Jace and Luna sat laughing at the TV watching a low budget cheesy comedy Swedish film, that Jace had rented months ago and never rented and Luna was starting to see why. Both of them stopped, when both of their cells went off at the same time.
"It's Ash, he wants us to come out to the soccer game at the high school." Jace read the text aloud.
"I can't. I have already been away from home for two days and there's always an after party for the games whether we win or not and that'll leave me 3 or 4 days away from home to recover from the hangover." Luna told him.
"Oh, come on, Kai!" Jace barked getting up. "Live a little. Stop trying to be the good girl that occasionally does something bad. You've only got a few more days here before you go back to the States and you're friends miss you like the wind." Luna frowned.
"Alright." She gave in. "Then I really have to go home." she told him.
"Deal." They shook on it and headed out to the game.
Just like Luna had said after the soccer game and her school losing there was a big party and the soccer captain's house, where there was tons of alcohol. Luna, Sid, Jace, Henrik and Ash got plastered to the wall, stumbling home singing songs in slurred Swedish then falling out all over Jace's living room. Luna and them spent the whole rest of the next day hungover and the next morning and afternoon laying lazily about the house. Luna was laying across the boy's laps as they watched more movies when her pocket buzzed, pulling out she had a text from Eric. It was a simple Where? and nothing more than that. But she caught the meaning. Getting up and pulling her shoes on, she told her friends that her parents wanted her home A-SAP for some reason and had to go. They blow kisses and waved at her like dummies as she headed the door.
Checking the time, it was 6.46pm, Luna caught a bus too the historical part of town and wondered into one of the 24 hour museums in the area. Sitting on a bench in front of an exhibit, Luna answered his text with where she was. Then she waited for whatever was going to happen next. She hadn't answered his calls from four days ago, still hadn't listened to his voice mail and ditched her babysitting stalker Vampire, Elander. He was bound to be pissed at her when they talked again and when she returned to Shreveport. But luckily she had another 10 days before she saw him in person again and he'd hopefully be calmed down by then.
"Luna." A voice called from behind her. Luna turned around and almost passed out.
"Eric, when did you get into Stockholm?" she asked, her heart pounding as he sat next to her, looking up at the exhibit with a smile.
"Impressive, isn't it?" he asked, motioning to the exhibit. It was a Viking ship that took up the whole length of the museum. "A great piece of craftsmanship for the time period. Could sail easily over water and cut through ice like a hot knife through butter." Luna smiled, seeing the pride in Eric's blue eyes as he looked over the ship. "Looks like the real one too." he added.
"Is not real?" Luna frowned, turning to look at the ship herself.
"No." Eric shook his head. "The sides weren't ever that straight, they were more round and the front beams were pointed with a metal cover to protect the wood as we landed on beaches and what not, along with cutting through ice sheets in the water." He explained to her.
"You didn't answer my question from earlier, Eric." Luna said turning back on topic. "When did you get to Sweden?"
Eric sighed, "Yesterday morning." he answered. "Elander, another Vampire, Lucas and Elander's human underling, Tristan have been looking for you ever since you ditched Elander at the mall. Since they couldn't find you and you weren't answering my calls, I decided to come and find you myself." Anger was starting to flare in his eyes, now. "Where have you been, Luna?" he asked.
"With my friends." Luna answered. "We were heading to CSP after ditching Elander, but got in trouble on the way there and had to hide until almost sun up. After that I crashed at Jace's, slept through that day next night, then we went to a soccer game. You know how those are last all day, after the game there was a party, got hungover spent all yesterday sleeping that off and spent most of today laying around with the crew." she spilled it to him.
"You got drunk." Eric looked at her, his face in a stern expression.
"It's not illegal in Sweden for someone my age to drink, Eric. You know that." she said, crossing her arms.
"Still Luna. It's not mature." Eric told her, sliding her a bit closer to him.
"Eric, I'm 17. Mature is a floating word in my dictionary." Luna smiled, resting against his muscular arm. Eric chuckled wrapping his arm around her and kissing the top of her head. "Have you missed me?" Luna asked, laying her head on his shoulder.
"Do you even have to ask?" Eric retorted looking down at her. Luna smiled up at him, nodding. "I missed you incredibly." he told her. "More than anything can say." Luna grinned, snuggling against his side, feeling him wash how much he missed her through their bond. She gave back hers in return. "Let's walk around for a bit, then I'll take you to Cold Stone's. Sound good?" he asked kissing the top of her head again.
"Yeah." Luna nodded, letting Eric pull her up.
They walked around the museum, checking out the exhibits in the three floor building. Luna hopped down the hall in front of Eric, looking at the display of drawings and information cards and plaques on Old Swedish history from medieval times, Viking era and sooner. Luna stopped in front of one of the displays.
"Look, Eric." she called, waving the Viking over to her. Eric wandered over to the display and stood next to Luna. "It's a drawing of the Protection Talisman you gave me." she said, pulling the necklace out from under her shirt and comparing it to the drawing the Museum had. It looked sorta identical, except for a few of the markings. "Can't they get anything right?" Luna asked, looking up at Eric unimpressed, making him laugh lightly.
"You can't expect them too, when they weren't there, Luna. They only have stories and theories to go on." he told her, tucking the Talisman back into her her shirt.
