Waiting

Halloween Howl Free Story from Dreamspinner Press. http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/store/index.php

Waiting | Isabelle Rowan 2

BREATH puffed against his neck. It was barely a whisper, simply a soft flutter of air that could have been ignored or mistaken for a gentle breeze stirring the curtains of his bedroom window, but Daniel knew it wasn’t. When the fine hair of his arms rose as goose bumps spread along his skin, Daniel closed his eyes and whispered, “You’re here, aren’t you?” There was no answer except for the light brush of lips below Daniel’s hairline. Kisses trailed slowly down his spine, lingering briefly over the dusting of freckles between his shoulder blades. Daniel moaned softly and tried to reach back, but as so many times before, his finger met only air. The soft kisses continued their downward path, and a shiver vibrated through Daniel’s body as he exhaled a shaky breath. “When can I see you?” he began to murmur, only to have it cut short when the familiar tongue dipped below the curve of his lower back. His fingers tortured the fine cotton of his sheet and he pleaded, “Tell me, please… when can I see you? When can I touch you?” Daniel woke with a start. His heart raced in rhythm with his shallow breaths while he tried to anchor his disoriented thoughts. The dimly lit room did not house his beloved books or treasured mementos, and his computer did not blink its presence from the chaos of his desk. In its place were sterile pastel “artworks” and a phone that sported too many

Waiting | Isabelle Rowan 3 buttons to be functional. Daniel blinked, and the reality of the hotel room gradually forced its way through the remnants of his dream. It wasn’t welcome. The chill of the air conditioner stung his sweat-beaded skin when Daniel kicked off the crumpled sheet and walked to the window. The glass filled the expanse of the wall with no means to actually open and allow him to fill his lungs with the night air. He looked down at an airport shuttle, spilling passengers arriving from early morning flights, one step closer to their final destinations. Daniel’s palm pressed against the cold glass while his other hand absently caressed his needy flesh. He’d asked the same questions many times in his dreams, never getting an answer, but watching the lights of a plane disappear into the distance he heard a single word: tomorrow.

ANOTHER flight, shorter this time, but Daniel still tried to blame his addled thoughts on jet lag. He glanced around the airport at the faces as if searching for eyes that he’d not yet seen or lips that he’d only felt. Eyes met his for an instant, only to look away to luggage tags and shuffle documents. People generally wore the same expression in airports— anticipation blurred with weariness—and although he searched each in turn, Daniel knew the time was not right. Bright sunshine streamed into the concourse around the massive mural of jazz greats as Daniel made his way out to the shuttle bay. He smiled tiredly at the driver who took his voucher, and then huddled in a seat near the rear of the bus. Daniel had never been to the French Quarter; in fact,

Waiting | Isabelle Rowan 4 Daniel had never left Australia until he boarded his international flight, but he watched the passing buildings with a growing sense of familiarity, and the anxious knot in his stomach was replaced with a totally different sensation. The reception staff at his hotel quickly picked up on his accent and politely asked about his holiday plans. A reasonable enough question, but how could Daniel explain that he’d just quit his job and flown from his home in Melbourne to meet a man who’d been visiting his dreams in one way or another for years? Daniel simply smiled and gave the standard tourist answers that instantly satisfied the receptionist’s dutiful interest, and he made his way to his room. Part of him wanted to dump his bag and flop on the bed in the hope that sleep would lead to dreams, but Daniel knew that he slept too. He sat on the edge of the mattress and sighed. “Tonight,” Daniel whispered into the solitude of his hotel room, only to be wrapped in the comfort of a familiar scent. He’d known the visitor his entire life; well, at least as far back as he could recall details of his dreams. Even as a small child, the invisible man, as he called him then, was part of his dreams; not in a frightening predatory way, but simply there, watching from a distance and waiting. Little Daniel would explore his childlike dreamscapes and smile happily in the unseen direction of the invisible man, safe in the knowledge that nightmares would always be quickly chased away. It wasn’t until Daniel reached manhood that the nature of the dreams changed, and he felt the soft touches. Gentle and tentative at first, but they became so

Waiting | Isabelle Rowan 5 much more when Daniel invited the hands and lips onto his skin, and when sated he slept peacefully with his “lover’s” presence settled lovingly at his back. Daniel’s mother always worried about her son; he rarely dated, and the few he had were never repeated. He always seemed a little out of step with the rest of their world, not really connecting with those around him, even though she encouraged her other sons to involve him in all their games. Daniel’s mother hoped that would change when he finished studies and joined the workforce. It didn’t. So when her middle child announced he was leaving them to travel to New Orleans, she didn’t question it, but hugged her son tightly and prayed he would find what he was looking for. Daniel sat on the edge of the bed and smiled. “I hope so too, mum.”

