Crescent Moon's Reflection

Crescent Moon’s Reflection

(Moon’s Reflection Series)

by

Ela Lond

SMASHWORDS EDITION

A Bloodeater, Uriel of the Dumes, is on a mission to hunt and destroy the Shadows, creatures that pose a bigger threat to Bloodeater society than vampires. On one of the hunts he and his two friends stumble across a group of human vampire hunters. When one of them, Jen, is hurt, he takes care of the girl, never imagining that he would fall for her. But Jen hates vampires, and even though Uriel is not one of them, he is a member of the immortal race who is responsible for the vampires’ creation.

Copyright © 2014 Ela Lond

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Smashwords Edition, License Notes:

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting author’s work.

This book uses British spelling

Acknowledgments

For Diluain, Elizabeth and Andi. Thank you.

Table Of Contents:

Chapter 01

Chapter 02

Chapter 03

Chapter 04

Chapter 05

Chapter 06

Chapter 07

Chapter 08

Chapter 09

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Other Books by Ela Lond

Moon’s Reflection Glossary

Moon’s Reflection Glossary:

Bloodeaters (Lueeshareteers) used to be called People of Eon. They become Bloodeaters when they were forced to find a replacement for Eeshar, the fruit that supplied their body with haemoglobin. They are divided into three clans: the Lost, the Damned, and the Fallen.

Aradmas (Servants) are turned by the Fallen’s purebreds and are the weakest Bloodeaters.

Deadeaters (Akilueteer, vampires) were originally by-products of the First Elder’s feeding, humans infected by a drop of his blood or saliva while he was feeding on them. They die and then rise up as living dead, animals who can’t control their thirst, and become violent at the sight or smell of blood. They have all the flaws of traditional vampires.

Mamaels is the name Bloodeaters use for humans.

Sarniikzis (make restitution) are steel crates most Bloodeaters use as humans use beds. Sarniikzis have healing effects and they lessen the time the body needs for resting.

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Chapter 1

In the feeble glow of a street lamp, a moving silhouette cast a shadow on a brick wall. Three more followed. With their low stances and unsheathed swords, as they stealthily advanced alongside the alley, they looked like hunters after their prey.

A few seconds later, the same streetlight drew more shadows on the wall, this time with wiry frames and hunched shoulders.

Up above the street, three people stood at the edge of a flat roof, binoculars in their hands.

Mamaels, the smallest and the thinnest of the three, Anael, a woman with snow-white hair, spat out. They are such amateurs.

Uriel, a man with black shoulder-length hair, a tall body, and a lanky build, lowered the binoculars and collapsed them. He slid them into the inside pocket of his long, black coat before he glanced at Anael. He agreed with her. Only amateurs would allow their prey to get the better of them.

Vampire hunters, they call themselves, Michael, Anael’s brother, said, mimicking Uriel’s gestures as he stored his binoculars in the pocket of his jacket. But I think Akilueteers are just out here for a midnight snack.

A small smile flashed on Uriel’s face. His white-haired, blue-eyed companions disliked Mamaels while he had a soft spot for them; maybe because once upon a time, his mother had been one. And Tina, too. At the thought of the brunette girl, he could feel a sharp pang of sorrow, but no regret lingered there. She had never been his to love.

He focused back on the alley beneath him. On the Mamaels. They were such fragile creatures and in a constant race against time. Yes, Uriel liked them. But they were not here for Mamaels or Akilueteers. His younger brother, the technical genius who made the transparent shields which they used to conceal their presence, would say they had bigger fish to fry. The Shadows. Dark blobs of energy that could suck the life force out of you and which preyed not on Mamaels — not nutritious enough for them — but on all Lueeshareteers, Bloodeaters. And since Akilueteers lacked the technology of shields, they were the Shadows’ main target.

Suddenly, the hair on the back of Uriel’s neck stood up and chills washed over his skin. He lifted his gaze and saw the darkness; it veiled the moonlight, then shot down.

Shadows. They passed Uriel on their way down and into the building the Mamaels and the creatures following them had disappeared into.

Uriel jumped down, landing elegantly on the pavement with his knees bent and one of his hands on the dirty ground. He wiped it on his coat before striding towards the door and through it.

He saw the stairway of what appeared to be an old abandoned office building, its walls covered with graffiti and smelling of ammonia, tart and sharp.

Screams drifted up from below, and Uriel strode across the hall and, over the rail, slid down a set of stairs that led into a dark basement with rows of half-demolished shelves.

