Chapter 5
Chapter Five
Noah
My chest vibrates like a constant buzz, and my mouth feels like it’s filled with cotton. My hands crunch the soft material as I manage to pull a single eyelid open.
Warm light glows across the room, and a dark figure sits on the couch opposite me, hunched over with their elbows on their knees and their head in their hands.
I blink a few times, sucking in a deep breath, and the vibration on my chest intensifies. Looking down, I'm met with bright orange fur and Pumpkin’s happy face, his eyes blinking lazily at me.
I look back over at the figure; the light of the kitchen sets a halo around their dark hair.
“Xan…” I manage a rasp.
His head snaps up, and his silver eyes are filled with so much worry I wonder if someone’s died.
His head snaps up, silver eyes locking onto mine, wide with alarm.
The couch creaks as he shoots to his feet, crossing the room in seconds.
One moment he’s across from me, the next he’s there—leaning over me, cupping the back of my neck as he helps me sit up.
Pumpkin meows and presses his head against my sternum as he finds a comfortable spot on my lap.
“You fainted.” Xander sits beside me, his hand dropping to my back as he rubs circles mindlessly.
I expect to have my memories thrown at me, like a flash of electricity to course through my body or a tsunami of anxiety to wash over me. But everything that has happened tonight is still at the forefront of my mind.
I can still see the creature on its knees, its horrible eyeless face, and needle teeth. The shadow driver and Tyler’s eyes rolling into the back of his head, his voice streaming from his throat.
“Someone’s already holding a piece of you. If they break it, you’ll break too.”
I rub my throbbing temples, and Xander rushes to the kitchen, his movements seeming quicker than normal. Like I'm experiencing the world at five times the speed.
Xander returns with a glass of water and sits down next to me.
He rubs his thighs, looking particularly guilty. “I should explain.”
I chug a few mouthfuls of water, relishing the way it slips down my parched throat. “Ya think?”
Xander’s expression worsens, and he’s chewing the inside of his cheek, his jaw flexing under the skin. “Nyx is…” He sighs.
“A cat,” I fill in.
Xander’s eyes don't meet mine as he stares at the very spot the floor had opened up and swallowed the creature and Nyx.
“She’s a Hellcat. And my familiar.” He seems to hold his breath as he clenches his hands in his lap. “She’s from Hell, and she banishes cursed souls. Like the one tonight.”
I nod. Somehow, my mind prefers that explanation. As if that creature and the fire encasing the living room actually makes sense now that I've heard it from Xander’s lips. “So she’s like a magical demon cat. Who's your familiar?”
Xander slowly nods, watching me carefully.
“Is she okay?” I hear myself ask, still desperate to get every drop of information out of Xander.
He sighs, “She’s doing her job.”
I don’t reply; instead, I finish my glass of water and set it aside. After all these years of writing fantasy books with werewolves and vampires, I realize I should have been more freaked out by this knowledge.
Maybe it’s the fact that deep down, I truly wanted to believe these supernatural things existed. Well, maybe not the cursed souls crawling around my living room screaming bloody murder. But Hellcats I can get behind.
“But you… you have… had fangs?”
His brow furrows for a moment until his eyes meet mine. “Noah, Moonfell isn’t a normal town. It’s a place for supernatural beings to coincide without the external world impacting our ways of life.” Xander speaks carefully, as if terrified I'm about to shoot off this couch and disappear.
The living room is eerily silent; not even a single footstep echoes through the hallway. As if the entire house is watching us at this very moment.
“Our?” I catch. My hand finds Pumpkin, and I stroke his soft fur.
Xander sinks into himself, sliding away from me. The space between us is like a dagger slicing the air, and I hate it. His warmth immediately disappears, and I feel completely alone despite him only being a few feet away.
“The town is mainly made up of witches. They create the wards to hide the town from maps and to stop people from stumbling into it unnecessarily." Xander’s voice is nearly a whisper. “But somehow you found this place. You were accepted by their magic. It’s not unheard of; there are other humans who live here who are mated with—” Xander stops himself and lets out a pained sigh as if fighting internally with himself.
“No one in this town will ever harm you. Richard won't find you, and if you wish to leave, you can, without any repercussions.” Xander looks at me, desperation burning in his gaze.
I shake my head, and a faint smile tugs at the edge of my lips. I lean in closer, catching the way Xander’s silver eyes look less and less human by the second. His skin is painfully perfect, and my lizard brain seems to know he is a hunter in human form.