LUNCH was spent in a cafe by the river. Daniel sipped at his drink and swirled the straw to watch the ice spin, but the sugar dusted beignet remained untouched. A passing waitress stopped and asked if everything was all right with his food, but Daniel reassured her everything was fine, that he was just a little jetlagged and his appetite was still on Melbourne time. In truth, his stomach churned with the seemingly endless wait for nightfall. Daniel sat for a while longer, then texted each of his brothers in turn and called his mum to let her know he’d arrived safely and was the happiest he’d been for a long time. It wasn’t a lie. He left a generous tip and spent the remainder of the day wandering the streets of the French

Waiting | Isabelle Rowan 6 Quarter, sampling both the historic and tacky elements of the area, all the while waiting impatiently for the sun to set. As if on cue, the neon lights of the bars and clubs sparked into life and the Quarter took on an entirely different aspect. Daniel made his way along the street, watching the natural light fade along with the day. Night came slowly, and Daniel’s fingertips tingled in anticipation as the sky darkened and tiny pinpricks of stars appeared through gaps in the cloud cover. He stopped walking and stood beneath an illuminated streetlamp amid the bustle of a busy corner. It struck him for the first time that he didn’t know where he needed to be. You will find me. The voice echoed through his mind and caught him off guard. Daniel searched the faces around him, but none felt right. He backed away from the crowded corner and leaned against the solid brick wall of a bar that seemed to vibrate with the throb of music and laughter. The noise reverberated through his body, jangling his nerves and heightening the confusion of his thoughts. Panic began to swell until, beneath the pulsing beat, he heard him. Away from them… find peace… find me. “I can hear you,” Daniel muttered and straightened to look along the street at the turbulent mass of tourists and the party minded; he was no more one of them than the men he’d shared fumbled and ultimately unsatisfying encounters with at home. “I’ll find you,” he stated and pushed his way through the growing throng of Bourbon Street to disappear down a side alley.

Waiting | Isabelle Rowan 7 Daniel wound his way through a maze of streets, turning this way and that, listening to an inbuilt compass that led him to his “north”. Suddenly, he stopped. The street he’d entered was little more than an alleyway; there were lamps to light his way through the shadows of the vinestrewn walls, but lights were no longer needed. Daniel closed his eyes and stood very still. “You’re here, aren’t you?” he asked quietly, even though his heart already knew the answer. “I have waited a long time,” an accented voice whispered just behind his ear. Daniel shivered at the breath that touched his skin. “You’re real this time?” “I have always been real.” A hand pressed lightly against Daniel’s back, then slid smoothly around his body to cover the pounding heart. “Who are you?” Daniel whispered as those familiar lips brushed against his neck. “You will know me again,” came the cryptic reply before he pulled them both backward into the silence of an overgrown courtyard. “Look at me and know me once more.” Daniel had waited for that moment for as long as he could remember, but when the offer came, he hesitated. “Will the dream end once I’ve seen you?” Another kiss, and Daniel felt the lips smile before the man stepped away. “That dream will end, but the rest of our dreams can begin.”

Waiting | Isabelle Rowan 8 With a shaky breath, Daniel turned; every fiber of his being ached with the weight of years past. Blue eyes brighter than any he’d ever seen held his, and they knew each other. Daniel reached up and touched the porcelain skin, his fingers recognizing every change in surface as they traced the angle of cheekbone and then dipped down to follow the gentle curve of full lips. “I know you,” he whispered, and although he could not place the man in any of his history, the lonely void that had echoed through his entire life was filled. Memories flooded him of times spent with the man he touched, and Daniel finally said the name that had also teased the tip of his tongue. “Marcus.” Marcus smiled, and the points of sharp teeth caught a shard of moonlight as it dodged the clouds, but Daniel wasn’t afraid. He remembered their embraces and the blood he gave his lover. He remembered their vow to always be together no matter how the world changed around them. “So much time has passed,” Daniel said while he threaded his fingers through the long dark hair. “But you waited for me.” “I felt you when you were reborn, and I no longer simply endured the years. I had hope and waited until you grew,” Marcus said as if there had been no other option. “It will work this time,” Daniel said softly. “I do not fear it, my love. I was young in my change and could not bring you over, but I am stronger now. You died in my arms with your blood on my lips and I believed I would

Waiting | Isabelle Rowan 9 end too, until I felt your soul bid me wait for you. So I waited through many human lifetimes until your warmth reappeared, and I knew.” Daniel leaned in and kissed the soft mouth, allowing the lethal fangs to spring droplets of blood from his lips. This time it will work.

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A black cat for a witch may be a cliché, but add a whole bunch of tribal tattoos and an intolerance to garlic (seriously), and you have ISABELLE ROWAN. Having moved to Australia from England as a small child, Isabelle now lives in a seaside suburb of Melbourne where she teaches film making and English. She is a movie addict who spends far too much money on traveling… but then again, life is to be lived. Visit Isabelle’s blog at http://isabelle-rowan.livejournal.com/.

Waiting ©Copyright Isabelle Rowan, 2011 Published by Dreamspinner Press 382 NE 191st Street #88329 Miami, FL 33179-3899 USA http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/ This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the authors’ imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. Cover Art by Anne Cain [email protected] Cover Design by Mara McKennen This book is licensed to the original purchaser only. Duplication or distribution via any means is illegal and a violation of International Copyright Law, subject to criminal prosecution and upon conviction, fines and/or imprisonment. This eBook cannot be legally loaned or given to others. No part of this eBook can be shared or reproduced without the express permission of the publisher. To request permission and all other inquiries, contact Dreamspinner Press at: 382 NE 191st Street #88329 Miami, FL 33179-3899 USA http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com/ Released in the United States of America October 2011 eBook Edition