Blue Moon Rising

"You have to keep the jar near Kate, at least in the same town or it'll lose its effect." Anna did not share in Libby's enthusiasm for this project. "Don't you think you should consider letting go Lib? It doesn't really seem to be going the way you'd hoped."

"It's going

exactly

as planned. " Libby countered. "He'll be eating his little dog biscuits out of my hand in no time at all. Are you sure that you won't come to England with me? I'd like you to be there when it happens."

"Please rethink this Lib" Anna pleaded, "You won't have your powers to back you up on that night, not within the Stones. It,

Ian

, will see you for who you are,

what

you are. I just don't want...I don't want anything bad to happen to you."

"Nothing bad will happen, just a little eternal love bite. We'll be leaving next week..." Libby looked hopefully at her sister who shook her head. "Well, I'll call you from London, think about it. Okay?"

*******

Aiden found returning to his old hospital a painful challenge, it had been many years since he had worked there. He saw familiar faces hiding beneath the misty veil of age, young girls full of energy and enthusiasm now in the winter of their lives -- matronly ward Sisters, nurses, doctors. He caught a few of them taking long looks, studying his face, trying to make sense of the emotions stirred by this young man. One approached him, lightly touching his arm, "You look so much like a boy I um...knew." The painful crumbling of her heart could be heard in each word. Aiden smiled softly and patted her hand until she let it fall from his arm

I remember you too Becky. I'm sorry for causing you any pain.

Aiden looked with sudden clarity into her sad, tired eyes.

I'm so sorry for breaking your heart

. Becky struggled with a smile, turned and walked away.

"My life is such a fucking trail of tragedies." Aiden mumbled to himself, his unhappiness taking root.

Ian's family began preparations for the Blue Moon, for the transfer of power from Ian's father to Ian. For a brief time, while with Kate, Ian

felt

like the Alpha, but now? He didn't have the energy or interest. He felt himself fading away, being dragged under and no more so than when he was with Libby. Her pull on him was nauseating and beyond his comprehension. She clung to him, smothering and confusing him, clouding his vision.

Ian found solace at Kate's side, speaking softly in her ear, holding her hand. He had insisted that Kate was discharged to his family home from the Royal. Aiden had a handpicked medical team in house 24/7 and Kate's family couldn't have hoped for better care for her.

"Libby plans on being at the ceremony next week, you know that don't you?" Aiden frowned; his distaste for her had become palpable over the past few months.

"I couldn't give a fat fuck what she does." Ian grimaced, "I'm starting to sound like you."

"You've been hanging around

her

too much."

Ian's features boiled with instant fury.

"Libby! I meant Libby. Relax! Libby's a fucking witch!." Aiden shot a glance at Ian, something in his words rang true. "Do you think...could she actually

be

a witch?"

"I've never caught that scent on her Aid. I don't want to talk about her anymore and I don't care if she comes or not, I don't really want to be there myself."

"I know man, but the family..."

"Yea, yea." Ian turned to leave the room as Libby entered and collided with his chest. Ian reached out to steady her and the fuzzy cloud descended. He held her for a moment, unable to let go.

Libby looked coldly from Aiden and smiled sweetly up at Ian. "Honey, I've been looking for you everywhere in your big old house. Been hiding from me?"

"No. I was just..." Ian looked over to his sleeping soul mate, a therapist was stretching her limbs and massaging her muscles.

"Of course. Silly me." Libby's voice dripped with sarcasm cutting through Ian's thoughts.

Aiden pushed past Libby but not before taking a few sniffs that gave him no information at all beyond what he had long known -- Libby wore very expensive perfume. They scowled at each other and Aiden marched off pulling Ian with him.

Libby moved to Kate's bedside seething with anger "Get out!" she yelled at the therapist. The uniformed muscles paused unsure of Libby's status in the house. Libby raised her brows in a challenge and the therapist left.

Libby flipped her phone open and dialed Anna's number, but was only able to leave a message. "Damn it Anna, call me as soon as you get this. I overheard Ian and Aid speaking of witches. I don't know if they're catching on, if Aiden thinks he knows something, nosy bastard. Ian is completely in the dark. Call me, I need you to be here."

Libby was annoyed with her sister, with Aiden and with Ian, she wanted to hurt something. She leaned over Kate and whispered into her ear, "I suppose you've heard, Ian and I will be mated in just a few days, on the blue moon. It's going to be so beautiful". Libby touched Kate's lower lip, her blood red enamel a stark contrast to Kate's pale tone. "What ever made you think that he would want to be with you? That he would choose you over me? You have nothing to offer him. Nothing."

