Waning Moon Read Free

shakily, “Y-yeah. I get it. Will you please get off me now?”
    The vampire was eerily quiet and pressed his body against Tony, crushed his lips eagerly against his. The were-panther could only focus on how indescribably cold he was, how he smelled like a freshly turned grave, death and wet soil. He tried to break away but Gabriel shoved a hand onto the back of his head and leaned into him more. He deepened the kiss, and then when Tony thought he was going to suffocate, stopped kissing him, and drew back slightly.
    Tony’s whole body felt as if he were aflame as Gabriel stared at him with such a burning intensity that he thought he was staring into an infinite well of desire.
    “W-w-what was that for? I’m not your boyfriend! I’m not even gay! We just met! And you can stop whatever the hell you’ve been doing! It’s too fucking weird!” Tony exclaimed irritably.
    “You don’t understand,” Gabriel began in a low voice. “I have marked you as mine. You belong to me now, Tony. Me and me alone.”
    Tony asked in consternation, “Marked? What do you mean by marked?”
    Gabriel sighed heavily. “I partook of your blood. While I was drinking, I also marked you as mine. The scars on your neck are proof of that. Although you are a were-panther and all your wounds can heal, this is one that cannot. It’s my claim on you.”
    “So let me get this straight. I’m like, bound to you now or something?”
    Gabriel’s spill of ebony hair surrounded Tony’s face like a waterfall. “Yes, you are my servant,” he paused and then uttered huskily, “and my pet, little panther.”
    Tony was silent. Marked? His? What the hell! How did he get into such a complicated situation? A vampire’s pet? Him?
    His seemingly horrible day just leapt to a whole new level of crazy.
    Shit.

Chapter 2
    In one swift motion, Tony had gotten off the bed, sprang to his feet, and darted for the door. As he turned the knob and pushed it ajar, his face drained of color as Gabriel stood facing him.
    “How did you…What the fuck? How did you get on the other side?” Tony asked.
    Gabriel didn’t answer but instead took hold of Tony’s arms, twisted them behind his back, and breathed coolly into his ear. “Some vampires can walk through walls. I happen to be one of them.”
    The were-panther swallowed hard and said, “I just…I can’t believe this! You saved me and now you’re saying I belong to you? What kind of logic is that? I’m a human…” His voice trailed off. “I’m a were-panther and I deserve respect!”
    Gabriel shoved Tony roughly against the wall and leered. “Deny it all you want; it won’t do you any good. You’re my possession now and that’s that. You can’t escape. You can’t run. I will always know where you are. And do were-panthers really have this ‘respect’ you prattle on about so well in this day and age? Look at your wrist and your driver’s license. You have a difficult time finding a job that’ll keep you. And why? Because you’re a were-beast and risk the spread of the infection. People fear people like you and I. It’s the way this horrid and ark world works.”
    Tony swallowed hard and bit his lower lip. “I know people see me as less than human…but that’s because I am. I’m a monster, a fucking freak, so it’s only natural that I get those wary glances and hated looks once in a while. After all, I’m not human, not anymore. I run the risk of infecting someone else with this goddamn virus, so it’s only natural that normal people would stay away from me.”
    Gabriel snarled. “Is that the best explanation you can come up with? If so, that was poor, very poor, on your part. I don’t care if you run the potential risk of infecting someone else. You’re still the same person you were before you contracted the virus, and you’re still just as human. Look at me. I’m a vampire but I work at a Hospital as a doctor. Sure, I can only have night shifts, and sure, I can deal with the cruel