Blue Moon

12 hours. After 12 long hours and the nightmare of Talen's transformation would be over. Talen's human half was starting to take over as the sun was starting to set for the night. He made sure the beast started toward the house so that he wouldn't have to walk too far to get home. He was about 200 feet away from home when the transformation hit him. The light was vanishing and he had collapsed on the ground, his body convulsing as he started to change. His bones rebroke, his body returning to normal size. The hair was starting to vanish, his teeth and nails returning to normal.

He gasped as he turned back into himself. His clothes were in tatters as he shook the shock out of him. He struggled to his feet and staggered toward home. He felt exhausted since his "other half" decided to go crazy. He came to the front steps and picked his feet up until he saw something on the door.

On it, a note and two black silk collars. He hadn't seen one of them since his brother left/died. He shook that thought out of his head as he looked at the note.

Young Master.

As per your 20th birthday this year, your mother wanted to make sure that you are not alone because of your "condition." The young girl's name is Valeriana Pierce and she was selected to be yours on a contract with her parents.

Before you go in, we expect you to put on the silk collar and put the other on her. Young Master, this is one of your last chances. We hoped that you will follow your brother's example and treat her the same to keep your secret.

Young Master, I hope this will work out.

Sincerely,
Braum

Talen grounded his teeth. This wasn't what he wanted. He had wanted to just live the last year of his life without having to deal with a girl that probably wouldn't save him. He couldn't deny his mother's wishes though. It was one of the few times that she actually talked to him. He looked at the black silk collar, rubbing his fingers over it.

The beast growled at the thought of being collared. As much as he wanted to follow his mother's wishes, he decided to wait. He didn't want to take a chance yet if he was just going to let her go. He stuffed them both in his pocket and headed into the house.

His nose picked up the new scent of the girl. He didn't want that to be his judgment though. He furrowed his eyebrow and heard his own steps echo through the atrium.

Stop it. He was overthinking the details. He started to the back room, taking in the fact that his breathing was quickening and his heart racing. He tried to smother the hope and fear rising in his chest. God, stop it.

He couldn't go through with this plan. As much as part of him wanted to break this curse, be able to walk among people without fearing the creature would come out. He was already having conflicting emotions. he brought his gaze down to the door was, staring at the handle. He should just let her go, get her home and forget about the contract that controlled this girl's life. Then why was he desparate to try?

He pulled out one of the keys to the basement out of the back room's drawers. He unlocked the door and turned the knob slowly. He flipped on the light in the back room to illuminate the basement. He could see the figure hunched in the cage. He rubbed his chin slightly, not sure how to play this. He had been away from people and wasn't sure how to normally act around people. He started down the stairs and had seen a rat skitter across the light source. He came over to the cage, moving slowly. The figure pulled back to the back wall of the cage.

He could hear how scared he was as he said, "Shh... It's alright. I'm not going to hurt you."

He was so shaky and nervous. His eyes were starting to adjust to the light and darkness. The first thing he noticed were her bright blue eyes. He could see her petite frame and her dark hair. He knew he couldn't do the collars. Not with how scared she was and not with his already conflicted emotions.

He opened the cage door and came in, slowly moving closer to her as if she was some cornered animal in the woods. He gently reached up and removed the duct tape from her mouth. He started to work on the rusting shackles on her small wrists .

"Who... are you?" Her voice kept cracking. He could sense her fear of him and knew better than to actually let that register. It was more of him trying to calm her down first.

"My name is Talen Valorin. I'm so sorry." He got one hand released and worked on the other.

"Valorin?"

Damn, should have lied.

"Yes." He furrowed his eyebrows as he got more and more frustrated. "Damn. One second."

She nodded and stayed silent as he worked on the shackle. He worked on it a bit more until he heard a faint click. It released her hand which she pulled close and rubbed them. He offered his hand ot her.

"Come. You must be hungry." He watched her shiver and watch him. He couldn't blame her.

She finally took his hand and nodded. He gently helped her out of the cage, leading her toward the light. She was shaking so badly that he was wondering if she even knew what was going on.

Probably not. He led her toward the kitchen, seeing a note on the fridge. Guess Braum did do a lot more than just a kidnapping.

He ripped the note down and opened the fridge. His own stomach growled and he heard Valeriana giggle. He opened the fridge fully.

"What are you hungry for?" She became quiet again. She shrugged slightly.

He pulled out eggs and bacon to fry up. He could hear her stomach growling in protest.

"It'll be done in a bit if your stomach will hold out." She blushed and he let out a soft smile.

He finished up the food and grabbed a couple of plates from the cabinet. She shoveled some of the food onto a plate, gently grabbing her hand and leading her to the breakfast bar. He reached into the drawer to give her a fork.

"Here. Go ahead and eat." He watched her as he grabbed some eggs for himself.

It was better than what his other half wanted. Blood, meat, the thrill of the hunt. Talen was the opposite of the monster of his other side. He stood across from her, ideas swimming in his mind until Valeriana spoke up. Her voice was still broken, but she tried to keep herself calm. At least, that was what Talen could hear.

"Why am I here...?" He sighed softly and took another bite to keep himself from saying something he would regret and formulate a better idea.

Tell her the truth. His mind continued to nag him. She deserves to know.

He looked her over. She looked more frightened than anything else. He knew that his mother and guardian just wanted him to live the rest of his days... Happier. But then again, Talen hadn't wanted this. He realized that he had stayed too silent. The girl, Valeriana looked more scared. He blinked and waved his hand.

"It's nothing important. Soon, you'll be home again." She blinked slightly.

"But... I was kidnapped... Why?" Talen lost his interest in his food and gently pushed his food away.

"Because of me."

Valeriana bit her lip and whispered, "What do you mean?"

"I can't exactly tell you..." Talen sighed softly and started to eat his eggs again. The girl watched him with more of a curious look. He took a deep breath and finished his eggs. Her intent look was a bit unnerving, like she was was trying to figure him out. "What?"

She shook her head. "It's nothing. When can I go home?"

"Soon..." He repeated. He put the plates of their food away.

Something caught his attention though. Below the curls of her hair, right on her neck, was a small silver ring. He tilted his head curiously and moved over to her. He didn't understand what he was doing, but he reached forward. She flinched slightly, but he moved the hair to see a ring with an emblem on it.

His eyes widened and he looked at her with more scrutiny. The emblem was something that he recognized , a moon within 2 interlocking circles of snakes and a kind of herb surrounding it. The sign of the witch.

Her eyes had widened and she whispered, "A gift from my great grandmother." She must have felt the need to explain it.

A kind of anger snapped in his chest. She had the sign of the witch that had cursed his family.

How could Braum bring me a witch, or a descendant of a witch? Talen had been ready to let her go, but now... Hie slid his hand into his back pocket where the silk collars were.

"You're not leaving." His voice was low, full of hatred and pain. "For all the pain and suffering my family has gone through, you'll pay."

And that was when Valeriana ran past him and into the atrium of the house. Talen started to follow in closer pursuit. He wasn't going to lose her.