*********

Aiden couldn't let go of the thought of Libby being an actual witch. It seemed to make all of the pieces fit into place, Kate's sudden and inexplicable collapse, her strangle hold on Ian and the one she used to have on him. He made a few calls. "Victor? It's me Aid. Do me a huge favor? There's a girl staying with us, Libby Blackhouse. Check her out for me. Yea, she may not be playing straight. Thanks man." A few more calls like that and he felt he had enough feelers out into all levels of existence. He studied Ian, crumpled in a leather wingback twitching in his uneasy sleep. Next to him, completely still lay Kate, the horrid tube in her nose looking like a gash of spray paint across la Giaconda. They were both perched on the edge of death waiting for the other to jump.

*************

"Thank God you came!" Libby picked Anna up from Heathrow. "Aid has his little fanged puppets out asking questions, I can't keep my eyes on everyone -- Thank you for helping me!"

"I didn't say I would help. I'm here to try to convince you to let this go. It's too dangerous Lib, you're crazed, obsessed with this and you're not thinking clearly. Please..." Anna pleaded.

"No! You're wrong and if you're not going to help me then you can march yourself right back on that plane!" Libby stabbed her finger back towards the gates.

"Geeze Lib. You're my sister, I'll help. I'll do what I can." They both knew the conversation would end this way.

Libby hugged her twin, "you see, everything will be just fine! This is what you need to do..."

That night Anna drove to Ian's home determined to do her best to make everyone think she'd been there a dozen times before. Libby's orders were to keep Aiden busy and out of her hair and her advice -"just be a bitch, he'll never know that you're not me." Anna had studied photographs of the family and hoped she'd get them straight when it counted. "Just call 'em all 'honey', you can't go wrong".

Anna felt a strange pang when she was shown the photo of Aiden. He was handsome she thought, but that didn't account for the tingle in her spine.

A uniformed man let Anna in, swiftly stepping aside as she ignored him and pushed through disguising her anxiety with Libby-like brusqueness.

Now where?

Anna closed her eyes for a moment and envisioned the map of the house Libby had drawn.

Up to my room... to hide.

She climbed the central staircase, head down hoping to go unnoticed.

Right at the top and ...

she ran smack into Aiden.

Aiden grabbed her arms to save her from a neck breaking topple back down the stairs. "What the fuck Libby! Better watch where you're going or you might have a nasty little..." Aiden looked into Anna's eyes and couldn't finish his sentence, couldn't think of what he might have been trying to say. "Fuck", was all that came out.

Aiden shook his head and cautiously moved Anna away from him and let go of her. "Fuck." He squinted at her and then his eyes widened "I'm right, you are a fucking witch! What, you're finally realizing that Ian doesn't want you and now you're going to sprinkle some twinkly dust on me? You're

not

my other half, not my soul mate! How the bloody Hell are you pulling this one off? I ought to break your fucking neck!" Aiden took a breath to continue but had that same breath knocked out of him before he could open his mouth.

Please stop, please! Stop yelling at me, I haven't done anything to you

Anna was whimpering in her head and Aiden was hearing every word as though spoken. This was something that only true mates had, he didn't think it could be conjured up with hocus pocus.

Anna was on the edge of tears. Aiden touched her face and she felt that electric bolt in her spine once again. Aiden was a cyclone of confusion,

how all of a sudden is this bitch my soul mate?

"Libby, I don't know how you're doing this but let me tell you, you are treading on very dangerous ground." Aiden's eyes blazed with passion.

I'm not Libby.

"What!?" Aiden's gentle touch on Anna's arm tightened painfully.

"I'm not Libby," Anna looked pained and defeated. "I'm her sister Anna." Aiden twisted his head looking very much like a puzzled puppy. "We're twins, identical twins."

"I didn't know she had a

twin

sister." Aiden looked into Anna's eyes once again and felt his heart swirling like an eddy of molten lava. The liquid rock flowed through him and solidified painfully in the front of his trousers.

Anna felt it too. Her central furnace lit and was sending waves of heat through her body. Their thoughts had become exclusive; nothing and no one else existed.

Aiden lightly held Anna's hand and stepped backwards towards his room, she followed maintaining the light touch.

Aiden had spent much of his childhood in this room. The décor had changed many times over the centuries but it continued to be dark and heavy, wreaked of manly emotion and cedar. The blood red silks and brocade, the cloudlike down bedding and pillows -- they scared him, speaking a language that he could not begin to understand, until this moment. The afternoon sun shone through the wall of windows and caught silver and crystal sending twinkles of light to all corners.

