Red Moon Rising(2)

The second figure knelt beside him. He was blonde and blue eyed, and almost as big as the redhead. Even with only one eye working properly, she could see the horror and disgust on his face.

“Gods be damned James. What happened to her?”

The redhead grunted. “I don’t know Nicky.”

He leaned further over her. “What’s your name girl?”

She ignored his question and, with the last of her strength, reached up and brushed his face with her bloody fingers. “Tia. Please help her – “

Vicious pain shot through her chest and she screamed hoarsely. Darkness crept across her vision and the last thing she saw before it overtook her, was the redhead reaching for her.

* * *



The thumping in her head was loud and irritating. With her eyes closed, she reached up and massaged at her temple. It didn’t help. The thumping continued - a solid, constant beat that demanded her attention.

She wanted to ignore it. Her side hurt and her head hurt and she was exhausted. She wanted to drift back into sleep but the thumping wouldn’t allow it. She frowned. Her bed was moving. Only a little but it was definitely moving.

She forced her eyelids up, and her mouth dropped open with surprise. Her bed wasn’t a bed at all but a human being. She was sprawled across the body of a man twice her size. Moving carefully, she lifted her head from his chest. The thumping stopped, and she realized that it was the solid beat of his heart she had been hearing.

Not daring to move anything but her head, she looked around. She was in a tent; cold sunlight was filtering through its walls and although she could see her breath, she wasn’t the least bit chilled. The man beneath her radiated heat. It surrounded her entire body and –

She realized with sudden horror that she was completely naked and the gods help her – so was the man underneath her. She froze, her pulse thudding and her eyes widening as she stared at the man’s broad chest. It was covered in a layer of reddish-brown hair and despite the cold weather, he was deeply tanned. His chest was rising and falling evenly, and she risked a glance at his face. He was sleeping soundly, and she studied his face carefully. He had a broad nose and wide cheekbones, and freckles covered his tanned cheeks.

He looked to be around her age and he was a handsome man, she decided. He was also huge. Her small frame fit neatly on top of him with room to spare. He would be at least a foot and a half taller than her, her feet barely reached his knees. If she –

For the gods sake – what are you doing? In case you’ve forgotten, the man is very naked and very much a stranger. Get your naked self off of him and get out of his tent before he wakes.

She decided that was excellent advice. Moving slowly, she slithered off his body onto the blanket beside him. He snorted, his hands twitching by his sides, but didn’t wake. She almost screamed out loud when a cold nose poked into her back. She twisted her head, flinching at the pain in her face, and stared into the face of the small dog.

“Tia!” She breathed softly and the dog licked her face, her entire body wiggling.

“Hush Tia.” She said quietly. She started to slide out from under the blankets that covered them and then paused, reaching for the edge of it.

What are you doing? Have you gone mad? What do you think he’ll do if he catches you staring at his naked body? Her mind moaned at her.

She ignored the voice and lifted the blanket a little. In all of her nineteen years she had never once seen what was between a man’s legs, and curiosity was winning out over her fear. She lifted the blanket higher, squinting to see in the dim light below it. Before she could fully see what was between his legs, he muttered thickly and turned away from her. She stared at his naked back and ass for a moment before scooting out gingerly from under the blankets. Away from the heat of his body, the cool air brought goose bumps to her skin and she began to shiver. Her clothes were nowhere to be seen but his were piled neatly on the ground, and she picked out his shirt and slipped into it. The material was cold but soft and fell past her knees. Tia scratched at her legs and she reached down and petted the small dog, wincing at the pain in her side.

She frowned. Lying in the redhead’s bed she had felt tired but there had been only a dull ache in her side and her face. Now, sharp pain was radiating from her side into her back, and her face was throbbing dully. She touched her face gingerly, noticing for the first time that she could see out of both eyes. The one that had been puffed shut was tender and sore, but not swollen the way it had been before. She pressed her tongue against her front teeth. They didn’t move and she frowned a little. They had been loose last night. She was sure of it.