He could hear Anael and Michael right behind him as he hurried towards the source of the noise.

Beams of light came from the opposite direction, rushing, stumbling over overturned shelves and scattered papers and registers.

Mamaels; Uriel knew even before they tottered past him, not seeing him or feeling him in their haste. Hunters, indeed. Or was it that he and his company were so good at staying unnoticed?

He focused ahead. There they were, four Shadows where the shelves ended, circling the group of Akilueteers. One of the Shadows pounced on them, wrapping itself around one of the creatures, who started to kick and wave his arms as his high-pitched screams filled the room.

The Shadows withdrew and bones rattled to the ground where they turned into dust.

Uriel took the octagonal pendant that hung on a chain around his neck and put it over his mouth. Small plates shifted from it and spread until they covered his lower face. It was another one of his younger brother’s inventions.

His companions reached him.

From the sheath tied across his back, Uriel drew out his katana and charged. His blade sliced through the black fog and then pierced its solid core.A cry pierced his eardrums and the black fog shrank into a small ball and its broken shell-like pieces fell to the debris-covered ground.

Michael jumped past him; the S-shaped sword in his hand slashing through the air and the Shadow.

A new cry echoed off the walls and another crushed core ended up on the floor.

One of the remaining two Shadows attacked them, its threads reaching for their faces.

Uriel slashed them off. The Shadows couldn’t hurt them, not while they were wearing masks and suits, impenetrable to the Shadows’ acid touch.

New tentacles shot at Uriel.

He sidestepped and cut them off.

The tendrils floated down like ribbons, disappearing before they reached the floor.

From the corner of his eye, Uriel detected Anael on his right side, holding Akilueteers trapped against the wall, Michael close beside her.

Michael pointed his sword in the direction of a Shadow that, pressed against the ceiling, slid over them in what seemed like an attempt to escape.

Uriel nodded, understanding that Michael was claiming his prey, and slashed off another claw of dark ribbons that threatened him. He jumped forward, his blade aiming at the centre of the Shadow.

The Shadow moved backwards like an octopus, evading Uriel’s sword.

Uriel imagined himself under the Shadow. He crossed the blackness like a train through a tunnel and found himself at the place below the dark blob. He thrust his sword up and the blade crushed the Shadow’s core.

The Shadow cried out before it folded into itself.

Another cry followed, this time from behind Uriel.

In the silence that came after, Uriel heard growling and sobbing. He was aware that the growling came from Akilueteers, but where was the sobbing coming from? His eyes met Michael’s before he looked around, searching among the ruins for the source of the sobbing.

What shall we do with the Akilueteers? Anael asked. They were not going to release them, but then, they never did, so Anael’s question meant ‘Can I snack on them now or will we bring them to go?’

Whatever you want, Uriel said.

He noticed movement at the pile of papers in the corner. He sheathed his sword before he stepped closer and examined the trembling mass.

A Mamael; a boy.

He squatted down and his eyes slid over the boy’s curled body. Through the rips in the boy’s jacket and pants he could see shallow wounds, none of them life-threatening, but the horror that shook the boy’s body and wet his pants must have rendered him immobile.

A hiss that became a whimper, then a sigh, told Uriel about the feeding going on behind his back. He stood up, giving a last glance to the boy who was going to be just fine before he joined Anael and Michael. They had already turned all but one Akilueteer into dust.

Here. Anael pushed the last Akilueteer in his direction.

Thank you. "Uriel caught the creature with one arm. With his free hand, he deactivated his mask, causing it to fold into a pendant, which then fell against his collarbone. He wound his arms around the creature, pressing its back against his chest. Holding it tightly and ignoring its thrashing, he bent its neck. As his fangs dropped down, he noticed the grey skin was soiled with dust, and for a second his face distorted in distaste. But this was about blood, thick and rich with an earthy taste that slid down his throat and made his body sing with appreciation, not like a Mamaels’ greasy blood that rarely satisfied.

He bit into the skin over the pulsing vein in the neck, his teeth penetrating it, and a coppery taste spilled into his mouth. He closed his eyes and his body relaxed. There were more Akilueteers around, he could feel their presence in the back of his mind, but they were too weak and too disorganised to pose any real danger.

We are going to look around, Michael said.

Uriel nodded. Despite their main mission being to obliterate Shadows, leaving behind an Akilueteer nest would be sloppy. Uriel was a lot of things, but sloppy wasn’t one of them.