“Since your cat is from hell, are you?”
In another world, my question might have been a joke. It may have even caused me a few strange looks or a tip for a great therapist. Yet the solemn look Xander gives me and the way his shoulders hunch is enough evidence that this is in fact a real and rather serious conversation.
Xander chuckles, but it isn’t filled with a sense of joy. Instead, his voice is strained and dry, “Not quite.” He fidgets in his lap, and I realize this is the first time I've ever seen him this uncomfortable.
“I’m not from hell. But I have been called a demon before.” Xander’s lips twitch, but he backtracks, raising his hands. “I’d never hurt you, Noah. I’m not an actual demon.”
“Spit it out, Xander.” I manage to clear the shake from my voice. “I’m not scared of you.”
Finally, Xander’s lips turn into a shy smile, and I realize how close we currently are, my hand pressing against his thigh, the warmth of his breath against my skin. I pull back, a blush spreading across my cheeks.
But it’s Xander who captures my hand and gently twines our fingers together. With a careful voice, he says, “I’m a vampire.”
I laugh.
My entire body shakes with laughter as I throw my head back and laugh like there’s no tomorrow. My lungs squeeze as I choke for breath, but I can't help the immense joy that suddenly flows through my veins.
“I write books about fucking vampires!” I wheeze and then bite my tongue, realizing what I've just said. “Wait. Not fucking vampires… just vampires. And werewolves. But not witches. Maybe I should start adding them in, but I don't know what witches can do.”
“Noah, breathe.” Xander’s hand finds the small of my back. The subtle movement and light touch of his palm have my voice fading and my lungs filling with much-needed air.
“Sorry,” I whisper.
Xander’s warm smile falls. “I should be the one who’s sorry. I should have told you the moment you knocked on my door. Instead, you suffered from my indecision.” He sighs. “If you no longer want to stay here… if I make you uncomfortable, I understand.”
The way he speaks sounds as though his own words are slicing the back of his throat, as if telling me I can go physically pains him.
My brow furrows, and I grasp his hand tighter, feeling how warm he is beside me. “I don’t want to go.” My voice is barely a whisper.
Xander’s entire body drops as he lets out a relieved sigh, his head hanging low, yet he doesn’t let go of my hand.
“But I have questions. Copious amounts of questions.” I snatch the throw rug and pull it over my lap.
“Anything,” Xander chuckles gently. “But I'm making you a peanut butter sandwich.”
“Deal.” I smirk as he slips from the couch and wanders into the kitchen, grabbing the bread and peanut butter.
“Do you drink blood?” I ask, feeling the way my heart somersaults. I feel like I need a note pad and pen for this.
“Human blood, yes,” Xander replies, smearing the peanut butter into two slices of bread.
“How often?”
He shrugs, and I notice the way he avoids my gaze as he pushes the sandwich together and plates it. “Once a week, maybe twice if I need to.”
I accept the plate as he hands it to me, and I take a bite. My stomach comes alive and growls angrily. Then it dawns on me. “But you ate normal food last night?”
Xander resumes his seat, angling himself to face me with a small smirk on his lips. “I can eat food. It doesn’t do anything for me other than taste and texture.”
I nod in understanding. I can see that making sense. But as my mind drifts to last night’s dinner, I realize he had eaten the pasta for me. Since it doesn’t provide him with any benefits, like nutrients or energy, he was simply being courteous. I smile.
“What else don’t I know?” I take another bite of my sandwich and watch how Xander watches the way I chew.
He takes a deep breath as he considers his thoughts. “Let’s see. No, I don't sparkle. Yes, I’m stronger than a human and faster too. No, a wooden stake can’t kill me. Yes, I’m immortal but if you were to cut my head off or burn me to cinders, then that might do the trick.”
He pauses. I finish my sandwich, shoving the last bite down my throat and licking the peanut butter away from the roof of my mouth. “Huh.” I can only manage a single word.
Xander laughs sheepishly, “I’m not really one to talk about myself.”
I grin. “Too bad. I want to know more.”
“More?” Xander’s brows furrow, and I nod my head eagerly.
“Do you have any special abilities?” I ask.
Xander grasps a cushion and hugs it to his chest, mindlessly patting the smooth fabric. For a moment, I wish I were the cushion. To be pressed up against his chest with his hands trailing across my skin.
“I can smell your emotions.” Xander’s gaze meets mine, and my breath catches. “I can smell when you're angry, or scared, or sad. Or when you’re happy or relaxed.”