still remember how to pier fish?”

  How could I forget? Damien thought, remembering the times he and his father went pier fishing on the weekend for the family fish fry. His mom would fry and batter the fish and lay them on platters right next to his grandma’s homemade, Cajun hushpuppies.

  He could still remember the sweet smell as it mixed with Cajun spices. The whole kitchen smelled of batter and peach cobbler. The memory as both comforting and upsetting.

  “D, my bad man. We can do something else if it makes you feel more comfortable.” Rob said, his voice tense as he waited for Damien to reply.

  Damien chuckled. “It's fine, Rob. Yeah, I'd love to go. Saturday at the crack of dawn as usual?”

  “Stop off at old Bill's for sodas, bait and jerky? Hell, yeah.” Rob held out his fist, earning him a fist bump.

  Old Bill Hutchinson smoked his own jerky for his shop and smokehouse in his backyard in h
omemade smokers crafted from old kettle grills.

  “Sounds good. See you Saturday.”

  “Yep, see ya then!”

  ****

  It was after moonrise when Jillian arrived back at Damien's house. She watched as he paced his room without a shirt on, reading a book. His perfect hips swaying side to side with each step.

  When the light went off, Jill snuck into Damien’s bedroom through his window. Her heart stopped for a brief moment the instant the smell of him mingling with cologne and aftershave hit her nostrils.

  Damien turned over, freezing Jill in her place when her icy green eyes were met with gorgeous amethyst pools half-drunk with sleep.

  He blinked a couple of times before raising up to look her in the face. “You. It is you.”

  Jill didn’t know what to do. She never expected him to actually catch her. Would he be mad at her? Think she was a creepy stalker?

  Her heart beat fast in her chest, her hand brushing her dark hair away from her face. “Yes. It’s me. It’s nice to see you face to face, Damien.”

  “Who are you?” Damien asked, both curious and slightly annoyed. He’d begun feeling he’d only imagined this woman until now. “How often do you come by my house?”

  Jill was dumbfounded, feeling a bit bad because she hadn’t tried harder to meet him in person until this moment.

  “I’ve come by almost every night since you moved here,” She replied. Her words caught in her throat as she analyzed the features of his face.

  “This isn’t usually like me, I must admit. It just seemed like every time I tried to meet with you, something happened. This was the only time I knew of that we could be alone.” She could feel the heat rolling over her cheeks.

  For the first time in her immortal life, Jill felt like a teenager who’d gotten caught drinking or sneaking back into the house after curfew. She had no idea what to say.

  “If we’re being honest, this is creepy as hell. I wish you would have approached me before nearly giving me a heart attack. So, how about we start over. I’m Damien Pierce. What’s your name?” Damien extended his hand to shake hers.

  “Jillian. Jillian Styles. It’s nice to formally meet you.” She shook his hand, trying to hide the smallest hint of the shock she was feeling.

  Lucius had never not recognized her in any of his reincarnations throughout the centuries. She wanted to find out why if she could in the future.

  For now, she decided to be grateful the deception had ended and she was finally able to meet Damien without having to hide.

  The rest of the night was spent with the two of them talking as if they were old friends. Unknown to Damien, Jill actually did know at least a part of him for most of her life.

  She was so enthralled in the stories she was being told about the different reckless things Damien did in his young life, she nearly forgot she’d been concerned about meeting him.

  As the night waned, Damien began getting tired. He passed out, leaving Jill alone to focus on the blazing question in her mind. Why? Why did he not recognize me?

  She rose from her spot on the floor, heading towards the window. Her hand rested on the window pane as she turned to look at Damien over her shoulder.

  I don’t know what’s going on but honestly, I’m not sure I really care either. The beginnings of an emotion she didn’t think she would be able to feel again grew inside of her. Maybe it’s time to let the ghosts of the past lay to rest.

  The next morning Damien woke up scanning his room. To his surprise, it didn’t really bother him to learn Jill had come to his house almost every night. Something about her made him feel like he wasn’t as alone as around normal people.

  I know her. I don’t know how but…it’s like I know her from somewhere. He scratched his head, grabbing a t-shirt and heading downstairs to breakfast.

  Charlie sat at the table reading the daily paper when Damien arrived. “Well good morning, you're up early. That's not like you.”

  Damien finished getting his coffee. He knew he couldn’t tell his dad about the beautiful woman who snuck in through his window. He did the only thing he could. He lied.

  “Couldn’t sleep anymore. Too many things running through my mind.” Damien sat down at the table, taking a sip of his coffee. He was so exhausted he had to close his eyes against the dizziness of the fatigue.

  “Something wrong?” Charlie inquired.

  Damien rested his head against the heels of his palms on the table, his stomach full of rocks at the growing unease inside of him. It was obvious his father wasn’t buying the lies.