The distant sound of crunching reached his ears. His eyes opened and though he couldn’t see anybody in the darkness, he knew that somebody was at the entrance of the room.

The body against Uriel started first to solidify and then to crumble to the ground. He swept the dust away from his coat and then moved against the wall. When he noticed the niches cut into it, he slid into one of them.

Footsteps drew near, hesitantly, slowly, as if listening to surrounding sounds, searching for danger, a beam of light gliding over the wreckage. The silhouette sneaked to the end of the room.

He had courage, Uriel thought; then he noticed the curves. She had courage, he corrected himself. He activated his mask again, just in case, there were more Shadows outside.

The sobbing became louder.

The girl rushed to the boy, the light from the flashlight skimming over the boy’s body and her hand touched the boy’s limbs, most likely looking for injuries.

Incomprehensible words tumbled out of the boy’s mouth and his fingers raked over the girl’s arms. It looked like he wanted to climb over her.

Get a hold of yourself. She slapped him.

Jen, the boy bawled as his hand flew to his cheek.

Shut up and get up. The girl hooked her arms under the boy’s armpits and tugged him up, then hauled him towards the stairway.

Uriel’s ears caught a few murmured curses and his lips widened into a small smile. Strolling back into the building, as she had, was foolish and dangerous. If not for their presence, it would have cost her her fragile, short life. But he couldn’t help but value the loyalty and friendship that had compelled her to return for her terror-stricken friend.

He sensed his companions’ presence, and he joined them.

All clear, Michael reported.

Uriel nodded.

What are we going to do with the Mamaels? Anael asked, her gaze on the light dancing up the stairs.

The same as always. Nothing. From the pocket of his coat, Uriel took out a packet of wet wipes, tore it open, and gave it to Anael. You have blood on your forehead.

Anael wiped her face and gave the dirty tissue back to Uriel.

Uriel pocketed it, sighing. He wished Anael would be less brutal with her knives, or at least more careful, so the blood wouldn’t spray all over her clothes. Mamaels had a few good stain-removers, but Uriel was fed up with doing laundry after every mission.

What? Anael touched her face. Do I still have blood on?

No. Come on, he said before he used space distortion to disappear and reappear a distance away.

With Michael and Anael right behind him, he continued to use it to pass the two Mamaels unnoticed.

When they arrived at the entrance to the building, the raised sword of the Mamael, a member of the Vampire Hunters’ group, awaited them.

Uriel pulled out his katana and blocked the blows with ease. A short diagonal stroke of his blade and a flip of his wrist.

The opponent’s sword clattered to the floor.

With a sweep of the blunt side of his sword against the man’s leg, Uriel toppled the man to the ground.

Anael took care of the other one. She twisted his arm high against his back, forcing him to slump down to his knees.

A wooden stake rattled against the pavement.

Anael started to laugh. This is supposed to stop us?

Anael, Uriel said and tilted his chin up, in the direction of the roof.

Anael shoved her fingers into the man’s neck and his body became pliant. She let him fall to the ground and then vanished from sight.

Michael followed.

Uriel looked down at the man before him who, half-lying on his back, crawled away from him. He looked young, young like Uriel’s brother Haniel, not a teenager anymore, but not an adult yet.

Uriel stepped closer and pointed his blade at the man’s neck, hoping that the boy would remember the fear displayed in his eyes as he stared at the sharp blade. They could lose their lives so easily, why were they so careless in protecting them? Stop involving yourself in things that are of no concern to you.

The boy swallowed.

A thud sounded from behind Uriel.

Uriel didn’t need to look backwards to see the girl at the entrance of the building, her friend lying at her feet. He could see that clearly enough in the steel of his blade.

Don’t you dare harm him.

What are you going to do? A smile flashed on his face, hidden under the mask, before he replaced it with a lift of his eyebrows as he watched the girl start to sprint towards him, the sword in her hand lifted high, a war cry on her lips.

Jen, don’t! the boy before Uriel yelled.

Uriel sidestepped at the last second, kicking the boy out of the way before the girl’s brandished sword could cut him. He sheathed his katana.

She wheeled around, thrusting the sword at his belly.

He caught the blade with his hand and pulled it forwards, past his hip, giving her two options: to step closer or to release the sword. The blood dripping from the cut on his palm dampened the sleeve of his T-shirt. He had forgotten to put on his gloves again.

She stepped closer.

