Seduced by the Moon

SAMANTHA

I awoke the next morning to the blinding light of the sun entering through my window. Groaning, I turned on my side and reached out for my phone. I opened my eyes and saw it was only 7:03.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me,” I said aloud. Why did this place have no curtains? I had been up half the night cleaning and had managed to clean all of downstairs and most of my bedroom.

The other rooms would just have to wait. I doubted I’d have visitors anyway, so I wasn’t in a rush to fix them up.

The night before, by the time I was down, I’d taken a quick shower and collapsed into my bed. A bed that was like sleeping on a cloud.

I could have happily spent the rest of my life snuggled up in that huge king-size bed.

I sighed and sat up, figuring I might as well get up. First things first, however. I must have coffee.

Walking down the stairs, I saw the pile of white sheets I had pulled off all of the furniture, and I sighed. I had no idea where to put them.

Aunt Violet’s furniture was all beautiful and antique. She must have paid a fortune to furnish this house.

I kicked the sheets on the floor and made my way to the kitchen, thankful that I had decided to pack my Keurig.

As the coffee began to brew, I sat at the bar, staring out the kitchen windows at the woods that surrounded the house.

It had been a little creepy sleeping with the woods watching me, but I had been so exhausted that it didn’t take long before I was knocked out.

I woke up a few times, scared to death, until I remembered where I was. I wasn’t used to the sound of the night in the woods, and I slept buried under my covers most of the night.

With coffee in my system, I walked back upstairs to finish up with my room.

I had yet to unpack my clothes. So I pulled them out and laid them on the bed, before going to open the closet to see if there were any hangers in there.

I paused, seeing that the closet was full of clothes.

This must have been Aunt Violet’s room. Her clothes were all beautiful. I ran my hand over her clothes, finding her boho style a little trendy for a woman in her sixties.

I dared to look at the tag and was shocked to see that we were the same size. Even the shoes that sat on the closet floor fit me perfectly.

I shrugged and added my clothes in with hers, wondering if it would be disrespectful to wear a dead woman’s clothes. I doubted she would mind. After all, the woman had left me everything she owned.

I moved to the dressers and found them full too and had to combine a few of her drawers to make room for my things.

I would have to eventually clean them out. But I didn’t have the energy to do it today.

The last thing I had to set up was the TV. Aunt Violet didn’t own a single TV. I had set the TV up in the living room, but I would have to buy another for my bedroom.

There was no way I could live without it.

I walked to the library room that I’d decided to use as an office and called the phone company to see about getting internet. But I was told they didn’t provide service so far out.

After a few tries, I ended up calling Dish and found out I could get satellite internet through them.

I didn’t really want a contract, but I wanted internet bad enough that I agreed and set up an appointment for them to come next week.

I would just have to live without it for now. Even my cell phone wasn’t getting service.

My grumbling tummy reminded me that I had only had coffee today and it was past time to eat. I had not looked to see what was in the freezer, so I just grabbed a sandwich.

Fitzgerald had had groceries delivered before I arrived, and I had yet to see exactly what he sent.

It seemed like it should be later than it was. But then again, I had gotten up at seven. I changed into some jeans and a T-shirt, grabbed my keys, and decided to head to town.

The closest town was a good thirty minutes away. But when I pulled up at Walmart, I found myself glad to be around people again.

I pulled up my banking app on my phone. I wanted to make sure the wire had been deposited before I went in and tried to buy a bunch of stuff I couldn’t afford.

When my checking account balance popped up, my jaw dropped. Aunt Violet had been rich. Like, fucking rich.

I was still in shock as I walked into the store and grabbed a buggy. The first thing on my mind was buying some curtains.

I hadn’t even checked how many windows the house had, and I had no clue what size they were. But I was still determined to at least grab some for the rooms I would be frequenting.

I took my time picking out curtains that would fit each room. I had to guess on the curtain rods, but most of them could be adjusted a pretty good amount, so I felt a little better about my choices.

My next stop was the TVs. I had no use for a big TV, but I still found myself picking out a big one, deciding the one I had in the living room now could go in the library.

I grabbed another one, about the same size as the one I already had for my bedroom. I mean, if Dish was coming out, I had to have TVs, right?

Once the TVs were taken to the front, I made a quick run through the grocery section. I didn’t grab a lot, but enough to make a few meals that I liked.

In the end, I felt horrible at the amount of money I had spent, but I told myself that it would be okay. It wasn’t like I would be making huge purchases like that all the time.

Once home, I set up my TVs before going to work on the curtains. Putting them up was harder than I thought.

I really did need another person to help, but I managed to get them all up on my own. I felt a little proud of myself in the end, as I stepped back and observed my handiwork.

