‹ Prequel: Pup Among the Big Dogs
Chasing the Moon
It's Rather Disturbing Really
“How could you kill him?” I mumbled, pushing him away from me. I stumbled over to the wall, trying to support myself with it. My legs collapsed underneath me, but Aiden didn’t let me fall.
“I couldn’t let him walk the earth any longer,” he whispered in my ear, helping me kneel on the floor. He crouched down beside me. “Would you have rather him controlled you? He would have killed the kids, and then me because I planned on coming back to you. He would have ended up killing who you used to be, crafting you into whatever kind of being he wanted. I saved four lives by using one, and that one was hardly worth being called a life.”
“Zach is going to kill you anyway.”
I tried to stand up, but I couldn’t make my legs take on the task. But what was I thinking? I had hardly been able to find my voice, let alone any power in my body. Aiden chided me for pushing it, but I ignored him. He eventually helped me up and over to the bed.
“Surely he’ll understand. How close were they?”
“Marshall was Gabriel’s brother. Zach told me once that when Gabriel was turned, he accidentally bit Marshall. They’d been very close and always had been. His death really hurt him, as I was told, and Marshall used to be a completely different person. Zachary said that he even used to feed on willing humans; donors. He didn’t want to hurt anyone. But when Gabriel was killed... He took a dive off the deep end and just didn’t come back the same.”
“But he was trying to hurt you.”
“But he wasn’t always so bad. Zach dwells in the past. It is in human nature to romanticize the past, and that is one trait he carried with him into his immortal life. He’s a complex guy, and you saying that Marshall was a terrible guy since his brother’s death will sound to him like ‘Marshall was a great guy until his brother’s death’.”
Aiden collapsed beside me on the bed and threw his face into his hands.
“I just wanted to protect you,” he breathed, his shoulders shaking. I bit my lip.
“I know, baby. I know. I forgive you, I do. I just wish I could say the same for Zach.”
Aiden looked up at me through weary eyes, a tormented look about him. I knew he felt awful, but that wouldn’t bring Marshall back.
“He’s with his brother now,” I reminded him, smiling. “It’s weird that I’ll never see him again, you know?”
“I felt the same way when my brother passed away,” Aiden told me with a frown. “His heart was too small, which isn’t too uncommon. He died when he was seventeen.” Aiden’s gaze turned dark suddenly. “But I didn’t turn into a possessive, pompous jackass! That Marshall has no right to be revered like a hero!”
“Aiden, what’s wrong?” I whispered, getting a little scared.
“That faggot of a brother never once cared about me! He rubbed my face in dirt, laughing at me as I choked. He didn’t love me, he didn’t protect me. He only lived to make me suffer! No, he didn’t die because of his heart condition. He died because I refused to be put down anymore! He lost his purpose in life, so he ceased to be. After all of his torment, I didn’t change. I stayed how I was, only to be bettered when I met you.
“Yes, it is weird that I will never see him again. I will look back on those horrible years. I will shiver as the phantom wounds trail up my spine. Hell, I will remember that wicked grin that he would plaster to his face when he saw me in misery. But I will not allow one man to define who I am, as Marshall did. That was why he died. He didn’t know who he was!”
I bit my lip, backing away from Aiden. Surely something was wrong with him. He had this crazed look in his eye, and he was ranting about nothing!
“Aiden, please stop! You’re scaring me!” I hissed, forcing myself to stand up. His head whipped around to me, and the light in his eye vanished.
“I love you, Gabby,” he told me randomly, standing. I backed away, but he reached out, stumbling closer to me.
“Aiden!”
Just as he was a few feet away, he fell. He just collapsed to the floor. I ran to his side, but he wasn’t moving.
“Aiden?” I whispered, frantic. “Aiden! Get up!”
All I could think about was the faint beat of his heart and the birth defect that was taking it’s toll on him for the first time in a while.
I didn’t even think about it, but I was soon dragging him downstairs, begging Zach and Joshua and Nick to help me, to help him.
Adrenaline took over and the rest was a blur...
“I couldn’t let him walk the earth any longer,” he whispered in my ear, helping me kneel on the floor. He crouched down beside me. “Would you have rather him controlled you? He would have killed the kids, and then me because I planned on coming back to you. He would have ended up killing who you used to be, crafting you into whatever kind of being he wanted. I saved four lives by using one, and that one was hardly worth being called a life.”
“Zach is going to kill you anyway.”
I tried to stand up, but I couldn’t make my legs take on the task. But what was I thinking? I had hardly been able to find my voice, let alone any power in my body. Aiden chided me for pushing it, but I ignored him. He eventually helped me up and over to the bed.
“Surely he’ll understand. How close were they?”
“Marshall was Gabriel’s brother. Zach told me once that when Gabriel was turned, he accidentally bit Marshall. They’d been very close and always had been. His death really hurt him, as I was told, and Marshall used to be a completely different person. Zachary said that he even used to feed on willing humans; donors. He didn’t want to hurt anyone. But when Gabriel was killed... He took a dive off the deep end and just didn’t come back the same.”
“But he was trying to hurt you.”
“But he wasn’t always so bad. Zach dwells in the past. It is in human nature to romanticize the past, and that is one trait he carried with him into his immortal life. He’s a complex guy, and you saying that Marshall was a terrible guy since his brother’s death will sound to him like ‘Marshall was a great guy until his brother’s death’.”
Aiden collapsed beside me on the bed and threw his face into his hands.
“I just wanted to protect you,” he breathed, his shoulders shaking. I bit my lip.
“I know, baby. I know. I forgive you, I do. I just wish I could say the same for Zach.”
Aiden looked up at me through weary eyes, a tormented look about him. I knew he felt awful, but that wouldn’t bring Marshall back.
“He’s with his brother now,” I reminded him, smiling. “It’s weird that I’ll never see him again, you know?”
“I felt the same way when my brother passed away,” Aiden told me with a frown. “His heart was too small, which isn’t too uncommon. He died when he was seventeen.” Aiden’s gaze turned dark suddenly. “But I didn’t turn into a possessive, pompous jackass! That Marshall has no right to be revered like a hero!”
“Aiden, what’s wrong?” I whispered, getting a little scared.
“That faggot of a brother never once cared about me! He rubbed my face in dirt, laughing at me as I choked. He didn’t love me, he didn’t protect me. He only lived to make me suffer! No, he didn’t die because of his heart condition. He died because I refused to be put down anymore! He lost his purpose in life, so he ceased to be. After all of his torment, I didn’t change. I stayed how I was, only to be bettered when I met you.
“Yes, it is weird that I will never see him again. I will look back on those horrible years. I will shiver as the phantom wounds trail up my spine. Hell, I will remember that wicked grin that he would plaster to his face when he saw me in misery. But I will not allow one man to define who I am, as Marshall did. That was why he died. He didn’t know who he was!”
I bit my lip, backing away from Aiden. Surely something was wrong with him. He had this crazed look in his eye, and he was ranting about nothing!
“Aiden, please stop! You’re scaring me!” I hissed, forcing myself to stand up. His head whipped around to me, and the light in his eye vanished.
“I love you, Gabby,” he told me randomly, standing. I backed away, but he reached out, stumbling closer to me.
“Aiden!”
Just as he was a few feet away, he fell. He just collapsed to the floor. I ran to his side, but he wasn’t moving.
“Aiden?” I whispered, frantic. “Aiden! Get up!”
All I could think about was the faint beat of his heart and the birth defect that was taking it’s toll on him for the first time in a while.
I didn’t even think about it, but I was soon dragging him downstairs, begging Zach and Joshua and Nick to help me, to help him.
Adrenaline took over and the rest was a blur...