He heard a swish. He grabbed the girl’s collar and moved her aside.

A knife plunged into the ground.

Anael should know better, Uriel thought, looking up and shaking his head in disapproval.

Let go of me. The girl kicked him.

Listen to me, he hissed through the mask as he pulled her closer until their noses almost touched. Green eyes, determined and stubborn, glared at him. He inwardly smiled, but on the outside, his gaze burned into her. Jen, was it?

She pinched her lips, her scowl deepening.

Yes, she had courage; too much of it. I could snap your neck. It would be so easy.

She swallowed hard.

He towered over her, delighting in the way she froze. She should be afraid, very afraid. I might next time, so you better make sure that our paths don’t cross again. Stop chasing Aki – vampires. Akilueteers, Deadeaters, vampires; those things had too many names. His gaze slid over the pale face of the boy who lay on the ground as if numb, staring at him with his wide eyes and jaw slack. I mean all of you; you are no match for them.

He shoved her away, hard enough to make her stumble, but not enough to make her fall.

He pressed the sole of his boot onto Anael’s knife, fixed into the pavement, and looked up at the rooftop, imagining himself there beside Anael and Michael.

Blackness embraced him for a short second and then he stood on the roof, looking down on the group of Mamaels, his coat flapping in the light breeze.

Stop wasting your weapons, he said to Anael as he stepped off the knife, which was now sticking out of the cement.

She made a pout.

He pressed the symbol on his mask and it shrank back into the pendant which fell against his chest. Then he turned on his heel and strode towards the three bikes standing in the middle of the roof, clenching his fingers, testing the almost healed wound. Let’s go.

Chapter 2

Can’t you pinpoint the location more accurately? Uriel asked his brother, Haniel, over the connection he had established through the tablet resting on his knees. He lay propped against the fluffy pillows of a soft double bed in a private bed-and-breakfast near Regent’s Park in London. They could have checked into one of the bigger and more lavish hotels, but Uriel preferred the quiet and the domestic feel of smaller inns. They could also have used the London house of either the Damned or the Lost, but for that, they would have had to go through procedures, and Uriel didn’t care enough to bother, even though it would have been nice to have Sarniikzi, a steel crate with healing abilities Bloodeaters used for resting, at their disposal.

There’s too much interference, Haniel replied. He looked like a younger version of Uriel, with long black hair that was tied in a ponytail.

Uriel looked at the map of London displayed on the tablet and sent the coordinates Haniel gave him to Michael. London was a big city and Shadows were hard to detect, which was why they searched for Akilueteers’ nests, hoping that Shadows would appear, lured to the nests by their hunger. They also relied heavily on the rumours circling around in the Akilueteers’ underworld, which Anael and Michael obtained mostly through threats and torture. Isn’t there anything you can do?

I’ll try, but don’t count on it. You’ll just have to do it the old-fashioned way. I’m sure Anael will manage to dig up something, Haniel said before he mumbled to somebody close beside him.

Uriel assumed that Haniel had covered the microphone or lowered the volume since he couldn’t distinguish the words.

Hey, a woman’s voice replaced Haniel’s on the other side. A voice Uriel knew very well and which still managed to stir a feeling of yearning inside him.

Uriel clicked on the connection window and a female face appeared on the display. She had a gentle smile on her oval face framed with brown hair.

A sad smile graced his lips, and regret, just for a short second, crossed his mind before he pushed it out of his head; there was no place for it there. He returned Tina’s greeting. He could have contacted Haniel via the mental connection he shared with both of his brothers, but... in a way, he had been looking forward to the chance he might hear her voice and see her face. And yet, she was one of the reasons he had left to enjoy his newfound freedom.

How are you? she asked.

I’m well.

I miss you. When are you coming home?

Not anytime soon, I’m afraid.

She sighed and rubbed her temples, probably pondering whether she should try to convince him to return. She had been holding back for three months now; he hadn’t expected that and he could appreciate her restraint.

And you? How are you? he asked.

Fine.

And the others? He thought of his — What was Damon to him? He was the father of his brothers and Tina’s Beloved, but there were no blood ties between them.

They are fine too, Tina said.

The little one?

She is being a handful, like always. Tina became more cheerful as she started to tell Uriel of Nuriel, the latest addition to their family, and her mischief-making.

A smile curled his lips upward, this time not a sad one. Since the moment he had met her, her voice had a calming effect on him. He couldn’t explain why, but it was probably one of the