Aiden bent to kiss Anna, her lips were burning and parted in a 'welcome home'. His steel-clad heart clicked open and absorbed the love and passion in his surround.

At last

. He could have sobbed with the relief, with the overwhelming emotion of it all but Anna's tongue had met his and her hands were in his hair pulling him to her.

Clothes were shed in a way that appeared choreographed and in slow motion. They barely touched as garments pooled on the polished hardwood beneath their feet. Once they were completely naked they stood utterly still for a moment admiring each other, letting their eyes wander. Aiden gently guided Anna over to the floor to ceiling windows, into the light. The garden below was like an animated Monet, fluttering with the breeze, birds and butterflies.

Aiden held her there though he sensed her shyness. "There's no one out there, no one is looking, just me," he whispered. "Please, I want to see all of you."

Anna blushed deeply but did not move. Aiden's fingers glided tenderly from her face to neck to shoulders. Aiden's gaze held her breasts and her nipples crinkled with anticipation. His fingers caressed unhurried and as Anna's breathing became uneven as he placed his mouth over each nipple, sucking and tormenting her with his tongue. Anna raised her hands to touch Aiden, to ground herself in this electrical storm but he gently pushed them back down to her sides.

I'm not to move?

Aiden shook his head slightly, tweaking her nipple between his teeth. Anna pressed her trembling fingers into her thighs and obeyed.

Aiden's hands drifted over her curves, his lips and tongue following the trail of goose bumps. Kneeling, while kissing her belly his fingers followed the line of her rift between her cheeks, his hands dropped further to her inner thighs. A little pressure and Anna parted her legs until Aiden indicated to stop just as her nether lips parted with a sound like a small wet kiss.

Aiden dove in, lapping up her nectar, carefully avoiding her swollen nub. His tongue was impossibly long and skilled and was not at all shy or reluctant in its travels. His fingers if not stroking between her buttocks were busy probing drawing out every drop of moisture.

As he felt her muscles tighten and her breathing catch he drew his tongue over her exposed nub, sucked it between his lips and nibbled.

Anna cried out, her legs buckling and she dropped to her knees shuddering. " Aiden," she struggled to breathe.

Aiden rose as Anna kneeled, body parts aligning perfectly, or so it seemed to Aiden. Anna looked up into his face and smiled. Her tongue peeked out and licked her lips and then gathered the pearl perched on Aiden's glistening head. Aiden resisted the painful urge to feel the back of her throat and he let Anna take control. He wasn't disappointed. Apparently she was starving though maintained good manners. He loved that she listened to his thoughts and followed all of his suggestions. She finally silenced him by humming over his head and gently rolling his balls in her hand. Aiden stopped short of exploding and pulled Anna up off her knees to his bed. In one fluid motion Anna was up in the middle of his ornate bed, legs open in an invitation. Aiden followed and aimed well burying himself to the hilt and quickly began to conjugate Russian verbs.

я уверен, Вы являетесь, Мы являемся...

Anna heard Aiden's gravelly Russian accent in her mind and it pushed her closer and closer to the edge. Aiden's thrusts were slow and measured and perfectly placed.

"Please don't hold back anymore Aiden" Anna pleaded breathlessly.

Aiden growled and let loose.

"Unnnghhh, yes Aiden, Yes!"

."Я собираюсь диплом.!"Aiden's accent was strained. "Fuck yes! Now, with me Anna!" As their bodies stilled and their breathing quieted, Anna and Aiden lay entwined basking in the glow of new found love.

Anna's thoughts drifted occasionally tickled by Aiden's.

How can you be so like your sister, yet so very, very different?

Reminded of Libby, Anna's thoughts became sour with guilt and she wavered between loyalty to her sister and her undeniable bond with Aiden.

I'm sorry Libby

"We have to stop my sister, she's become obsessed..."

"Ian?" Aiden questioned.

"No. Not so much Ian as what he can give her. Immortality. She's planning to have him bite her tonight, within the Stones."

Aiden was shaking his head "I don't think she can get Ian to give her that. He's not...."

"No? Look at her path of destruction so far. She's very clever and a very, very talented um, a very talented witch."

"Kate? Did Libby..."

"It's a spell...I'm sorry Aiden, I didn't know... I didn't think... I don't know where she's keeping the doll..."

"What? What doll?"

"It doesn't matter. We have to get Kate to Stonehenge, it'll break the spell."