It was a little after four when I decided to go for a run. Before my life had been flipped upside down, I had been going to the gym. I found the workouts relieved some of the stress in my life.

I changed into some shorts and some running shoes before heading for a noticeable path through the woods that I had seen while hanging curtains.

The woods were spooky and beautiful all at once. I ran for a while before I saw an opening forming in front of me and wondered what it led to.

Pulling out my earbuds, I slowed down, just in case it turned out to be another house. As I arrived at the opening, I came to a dead stop.

The woods opened up to a cemetery. You could tell it was old. It looked like one from a movie, or maybe even from a dream.

The graves were surrounded by a tall black wrought-iron gate that was mostly covered in ivy, hopefully not poison ivy.

After my heart slowly started beating at a normal pace again, I walked to the gate, surprised to see it open.

My curiosity got the best of me, and I found myself walking in. The graves all looked old. Some had big statues, and others were simple tombstones.

Glancing around, I didn’t see any roads in or out, and I wondered if this was a private cemetery.

The first grave I came to had an angel who had her face hidden in her hands as if she was weeping.

The date was barely visible, but I could just make out 1802. I couldn’t tell if it was a birth date or the date of death.

Looking around, I saw a few graves toward the back that looked to be newer. Making my way through the graveyard, I noticed one grave that stuck out.

It appeared to be fresh, the grass not yet growing over the loose soil. The statue on this grave was not grand, just a simple cross, but I gasped as I read it. It was Aunt Violet’s grave.

I knelt down and rubbed at her name etched into the granite.

“You must be Samantha.”

I jumped up so fast that the man had to grab me to keep me from falling.

“I... I...” I couldn’t seem to complete a sentence. The man was easily the most gorgeous man I had ever seen. Tall, dark, and handsome... Those three words covered it all.

He had jet black hair and the most piercing green eyes. Those eyes were looking at me, waiting on my answer.

Great. He probably thought I was crazy. Shaking my head at myself, it suddenly hit me that he knew my name.

I took a step back to clear my head. “Yes. Yes, I am Samantha. Violet was my aunt.”

Duh, I thought. If he knew my name, I’m sure he knew who I was.

A smile curved his lips. “My name is Lucien. Lucien Blackwood. I live on the other side of the woods. Your aunt was like a grandmother to me.”

I nodded at him, not knowing what to say. I only wished I knew more about her, and this rather handsome guy claimed they were like family.

Seeing the battle in my head, Lucien spoke. “Violet told me she hasn’t had any contact with her family in years.

“She did speak of you often before she died. I believe she regretted not reaching out to you when you turned eighteen.”

I nodded, mostly taking in what he was saying. “In all honesty, I had only met her once. We didn’t even speak for more than twenty minutes. I was surprised to hear she had left me her house.

“I didn’t even know she had tried to contact me until I read a letter she had left for me with her lawyer.”

Lucien shrugged, looking almost bored. “She kept tabs on you. I think that day at the church you somehow managed to spark her interest.”

I looked up at him, frowning. If it wasn’t for the fact that he knew details of my time with Violet, I’d probably be scared for my life.

I mean, I was in the middle of a cemetery, talking to a smoking hot guy. Shit like this didn’t happen. I wondered if maybe I didn’t trip and hit my head.

Lucien laughed a rich laugh. “You know, you remind me of her when she was younger.”

I nodded, looking up at him. He must have known Aunt Violet his whole life. He didn’t look like he was much older than I was, maybe thirty at the most.

Feeling like I needed to say something, I started rambling. “I’ve noticed that we share some of the same taste. I wish she would have contacted me earlier. I hate to ask, but how did she die?”

I had never brought myself to ask Fitzgerald that one important question. I had been afraid to hear that she had died alone and afraid.

Lucien glanced at her tombstone. “She found out last year she had breast cancer. We tried to talk her into going in for chemo, but she refused. She was stubborn as a bat, that woman.”

A smile spread over his lips as he looked to be deep in thought.

Watching him carefully, I let out a breath. “I can tell she was important to you. I’m glad she had you. Our family treated her as if she had the plague. I don’t even know why.”

Lucien’s expression turned serious, and he looked straight into my eyes.

“Your aunt was what some people would call eccentric. She had her own way to things. A lot of people thought she was crazy. It is kind of isolated out here, as you probably know by now.”

I nodded. “So I have noticed. But I think it’s just what I need right now.”

Lucien cast me a questioning look. Glancing up at the sky, I was shocked to see it had already turned dark, and I felt a chill run down my spine. The hairs on my arms began to stand up.

Shrugging out of his jacket, Lucien handed it to me, looking up at the sky.

“Let me walk you home. It gets dark fast around here. Violet would come back and haunt me if I let anything happen to you.”

