Nocturne Novels & Stories

Chapter 14: Music, Light, And Dragons Shape A Gentle Morning The last notes of the evening’s piano playlist faded sometime after midnight, replaced by the faint hum of the climate system and the occasional creak of the old manor settling into its own kind of sleep. In the nursery, the smart nightlight shifted into its dimmest mode, casting a warm amber halo on the wall in slow pulses, syncing to Eva’s breathing pattern the way it always did when she slept soundly.

(Nerina’s P.O.V) I don’t remember falling asleep, but apparently, I did and not only that, but I slept the entire day. How do I know? Well, I woke up to the sun beginning to shine through the curtains and when I looked at the alarm clock on the night stand it said that it was 6:30 in the morning. When Selene sent us back to the villa it was, you guessed it, 6:30 in the morning. I groan as I stretch, my pussy sore from the pounding she took yesterday. She’s such a hussy for John, literally can’t be within a foot of him and she’s dripping wet and begging for his cock.

Christian raises his nose into the air and a second later the sound of his howl fills the night, cuts through the night sounds and echo's over the snow. I sit up, my heart beating with want to add my over voice. I raise my nose and howl at the starry sky, adding my voice into the night. Mikki's howl rises into the night, dragging out in a sorrowful tone. Tori's howl arises into the night, high and loud and soon Ash and Ally were singing alone. I lower my nose to breath and spot Carson making her way outside, smiling as she hears us croon into the shadow world. I raise my nose again, unable to stop myself if I wanted too. The need to howl burns through me, only dowsed when I am crying to the

Par la lune et par la nuit, que la maudite perde sa vie … (By the moon, by the night the cursed one shall die) Par la lune et par la nuit, que la maudite perde sa vie … (By the moon, by the night the cursed one shall die) Par la lune et par la nuit, que la maudite perde sa vie… (By the moon, by the night the cursed one shall die) Par la lune et par la nuit, que la maudite perde sa vie… (By the moon, by the night the cursed one shall die) Too exhausted, I was that I fell into a deep sleep, not caring about what will happen to me anymore.

I sat with that for a while and did not rush the conclusion. A cigarette. The small ritual of it, the amber light of the ember in the dark of the room, the particular quality of thinking that came with something occupying the hands and leaving the mind to move. The grounds outside the window had gone fully dark, the late autumn dark that had weight to it, pressing against the glass. The compound was at its quietest. The second watch change had come and gone and the rotation had settled and the night had reached the hour when even the most alert among us began to trust the silence. She had not moved.

Justin remained staring out at the blackened sky from the window. He hadn't spoken to me for some time seemingly content to stand in silence. Emma left for her shift a while ago to prepare breakfast for the morning meal. She wouldn't be back for some time. The stars flickered through the curtains dotting the ceiling in starlight. The snow capped mountains beyond stood proud and ominously against the star flecked sky. “Goodnight Val.” Justin eventually murmured heading for the door.

The smell is usually comforting, but right now it’s making me feel sick. Tabatha sets a white candle on either side of the nightstand and ignites them with magic. She moves to the foot of the bed and holds out a quartz crystal wand. “Powers of North, South, East and West, I call on you with this request. Remove the evil in the space, and leave good fortune in its place.” As she speaks, a sharp pain starts in my wrist. When she holds up the crystal, my arm starts to tingle.

I noticed how she stopped expounding her thoughts when she reached an aspect of the dark past she didn't want to endure all over again. She nodded, "Goodnight Laila." I took a spin and viewed the room, it is a simple yet sophisticated look, it has an aesthetic of off-white and marble accent. It has a window that overlooks the garden, the view I wanted to wake up to every morning. I headed to the bathroom that has the same aesthetic as my room. After a well-deserved bath, I headed to change into my scarlet red silk nightdress. Once I hit the mattress I escaped reality and into the dreamland.

�𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙤 𝘿𝙞𝙤𝙧. 𝘽𝙤𝙩𝙝 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡'𝙨 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙩𝙤𝙤 𝙢� ��𝙘𝙝. 𝘼𝙢𝙞𝙙𝙨𝙩 𝙞𝙩'𝙨 𝙟𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚, 𝙞𝙩 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙙, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙡𝙤𝙬𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙞𝙩'𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 180°.

With that I fell into a deep slumber. I woke up with a pain in my neck,it wasn't easy sleeping on the bare floor. Also it seemed I had caught a cold, I sneezed and my eyes watered. I checked the time on my Watch..it was one of my most prized possession, it was given to me by Christine as a birthday gift. It was 6:30 AM. I quickly arranged myself, I was hungry as hell,but there was no way I could get anything to eat. The restaurant usually opens by 7:30AM, it would be a very long time but I have no choice.