"You think they'd have at least one Vampire on staff that was there to at least edit them." Luna rolled her eyes and moving on.
"What makes you think they don't?" Eric asked, following her.
"Then the Vampire is an idiot." Luna through over her shoulder. Eric roared with laughed at that, realizing that she was indeed picking up parts of his personality in things.
Finishing the walk around the museum, the pair took Eric's rental car to a Cold Stone ice cream shop and waited in line for Luna to get her favorite ice cream, Chocolate fudge with peanut butter chucks. Getting her Ice cream, her and Eric sat down at one of the tables inside so she could eat.
"So, is this to butter me up before you chew me out for defying you?" Luna asked around a spoonful of Ice Cream.
"No, I can't be mad at you for being your age." Eric said watching her eat, it was one of his bizarre fetishes. "But do tell me why you and your friends had to hide for a large part of that night."
"I'd rather not." Luna said, pressing her thumb to the top of her mouth to soothe an on coming Brain freeze.
"Luna." Eric demanded in a soft voice.
"On the way to the park we set off a few car alarms, Sid and Jace threatened some people and the cops were called on us and we ran. As you can see what happens when you jump a fence with Razor wire." she told him showing him the cuts on her arms and legs. Eric grabbed one of her arms, wiped his thumb over one of the cuts and smelled it.
"A few of those are getting infected." he said, wiping his thumb on a napkin. "I'll have to heal those before they get too bad." Luna nodded finishing her Ice Cream.
"Can we go on a walk?" Luna asked. "There's a little city park across the street." she chewed on her lip, hoping he'd say yes. Sensing it in her, even without the bond. So he smiled and nodded.
Tossing her trash away, Luna and Eric crossed the street in to the dim park. Sure that the park was empty, Luna jumped into Eric's arms and kissed him on the lips. Eric smiled holding her against him. They melted into the kiss for a while, before breaking it. They walked hand and hand down the little worn cobble stone path enjoying each others company again. Eric pulled Luna aside to a little park bench near a small pond where the ducks quaked, paddling their way through the water.
"Here," Eric said opening a wound on his wrist and holding it out to her. Luna latched onto the bleeding body part and gulped down the delicious 1,000 year old blood with pleasure and happiness. He became turned on, feeling their bond refresh itself. He growled deep in his chest, his fangs still out. Luna stopped drinking, licking the blood from her lips and watching the cut on his wrist heal instantly. She leaned over, touching her tongue carefully to his fangs and nibbling at his bottom lip.
"Luna?" Someone's unbelieving voice called from not far up the path.
Snapping around Luna saw Jace standing there, his face full of shock at what he just witnessed. "Jace, what are you doing here?" Luna asked standing up.
"I came to get Leigh some Ice cream. What the hell are you doing drinking from a fanger?" Jace asked back, becoming agitated.
"It's not what you think, Jace." Luna tried, but it was too late. Eric had Jace by the throat and off the ground, fangs baring at the Teen boy.
"Eric, please don't hurt him." Luna begged the Viking. "He won't do anything, I swear. Just put him down. Oh god, Please, Eric."
"So, this is your 'friend'." Jace choked. "A fanger. He the one you lost it to, too?"
"Jace, that's none of your business." Luna barked. "Eric, for the love of Mike, put him down."
"I can't let him go, Luna. He knows to much." Eric told her, looking back at her. "I have to glamor him."
"What!" Luna snapped. "No!"
"Luna, I have too. If I don't he will tell everyone that you're with me. It's either that or kill him and I'd rather not kill him." Eric told her in a firm voice.
"No, Eric. You can't do either. Jace won't tell anyone, will you?" she said looking at Jace with the death glare.
"No, no. I won't, I swear." Jace choked more, his lips turning purple.
"We can't chance, Luna." Eric said looking Jace in the eyes and taking influence over him. "Jace, you are perfectly fine..."
"Eric, stop!" Luna cried.
"Shush." Eric barked at her. "Jace, I'm not going to hurt you, understand? Nod. Good. You're going to continue on to get Leigh her Ice cream and forget this ever happened. Okay?" Eric glamored the boy.
"Okay." Jace nodded, a blank stare in his eyes.
"Very good. You can go now." Eric said dismissing him. Jace walked like a Zombie, passed Luna and headed for Cold Stones.
"How could you do that?" Luna snarled at Eric, her face and eyes wet with tears. "He wouldn't have said a thing to anyone about it and you just totally disregard that and do it anyway."
"Luna, you don't know if he would have told or not and we couldn't take that chance. Not yet anyway." Eric said softly, reaching out to cup her cheek. But Luna stepped back, slapping his hand away.
"Don't touch me." she barked.
Eric sighed, "Luna, please understand." he said tenderly. "Just come back with me and I'll make it up to you."
"No, I'm not going anywhere with you, Eric. I want you too leave me alone. I mean that, leave me alone. Don't call me, text me or anything." she growled, turning around and walking away from him.
"Luna, come back. It's starting to snow." Eric called after her. "At least let me take you home." He rolled his eyes shut as she flipped him the middle finger. "She'll come back. Eventually my blood will bring her back to me. If she, herself, didn't first." he assured himself, going back to his rental. He sat in the rental for a few moments, watching Jace inside, before returning to his hotel suite.