I opened my mouth to say no, but quickly shut it as I heard the cry of a wolf. “That’s very kind of you. I would be scared to death walking alone in the woods at night.”

Lucien arched his brow at me. “As you should be.”

We made the walk to the house in silence, and I couldn’t help but glance at him over my shoulder a couple of times.

As we came to the opening to the house, I instantly regretted not leaving any lights turned on. I hadn’t even remembered to turn on the porch lights.

The house looked spooky in the dark. Hell, the woods behind me looked absolutely terrifying.

Approaching the porch, I pulled off his jacket. Lucien touched my shoulder to stop me. As his hand grazed my skin, I felt as if a bolt of electricity had run through my body.

I turned around and from my position on the steps was eye level with him. God, he had beautiful eyes, and I was momentarily lost in them.

“Do you need help finding the lights, or will you be okay?”

Brought back into reality, I shrugged, “I think there is a switch to the right when you walk in.”

Lucien started walking forward. “Yes, I believe so. Still, I will see you in safe.” He reached out and turned the doorknob. When it opened, he turned around and frowned at me.

“While it is isolated out here, and we don’t get many visitors, I would still suggest you keep your doors locked.”

I nodded, feeling as if I had just been scolded. Walking in the door in front of him, I was thinking of what to say back to him when my foot caught the forgotten sheets I had piled onto the floor.

I felt my whole body lurch forward, and for the second time that day, I felt his strong arms catch me and pull me up against him.

I groaned. He must have thought I was the biggest klutz. I was beyond embarrassed. Pressed against him in the dark, I felt his breath on my neck.

“I can see I’m going to have to keep an eye on you.”

Standing me up steady, he let me go. Soon the lights came on, flooding the room in the harsh light. I could feel my face burning,

“I am so sorry. I totally forgot about the sheets on the floor. I need to haul them upstairs to one of the empty rooms, or find a closet, or…”

Lucien interrupted my ramblings. “I believe Violet stored them in the old shed in the back. The key should be in the kitchen. Go grab it, and I will put them away for you.”

I walked into the kitchen, looking around. I had no idea what he was talking about. I didn’t remember seeing a key when I was cleaning up.

Where would I put a key? Hell, on my keyring; that’s where. I started to turn around to walk back to the entry, when I heard Lucien’s footsteps enter the room.

“I’m sorry. I don’t know why I assumed you knew where she stored her keys.”

He went straight to one of the cabinets, opened it, and pulled out an old key ring with several keys on it. He placed it in his pocket and headed back to grab the sheets.

I followed closely behind him, taking in the scent of his cologne. Did he really have to smell so good? As he started gathering the multitude of sheets, I knelt down to help.

“I can help you take them out.”

Lucien eyed me. “I don’t think I can catch you when you fall if my arms are already full.”

I made a face at him, gathering the remainder of the sheets from the floor. “I will manage just fine, thank you.”

I could hear him chuckle as I turned to follow him.

We walked through the kitchen. He led me out the back door to the shed. The shed looked to me as if it would fall down at any minute.

Lucien balanced the sheets with one hand as he reached into his pocket to collect the key. The lock was stubborn, but with a couple of shakes it gave, and Lucien opened the door.

The inside of the shed was full of dust and God knew what else. I instantly started sneezing as I followed Lucien to a large chest and handed him my sheets to place inside.

Once they were all in, we walked outside. And after he relocked the door, he handed me the key. His hands felt warm on mine. I held onto the key tightly.

“Thank you for everything today. I promise I am usually not that clumsy.”

Lucien nodded at me, smiling. “I didn’t have anything better to do. You made my day a little more exciting than usual.”

I couldn’t help but smile at him. He had a contagious smile. “I hope you will come back and visit sometime. I don’t know anyone around here.”

I could feel my face heat up. Did I really just say that? I had obviously inhaled too much dust.

Lucien started walking back toward the woods, but he paused, glancing over his shoulder. “I promise I will come back and see you soon. I think you owe me dinner now.”

I tried to hide my smile. “Anytime.” Dinner I could do.

With a wink, he turned his head back toward the woods and disappeared into the foliage.

I stood there watching the direction he had disappeared into until the sudden sound of howling made me run into the house, slamming the door behind me.

I frowned. I had heard a wolf earlier, but this time it sounded like more than one. I would have to remember to ask him if there was a problem here.

I locked the door and made my way upstairs, unable to get Lucien out of my head. Where had he come from?

I tried to tell myself he had probably been out on a walk too. But he had appeared out of nowhere. I was kind of glad I didn’t have any close friends.

I could just imagine that conversation: “Yeah, so I met this guy in a graveyard.” Laughing at myself, I went to run some bathwater. If anything, I had scared the poor man off today.