Danger in the Moonlight

When Valora donned her nightgown and prepared for bed, she had thought sleep would come easily once she slipped inside the comfort of the cool, cotton sheets. However, for reasons unknown, she was restless and unable to sleep this chilly October evening. From outside, she could hear the waves lapping against the coast of Maine's shoreline and rocks. She loved living near the ocean that was so fierce and strong with the sound of the waves creating a lovely lullaby as the tide rolled in and out. It usually brought a peace and tranquility to her restlessness, but tonight, it was useless; sleep was elusive.

She sat upright and perched on the edge of the bed. The moon was beautiful and full this night. Its' light drifted through the sheer curtains and created a soft glow all about the room, so there was no need to light a candle. Frustrated with her inability to sleep, she ran her hands through the length of her red tresses and sighed just before she heard it: the faintest of tapping upon the windowpane to the far left.

Briefly still, she listened carefully but heard nothing more. It must be a bird, she thought. She was about to lie back down when it came again. Tap…tap…tap. What could it be? From where she sat, she could see nothing.

Discarding the covers, her bare feet hit the hardwood planks and glided silently across the floor, a bit of unease and trepidation filling her as she did so. It came again. Tap…tap…tap. It was louder now, easier to hear, and coming repeatedly as she neared the closed window.

At first, she saw nothing, but then, of a sudden, he appeared, as if he had always been there, patiently awaiting her arrival. She should have been shocked and alarmed to find a man outside the second floor window, but instead, all she could seem to think was that he was the most beautiful creature she had ever seen, his appearance much like a blackbird. In the moonlight and against the backdrop of the waves, his hair, as black as midnight, gleamed, his crystal blue eyes shone with an iridescent light, and the barest glimpse of a smile formed upon his handsome lips. Though he did not speak, the look in his eyes beckoned, and she could do naught but stare back at him in awe. Unable to move, she felt mesmerized by the sight of him outside her window where there should be nothing and no one, and yet, there he plainly was.

Tap…tap…tap. His fingers lightly touched the windowpane again as he gave a nod, reminding her of his need for entry. Obediently, she slid the window upwards, stepping back as the coolness of the evening breeze drifted in. In the still of the night, she could hear the distinct roar of the ocean's waves and smell their saltiness, as if each was an omen of foreboding.

“Good evening, Valora,” the stranger’s voice was hypnotic. “Might I come in, my sweet?”

How in heavens did he know her name? As if in a trance, Valora nodded, oblivious that she stood only in a sheer nightdress that left little to the imagination as the light of the moon's light drifted through its' flimsy material.

“Valora,” he implored again. “Might I enter?”

Valora stepped backwards, nearly tripping. As she did so, the spell was broken, and she was suddenly keenly aware of the absurdity – and unreality - in finding a man outside of her second floor window. From where on earth had he come?

“Who are you?” she whispered.

“You know me,” he said. “You have always known me.” A beguiling smile crossed his handsome visage. “And your soul craves me.”

“Who are you?” she repeated, fear filling her at what his response might be.

“Don’t ask questions, Valora. Listen to the sound of the ocean. It’s telling you what your heart longs for in this very moment.” His look was beseeching, reaching deep into her being, his eyes beautifully blue in their depths though all else about him was as dark as the night.

Mesmerized, Valora responded to the luring, melodic timbre of his voice. “Come in,” she said softly. Still, she surprised herself with the words she spoke and quickly retreated backwards, her back now flush against the wall as though she sought refuge.

With a lightness of foot and remarkable speed, he was inside her room and standing before her in the skip of a heartbeat. Fully illuminated in the moonlight, she saw that he was more brutally handsome than she had first thought. He was tall, slender, and clothed completely in black. His eyes were an ice blue that starkly contrasted against the opaqueness of his milky skin and the darkness of his hair and clothing.

“Come nearer,” he quietly commanded.

Unable to defy him, Valora approached, stopping mere inches from him. She refused to cower, however, and warily watched him as she raised her chin, the green of her eyes intensified with her defiance.

His smile deepened. “You aren’t afraid of me.” It was a statement and not a question.

“No,” Valora replied, crossing her arms in front of her. Maybe she was being foolish, but he did not frighten her. Instead, she was intrigued by his overwhelming presence and the look in his crystal blue eyes.

His smile grew along with an air of cockiness, and he turned his head slightly in response to her answer. “My sweet, you should be very afraid,” he said. But then his face relaxed a bit, and he added, “But, alas, I am immensely pleased that you are not.”

“Who are you?” Valora repeated. “You say I know you, but…,” her voice trailed off, unsure what else to say.

“But you are not sure that you do,” he finished for her. “I am Aramis, and I am all your soul craves. I fear our destinies are intertwined much like a tapestry and beyond the scope of your imagination, my dear, sweet, Valora.”

She stood still as his words resonated inside her despite her lack of understanding. From outside, she could still hear the roar of the ocean as she pondered his words. Like a tapestry? Who was this man who spoke such words? In addition, how could he say their destinies intertwined when they had never met before?

“I don’t understand,” her voice was only a whisper in the stillness of the moonlit room.

Aramis inched closer and reached to tuck an errant curl behind her ear. His touch was an oxymoron: cool and electrifying at the same time, burning her skin with its intensity. His blue gaze deepened as his finger trailed across the smoothness of her cheek and paused to rest beneath her chin.

“You feel it, do you not?” His voice held the promise of the moonlight’s allure and something else to which Valora could not lay a name. Was it danger of the forbidden she saw reflected in his beautiful eyes? A thrill coursed through her body, and she shivered at the thought.

