Waning Moon Read Online Free PDF Page B

when he completed his goal like all the others? That he didn’t know. Not yet.
    Gabriel cleared his throat. “Lukas was here yesterday before I came, wasn’t he? I can smell the musky scent of a foreign panther in here. I also sensed your dread. You truly despise this man, don’t you? Why don’t you enlighten me about your history with him and then I promise I will leave you to yourself for the rest of the day.”
    Tony shuddered as he contemplated how exactly to tell Gabriel about his past. He finished eating all his food, gulped down the rest of his juice, and settled his back against the chair.
    “It happened about ten years ago when my family was still alive. We lived in a large house in the city, me, my parents, and my little brother. I was twelve and this one night during a thunderstorm, the power had all shut off and a burglar broke into the house.”
    Gabriel whispered, “Lukas.”
    Tony nodded as his eyes began to glisten with tears. “It wasn’t until my mom screamed that I ran downstairs and saw him standing over their bloody bodies. I raced back up the steps and he attacked me from behind. After that, my memory is blank. I was put into foster care until I was eighteen and moved into this place. I didn’t actually see Lukas until a couple months ago, when he challenged the old leader of the clan and killed him. Yesterday was the first time I ever spoke to him.”
    Gabriel ruffled Tony’s hair. “You’re leaving out a great amount of detail but that’s all right. I understand how hard it must be recalling such an event.” He began to walk to the door when Tony clung to his arm.
    “I changed my mind. You can stay,” he murmured.
    “Really?”
    “Yeah, but you have to clean the dishes.”
    Gabriel frowned. “You better have latex gloves I can wear.”
    “It just so happens that I do.”
    The vampire let out a long labored exhale. “I guess I’ll get started then.”
    It had taken Gabriel nearly the whole day to finish cleaning as he’d insisted on not only doing the dishes, but also the rest of the apartment from top to bottom. Tony pulled his jacket on when the vampire dropped onto the couch and groaned in exasperation.
    “I’m going to take a nap if that’s all right with you,” he murmured tiredly.
    Tony slipped his shoes on and replied, “I thought you were gonna come with me to the clan meeting?”
    “I thought I was too but I seem to have neglected my body’s daily dose of death-sleep, so I will have to decline your invitation this time. I will definitely go to the next one, I promise. I’m just very tired from all that work.”
    “Then I guess I’ll get going. It’ll be your fault if anything happens to me when I see Lukas.”
    Gabriel hugged one of the fringed couch pillows. “Nothing will happen. If you are in any danger the vampire marks will alert me and I will take necessary action.”
    “How can you do that when you’ll be sleeping here?”
    The vampire smirked devilishly. “Oh, I have my ways.”
    Tony brushed him off coldly. “Whatever. I’m going. See ya.”
    “Wait!”
    Tony halted in the doorway. “Yeah?”
    “Can you come here for a second? Please?”
    Tony rubbed his chin nervously and decided to comply. When he got to the couch, Gabriel lifted the were-panther’s right arm, dragged his wrist slowly across his lips, and sniffed it as if it were some kind of exotic grandiose dinner. “Just one bite,” he whispered and sank his fangs into Tony’s flesh.
    A wonderful feeling of amazing euphoria washed over Tony in warm blissful waves that crashed again and again, took him over the horizon of pleasure, and before he knew it, it had snapped back to himself when Gabriel unlatched his mouth and drew away with a crooked smile.
    “Did you really need to do that?” Tony scowled, but his flaming cheeks told otherwise.
    Gabriel responded teasingly, “Why, yes, as a matter of fact, I did need to do that. I was rather thirsty from cleaning your filthy