Alex let out the breath she didn’t know she’d been holding and shut and locked the window. She felt silly when she let out a little scream when the kettle whistled. She admonished herself and went to pour the water on the tea bag in her favorite mug. It was the mug she’d gotten at the ski lodge where she’d first met Tim. She settled on the couch with her cup of tea and watched an old movie, something with Audrey Hepburn. Before she knew it, Tim was kissing her on the cheek to wake her up. His hair was still wet from washing it. That full moon was over. Alex wrapped her arms around Tim’s neck and breathed in his scent, musk mixed with fresh soap.
The next full moon was on Halloween. Alex was actually looking forward to it because people would be out and about, and the neighborhood would be well-lit. The moon would provide extra light for the revelers. She always looked forward to seeing the kids in their costumes, too. Truth be told, Halloween was Alex’s favorite holiday as a child. She remembered her favorite costumes as a little girclass="underline" a robot when she was eight, complete with a large-pad calculator on her chest, and a sorceress when she was 10 (she thought that was particularly creative at the time). Alex had already bought candy weeks in advance, and she tucked a Reese's cup now in Tim’s pocket as he walked by.
“I’m thinking more like rabbit tonight, hon, but thanks,” he grinned, showing his white teeth.
“Oh, you’re so clever,” she admonished him, and faked a pout. It had taken a while to get used to the idea of her husband’s “hunting,” but then she thought, it wasn’t really that different than the husbands who went out with their Winchesters and Brownings. Just a little more visceral. She tried not to think about it.
Tim left the room to gather some last minute supplies, then was back in the kitchen with Alex. “Happy Halloween,” said Alex brightly.
“Mmmm,” Tim pursed his lips. “Boo!”
“You don’t scare me,” Alex said.
“Well, would you like tricks or treats when I get home,” Tim sidled up next to Alex.
“Oh, definitely treats,” she said, her voice lower.
“See you then.” With that Tim was out the door and Alex continued her Hallow’s Eve preparations. She lit the candle in the jackolantern outside, even though it wasn’t quite dusk, and flipped on the porch light. Alex had time to make herself a cup of tea before the first trick-or-treaters arrived.
There were a lot of vampires, Alex thought due to the popularity of the Twilight series and those that followed it, and also possibly because of the same, a lot of werewolves. She herself was firmly in the Team Jacob camp. So what if she was biased? Everytime she saw a werewolf that night, though, she couldn’t help but stifle a laugh. If only their parents knew, she thought. Then, it was a good thing they didn’t. She wondered what Tim was doing right now. Then decided she probably didn’t really want to know.
After the fifth werewolf, Tim was firmly in the front of her mind. A part of her wished she was out running in the woods with him. She used to run cross country in high school, but now subsisted on yoga and pilates, and only did those half-heartedly. Oh, she knew it was more of a curse than a gift to Tim, and he wouldn’t wish it on anyone, but sometimes she wondered about the heightened senses, the increased strength and speed and stamina, but then, there was the fur.
After the last trick-or-treater came and left, Alex blew the candle out in the Jack-o-lantern. She crawled into bed with a book, but was too tired to read. Alex slept peacefully, and when she awoke, Tim was spooning her.
She sighed contentedly and rolled over to face him. Tim opened his eyes. He smiled at her, and his breath smelled fresh.
Alex put a hand over her mouth. “I have morning breath!” she exclaimed behind her hand.
Tim laughed and kissed Alex’s hand. “How was Halloween?” he asked.
“I thought of you all night,” she answered honestly.
Tim smiled again and moved Alex’s hand from in front of her mouth.
He kissed her. Alex was the one smiling now. Every couple had their problems, she thought, but theirs really wasn’t so bad.
HOME INVASION
John J. Smith
Writing under two names John J. Smith and pen name Jonathan Black, the dark side of John, he has won several awards under each name and have been called a “prolific Fiction writer.” He enjoy writing romance and mainstream as John and paranormal and paranormal romance as Jonathan. Several of his novels have been converted or rewritten into screenplays; for which he has also have won several awards as well, but the most importantly, enjoys writing in the various genre. (It's the story that's written that decides who the writer is, not the writer choosing the story.) And, at last, he resides in Plano, a suburb of Dallas, Texas, and can often be found loitering at a Starbucks.
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“Don’t you just love New York during Halloween?” Steliana asked, looking over her cup of coffee to her husband.” She glanced across the patio, watching while people dressed in costumes strolled by. “I love watching the kids.”
“Hmm,” Nicolae moaned, as if the mere thought of a child brought warmth to his heart. “But to be honest, Steliana, I love New York because it’s... New York... And, I love home delivery. They just come to the door bringing delightful entrees.”
Steliana laughed, nearly choking on her after-dinner coffee. “Nicolae, I swear sometimes...” She paused for a moment, and then continued, “But to be honest I do, too. It’s so easy living in this city.” The waitress, a very attractive twenty-something dressed as a vampire, strolled up with a coffee pot. “Can I warm that up for you?” Nicolae smiled and raised his hands like claws and said, “Blah, I want to drink your blood.” Laughing, he then lifted his cup. “Please, and if you don’t mind me saying, you look stunning as a vampire.” The waitress giggled. She loved the older couple and their weekly visits. They were always polite, always with compliments, and they tipped incredibly well. “I take it your after-dinner brandy has gone to your head, Mr. Balitiu?” the waitress said in her usual warm and joking manner. She looked to Steliana and continued, “Has he been watching his P’s and Q’s at home?”
Steliana nodded with a laugh that seemed to come from deep in her chest. “Yes, he’s such a pussycat, and he loves it when we come here, and although I’m quite jealous about it you know, he’s so disappointed when you’re not here. He thinks you are so delicious.”
“That’s very sweet,” the waitress said, then she kissed him on the cheek. “Can I bring you anything else? We have a wonderful chocolate cake.”
“A wheel chair,” Nicolae answered in his normal soft and joking manner. “As always, I ate too much.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, where do you live?”
“Cornerstone Manor, and let me tell you, after this meal those three blocks are going to be horrible.”
“I’ve seen your place,” the waitress said in total awe. “That is the most incredible mansion I’ve ever seen.”
“It’s nice. You should come by sometime, we’d love to show you around,” Steliana replied, “But it’s not home.” She sighed.
“That’s because we lived in a castle in Romania and Steliana just cannot get used to living in a small home.”
Small, the waitress wondered. The house is larger than the apartment building I live in. “I’d love too.”