  “Alright. I won’t pry. Just know I’m here if you want to talk about it. Otherwise, you’re a grown man now. I’ll respect your privacy.” Charlie replied.

  “Appreciate it.” A feeling of guilt ached in Damien’s chest. Once again he was deflecting his dad despite all he’d done for him. He leaned back in the chair to stare at the ceiling. “Sorry, dad. I know I’m messed up. I’m not sure how to go about fixing what’s wrong with me.”

  Charlie's hand landed hard on his son's shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. You’ve been through a lot. There’s no reason to force anything. One day, you’ll come around and we can talk like we used to. Until then, I’m not going anywhere. Why don’t you go out with Chels today to get your mind off of things?”

  Damien gave a short wave and nod of his chin to his father. “Okay. Have a good one.”

  “You too, Dame.” Charlie grabbed his keys and jacket, closing the door.

  ****

  Jill watched from one of the cast iron benches on the other side of the street, flustered as the one called Chelsea, walked arm in arm with him.

  She couldn't hold back a proud smirk at the look of disdain on Damien's face as Chelsea bounced around him. The look in her eyes flirting as she showed him each of the window displays in hopes of getting him to focus on her.

  Following the night they spent talking, Jill made the decision not to really care if Damien truly was Lucius’ reincarnation. She was going to pursue and eventually court him as her own.

  The two of them went into a cafe for lunch, sitting down outside in the cool breeze of the day.

  Jill waited until Chelsea left to go inside the cafe before she made her move.

  Damien sat at the table reading. He read a lot from the many times Jill had watched him. She couldn't blame him. Books were a good escape from reality and had often been her own source of sanity throughout the centuries.

  “Hi there.” Jill said, sitting down. She’d chosen to wear some of the most provocative clothing she could find. Eventually settling on a light blue shirt with sleeves cut so they rested on her shoulders, tight blue jeans and black boots with zippers on the side.

  Damien lowered his book. “Jill. I was wondering when I was going to get to see you again. You look nice.”

  “Thanks. You don’t look too bad yourself.” Jill replied. She scooted her chair closer to him, putting one hand casually on his knee.

  “What are you reading?” she asked, her voice smooth and seductive.

  “It’s a horror novel,” Damien replied, swallowing hard as he tried to keep his mind focused. “I’ve read pretty much every title by this author. He’s one of my favorites.”

  Jill chuckled at the internal struggle she could see going on inside of him. The trembling beneath her hand indicated he was interested. “Funny enough, he’s one of mine too. The creepy clown and the dead animal books are two of my favorites.”

  “Really? Those are my favorites. The clown creeped the hell out of me but I got so into the story, I couldn’t put the book down until I finished it. You like to read?” Damien’s excitement flashed across his face, the tension leaving him the more he spoke.

  “For a good part of my life, that’s all there was to do. I never really got into the technology crowd until getting a cellphone became essential to my day job.” Jill took out her phone, showing it to Damien. “Silly thing is still smarter than me.”

  Damien turne
d his head away, almost embarrassed at what he was about to ask. “So, your…your number? Could I have it?”

  Of course. Jill thought to herself, her heart pounding with relief.

  She held out her hand. “May I borrow one of your napkins on the table and a pen? I’ll be happy to give you my number.”

  Once, the pen and napkin were placed in her hand, she wrote down her number. “Feel free to call or text anytime. For you, I’ll answer even if I’m working.” She handed them back, winking.

  The scent of Chelsea on the wind signaled Jill to start cutting things short. “I look forward to hearing from you.” Jill ran her fingertips down Damien’s jaw, flirting.

  “Here, Dame!” Chelsea's voice rang out as she set down their drinks.

  Damien tucked the napkin with Jill’s number in his back pocket, his cheeks hot from the gentle touch of her nails. He looked up to see Chelsea’s smiling wide.

  “Wait. What?” Damien stood up, scanning the surrounding crowd for where Jill could have gone. He almost felt disappointed. The lingering feeling of her warm hand on his leg left him running his own along the path hers followed.

  Jill stood on the opposite corner of the café, watching as Damien scanned around briefly for her only to sink back into his chair.

  It hurt her to have to run from him, especially since it seemed as though he was getting comfortable the more they spoke but she didn’t want to risk meeting Chelsea.

  Oh well, he has my number. He’ll call. She smirked to herself as her phone buzzed in her pocket.

  “Well that was sooner than I expected.” Jill took it out of her pocket, reading the text. It was indeed Damien asking where she had gone off to in such a hurry. She responded telling him not to worry. They would be seeing each other soon enough.

  ****

  Damien’s foot tapped in anticipation on the wood floor, his knee knocking against the bedside. He couldn’t concentrate on the textbook sitting in his lap. His eyes kept glancing at the clock. 3am.