Valora gazed at him, her green eyes turning liquid as her arms fell limply to her sides. She felt the nearness of this man with every fiber of her being and desperately longed to fall against him with wild abandon. What wicked spell had he cast over her? It was all too surreal. She must be dreaming.

“Yes.” She answered, her voice the faintest of whispers, but he heard her as clearly, as if she had screamed the word.

Aramis reached behind her neck and pulled her so close that she felt the coolness of his breath against her cheek. With his other hand, he grasped her waist, drawing her tautly against the hardness of his chest, his gaze never leaving hers.

“You smell of the sweet jasmine flower,” he said as his ice blue gaze wandered downward. His lips hardened as he studied the strength in the rapidly beating pulse at the base of her neck.

“Please,” she pleaded, not knowing precisely that for which she longed. She could not think beyond his nearness and the dark, blue ink of his gaze. Whatever it was he wanted, she would willing give it – and so much more. He was overwhelmingly intoxicating – more so than the strongest of spirits she had ever imbibed.

Aramis leaned in closer, his lips lightly grazing hers. Pausing, he lifted his head to gage her response. He watched as full recognition of the hunger she saw in his black eyes registered. and she leaned into him, her need for something she did not understand encompassing her.

Aramis growled and lowered his head to kiss her more deeply. Instinctively, Valora turned her neck to his mouth, offering what treasures lay therein. She was his for the taking. A willing lamb fully prepared for the sacrifice. His teeth sank into her neck, and in response, she moaned and twined her hands in his thick, dark hair.

The first taste of her rich blood was sublime, encompassing him just as he had known it would. Her taste was perfection, her vibrancy filling his need. After long moments of tasting of her sweetness, he raised his head, her blood still evident on his mouth. His eyes were as black as the darkness in a moonless night.

“Do you understand now, my sweet?” he asked.

Valora nodded, her eyes, devouring the man who stood before her. Even though the full complexity of the situation evaded her, her emerald green eyes silently begged him to partake of more. She wanted – and needed – him to take all that she had to offer.

Aramis suddenly straightened and stepped backwards, the flat of his hand preventing her from following him. A look of surprise crossed his face as he stared at her. Strangely perplexed, he simply stared at her.

In response, disappointment and confusion added to the deep ache of longing she felt and tears filled her eyes. “Aramis? What's wrong? I need you so much it hurts.”

Aramis didn't speak for several minutes. When he did answer, he did so with a deliberate determination. “All is well, my sweet. You will be mine soon enough." He watched her closely, and then added, "I think they named you Valora for a reason, my dear, for you are as brave and as courageous as your name implies.”

His words seemed to soothe her for the moment and her tears ceased.

Aramis continued to look at her with an intensity that belied the calmness in his words. Slowly and with methodical purpose, he opened his shirt and made a bold line with his finger across his chest. As he did so, the blood began to run from it.

“Come, my sweet. You must drink,” he encouraged, his hand stretched out to draw her nearer.

Valora’s eyes widened, but her feet carried her swiftly to him where she eagerly placed her soft mouth upon his chest. He held her close as she drank of his blood and shuddered in the moment. Little surprised him, but this one had. She was unexpectedly sweet, pliable, and her hunger for the forbidden most unexpected. Yes, there was no doubt; this one was well worth the keeping.

After what seemed like hours, he pulled Valora from him. The hunger he saw in the depths of her emerald eyes was his undoing. As she turned her slim neck to offer herself to him again, he sank his teeth into its smoothness and drank more deeply of its' sweetness until the last soft sigh escaped her lips and her warm, pliant body was eerily still. He then lifted her, carrying her to the bed where he laid her on the stark white cotton sheets.

The moonlight drifted across the vision she made where he had placed her upon the bed, his blood still a fresh stain upon her lips and thick, auburn tresses falling in disarray all about her lifeless form. Aramis felt his body tense with longing and a fierce desire as he studied her. He would wait until she awakened, but he would be there and ready to pull her to him. He would teach her she needed to know and together they would be invincible and fearless in the darkness of the night. An all-consuming need filled him. He could scarcely wait to make her his in every sense.

Several moments later, Valora stirred, sighing as she awoke from what had been her youthful deathbed. She opened her vivid green eyes and immediately focused on Aramis. He had thought himself prepared for the moment, but a swift intake of breath betrayed his surprise at her full transformation. In response, Valora smiled seductively with a newborn knowledge of a woman who understands what wiles lay within the scope of her existence. With a hell-bent purpose borne of sheer desire and hunger, she rose and stood before him. She was glorious in her newly reborn state – a wondrous creature to behold.

“My sweet, Aramis, the night is young. We must partake of the forbidden dangers that lurk therein.”

Aramis’ eyes deepened to liquid black. What enchanted seductress had he created this night? Be damned. She was magnificent, perfection in every sense of the word. And she was his.

Aramis reached to pull Valora against his side and took her to the open window where they looked out upon the vast ocean that stretched before them as the waves crashed against the rocks. The moonlight glimmered across the endlessness of the water, seeming to beckon them with a prelude of the forbidden dangers that lurked therein.

Speaking with a newfound awareness and purpose as he looked at the beautiful creature who stood before him, Aramis spoke. “Look, my sweet. The ocean and moonlight call to us. You will learn soon enough that only the most intense of pleasures are derived from the depths of the forbidden. And I would like nothing more than to venture forth into those depths for endless satisfaction with you. Shall we, my love?”