Moon Blood (COMPLETE)

Chapter Six: A Desire to Clean

Neil carefully redressed himself. The awful pain had gone at least, but it felt so strange to push his arms through his shirt, like they weren't even his arms.

The three women all sat and watched him the entire time. Truth be told, Neil was far too terrified of all three of them to protest. The other had finally made herself known and sat beside Lilly and Ruby. She had shoulders the size of a rugby player and looked like she could snap Neil's neck just by looking at him. She was dressed incredibly well, in a long, warm looking dress and a shawl draped about her shoulders. Her legs recrossed and her arms folded. She almost looked uncomfortable.

Not as uncomfortable as Neil. He could feel his skin almost blistering in his embarrassment under their stares. He had tried his hardest to cover himself with his hands, and had only earned a snort.

"Ruby. That's enough." Lilly seemed like she was placating the situation, but she was doing just as much staring as the other two. Neil had never put so much effort pulling up his trousers with one hand before. These women looked hungry, and he didn't trust them one bit. Definitely earned mistrust in his mind.

"So, let me get this straight," said Neil as he finished buttoning up his sweaty, dirt-clad shirt and sat on the cold floor. "You guys are what, werewolves? And I'm a werewolf too that will change every new moon. Great. Fucking great."

"Well, not exactly." Lilly stood, but still didn't avert her gaze. "You don't have a choice at the new moon. Now that you've matured, you can change whenever you wish. But maybe carry an extra pair of clothes, or stash some somewhere."

The world was spinning too fast for Neil to handle. A serious case of vertigo was throbbing between his ears. He wanted to put his head in his hands but he was worried it might just fall off his neck.

"You look like you've never seen a male body before."

"Not a male wolf body before," said Lilly. "Males are extremely rare."

"And it's different from a human body, is it?" Neil was no longer hiding the irritation in his voice. "Because I don't see a difference."

"Not the literal look. Your scent."

Neil stood. "Can I go home now? My parents are coming back later today and I probably left the place in a state running from whoever chased me last night."

"That would be me."

Neil blanched as Ruby stood. He noticed her hips and her legs as she approached. Like Lilly said, it wasn't his eyes that were watching, but his nose. Not as strong as when he had fur all over his body, but it was something he hadn't noticed before until now. She smelled utterly enticing. Lilly was watching very carefully and thoughtfully.

"We guessed right. Good job we prepared in advance."

Neil huffed at their cryptic speech. "Suit yourselves. Just point me in the direction of home."

*****

The door was locked, and before he'd left that basement and found his way out of the woods painted in morning mist, Ruby had slipped him his keys. He had caught her scent as she passed, and it made him shudder. Untold and unknown hormones were starting to peck at his insides, and certain parts of his body were waking up in ways he had only really explored within the confines of under his duvet. The way Ruby watched him make his stomach wring itself out. But he couldn't think about that now.

His bedroom was in complete disarray - almost as if a giant wolf had loped through it. His bedside table had overturned and the contents were spilling out. He flushed and gathered them up, stuffing them back in the top drawer. Perhaps it was time for a spring clean.

He stripped the bed and tidied the floor, tossing the dirty laundry in the basket. He restacked his books and dusted his kickboxing trophies, and by the time he'd finished, it was practically unrecognisable. He stood back and looked at his work.

A faded blue, almost threadbare carpet with orange walls. Off to the far side out of the way of the sun was his bookshelf, utterly stuffed to the bursting with paperbacks. Even his desk had been dusted and wiped clean, and ready for him to sit at and finish his English homework.

The good three hours of cleaning had managed to prevent him thinking about what had happened last night, at least; although as soon as he'd finished, it immediately gnawed on his mind. The three women hadn't been exactly helpful, and it appeared they too knew very little about his situation. Even the eldest, Lilly, was likely only in her early twenties. He sighed.

*****

"Glad you're feeling better, darling."

"Mmm." Neil pushed the salad around his plate. The peppery, earthy smell of the chopped radish was making his nose tickle in a way it never had before. He hadn't eaten a thing all day, and still wasn't hungry. He looked at his parents as they chatted about the nightmare plane journey home.

His mum was sinewy and mostly gristle in her build. A thin, wiry body that usually had a glass of sparkling wine in her skeletal fingers. From what Neil had heard, mum had come from almost nothing, and married into comfort in the form of her husband.

Equally as tall but not as thin, Neil's dad was a decorated copper and very well liked among his peers. A man of few words - but sporting a keen, dry wit - he was very fond of his cigarettes. As if he had heard, he reached into his pocket for his lighter.

"Must you, Rick? At least help me clear the table. Neil? Are you not hungry, dear?"

"No, not really," he mumbled. He was feeling nauseous again.

"You're probably still recovering. Maybe get an early night tonight."

"Yeah. Maybe."

*****

He lay and stared at the ceiling, watching the sliver of the waxing moon with an occasional wary glance.
    The last time he'd tried to sleep in this bed, he'd been ambushed by Ruby and her huge, terrifying wings. Neil had never heard of any werewolf myth that had involved wings; it made him wonder if he had some kind of cool ability like that too. The potential options that went whirring through his fatigued mind left it spinning, and the vertigo returned with gusto. He groaned and turned over. Away from the moon.