A Moonlit Night - The Complete Saga Read Online Free

in the world, watching
over our territory with bloodthirsty vigilance.”
    “Humans that drink the blood of vampires are
given increased strength and resilience,” Xander continued. “There
have been many important ghouls throughout history, bending
countries to their will… to our will. They do not age, in fact,
some ghouls have lived longer than I.”
    “What about werewolves?” Emily asked, sitting
forward with eyes wide open. “What other creatures stalk the
night.”
    “It’s best if we speak on other things, more
important things,” Xander said. “I hate to be the one to tell you,
but there’s something coming… something very dangerous and looking
for you.”
    “Oh, c’mon, you can’t leave me hanging,”
pouted Emily, completely glossing over the harrowing warning she
had been given. Her eyes had awoken to a new world around her; a
world she always wished would exist. Eternal love, that was the
draw, but it extended much deeper than that. The myths not only
spoke to her, they made her understand a little bit more of herself
through their lessons. “What about vampires? Is it like the movies?
What kind of cool abilities do you have? I bet you’ve got a lot.
What happens if you eat garlic? Can I take your picture? If I can
take said picture… would it should up if I uploaded onto a social
media website?”
    “Whoa,” Xander said with hands raised in
surrender. “Let me collect all that information… okay, let’s see.
It’s not like the movies. We can’t heal from broken necks or a
knife to the heart, but whatever doesn’t kill us outright will
eventually heal, as long as blood stirs within us. We’re not gods,
though there are others that would disagree. I hate to admit it,
Emily, but we’re monsters and we do go bump in the night.
This isn’t the glamorous realization you so readily believe it to
be.”
    “You make it sound so morbid,” Emily said.
“Why even become a vampire, at all?”
    “One reason to trump all others,” Xander
replied. “A shot at eternal life… and life is always
favorable to death , under the right conditions.”
    “What about mages?” Emily asked. “Do they
exist, too?”
    “Yes, but quite what you’ve grown accustomed
to,” Xander answered. “Anyone with patience can learn the forbidden
arts with proper teaching. It’s more than learning incantations and
deciding which reagents to use… it’s about tapping into a higher
level of spiritual enlightenment, more akin to the monks in Tibet
than the hocus pocus you’ve seen on television.”
    “Forbidden arts?” Emily asked. “You said they
were forbidden… who could forbid such a thing?”
    “The Council of Elders outlawed it a hundred
and fifty years ago,” Xander said. “Witches, warlocks, mages and
wizards, they were all different names for the same thing—
dangerous. The vampire council sent all those with knowledge of
magic to the brink of extinction. Governments rallied against them
and they were utterly destroyed, burned at the stake or driven
underwater. Some were allowed to live, and they remain to this day,
under the watchful eye of the elders that culled them.”
    “Oh,” said Emily with a look a shock, “I
guess that I didn’t want to know so much as I thought I
did.”
    Xander walked to the window and peered out
into the night sky. As he looked upon the stars, he said, “I have
been watching you for several days now.”
    “What do you mean?” Emily asked. “Earlier,
you mentioned that I was still in danger. I’ve been patient, but I
think I deserve some answers now.”
    “I believe those ghouls have been tracking
you down,” said Xander, his eyes scanning through the trees. “For
what reason, I don’t know. I picked up their scent and didn’t want
to leave until I made sure they knew you were not fair
game.”
    “This is all so much to take in,” said Emily,
flopping onto the couch. “I’m supposed to be leaving for college in
a few days, and now you’re telling