by L. A. Boruff
Enough was enough. “You’ve essentially kidnapped me, trapping me in this house. You tell me my children are safe, mention nothing about my husband, then proceed to tell me a fairytale?” I stood and gripped my head as a bolt of pain shot behind my eyes. “And I keep getting these crazy headaches! I'm leaving. If you want to stop me, you'll have to kill me.” I brushed past Elias as he entered the room with a fresh cup of coffee.
Leaving Anthony sitting on the couch, I marched defiantly to the front door and jerked it open to find Anthony standing outside. “How'd you do that?” I was in a horror movie. Reality was subjective. “You didn't have time to go from the front living room, through the kitchen, out the back door, and around the house.” I backed away from the front door until my ankles hit the steps, where I plopped gracelessly. Tears threatened to fall again. He was impossible. How could he move like that?
“That, too, I'll explain, beautiful Riley. Please, come to the living room. I’ll even explain your headaches.” He crowded me, trying to help me up. I pushed his proffered hand away and glared at Elias's outstretched hand.
“We did this for your own good. Once you know the entire story, I believe you'll stay with us willingly.” Elias's voice was thick with regret.
I heard his sorrow, but I was so angry I couldn't meet his eyes. I whirled around and stalked to the living room, again defeated. That was the second time Anthony moved impossibly fast around me. Maybe I have a brain tumor. That would’ve explained the headaches and Anthony’s superhero speed.
No longer trying to come off like a fierce bitch, I sank down on the couch, defeated. “Go on.”
Elias took up the ridiculous story. “So, Supay created a race of people that scared the hell out of Inti’s people. Physically, they were exactly alike, but they soon differentiated themselves as the superior race. The Inca began to hunt them. They'd gang up on them and kill whenever possible. They were hardier and longer lived, but not invulnerable. Inca history says that they called these people the Supay, after their creator. They labeled them demons and forced them into hiding.” Elias dropped his head and rubbed his neck. His expression was chagrined as he continued.
“You see, Supay’s creations couldn’t eat the same foods that Inti’s people could. The Inca people ate plants and animals, like any other human. But the Supay could only gain adequate nourishment from one thing: blood.”
“Okay. And?” Both men gawked at me like I’d sprouted a second head. They’d told me a ludicrous story about ancient gods and demons as if it could have anything to do with my family. Then they’d told me that an ancient Inca god created a race of vampires. My shit-o-meter was full. I supposed they expected me to run screaming from the room, but all I wanted was to get this story done and move on to the miniscule chance that they’d take me to my kids.
“What are you two staring at? So this dude created vampires. That’s great. What the fuck does that have to do with my family?” I narrowed my eyes on Elias. “Get to the fucking point, and get there in a hurry.” My bravado waned, hard as I tried to keep myself psyched up. I was desperate.
Anthony leaned forward. “The popular term for the Supay is vampire. They aren't a fairytale or an ancient Inca legend. They’re real, and they walk the Earth beside you day in and day out.” He shifted in his seat, uneasy.
“Okay. Sure. Whatever you say. Vampires are real. So can they walk in the sun?”
“Yes,” said Anthony.
“Can they eat people food?”
“Yes, but it won’t sustain their life. After a few days, they'll begin to feel sick, rather like a human feels with the flu,” Elias replied. “It’s more like it won’t really hurt them, but it also doesn’t help. Some Supay even develop a taste for it.”
“And they look exactly like you or me?” I questioned, disbelieving.
Elias and Anthony gaped at each other, at a loss for words.
The point they were trying to make clicked. I smacked myself on the forehead. “Oh, right, I get it. You two are vampires, aren’t you? You’re The Supay.” I laughed, my voice dripping venom.
“Yes, Riley. We are. We’re descendants of the original line of Supay. Actually, we're two of the three remaining pureblood male Supay.” Anthony glanced over at Elias, and both of them had pain splashed across their faces. “There’s still several females, but we’re the only males.”
Elias moved close to me, too close for comfort, the desire of the morning long forgotten. “Actually, he misspoke. We’re the last two remaining male pureblood Supay.” I cocked my head and glared at him.
“Riley,” he continued, “Michael was the third member of our brotherhood. None of us are related by heritage, but we grew up together and were closer than any brothers I’ve ever met.”
Anthony moved to my other side and clasped my hand. My eyes glued to his fingers covering my own while my mind raced, and I didn’t register that a man I feared and hated was holding my hand.
“Was? You better not be taking this ludicrous story where I think you are taking it.” A sob stuck in my chest. Those infuriating men were attempting to tell me something my heart and brain refused to hear.
Elias put his arm around my shoulders. I never figured out why I allowed him to, as I was still too angry with him for betraying my trust. With one hand on my chin, Anthony turned my head toward him. “Yes. That’s what we're saying. Michael is dead. He died the day he disappeared.”
Pain. What a ridiculous word. Four tiny letters to encompass an ocean of agony. The enormity of the emotions trying to burst from my chest couldn’t be described in four letters. I wanted to scream. I wanted to kick, and hit, and annihilate everything around me. I wanted to knock the pearly teeth out of Elias's mouth and poke out Anthony’s unusual, unbelievably sexy eyes.
I didn’t do any of those things. My mind went into a meltdown that would require a sedative to end, but my face betrayed none of those emotions. In the end, I stood and grabbed the cooled cup of coffee. Walking stiffly to the kitchen, I put the coffee in the microwave. The boys watched, hovering in the kitchen doorway like mother hens. As the microwave beeped, I turned to them with death in my eyes. “Take me to my children.”
“Riley, it isn't that easy. Like we said before, you are in a significant amount of danger,” Elias replied, wringing his hands and stepping from foot to foot.
He wouldn’t have been so worried about me accepting them if they intended to hurt me. Or maybe I was trying to convince myself I wasn’t going to die.
I added cream and sugar to my coffee and sipped it delicately. The warm liquid was a comforting friend. Alone and scared, I shared a kitchen with two what? Vampires? Men? Alien pod-people? Whatever or whoever they were, they were my first lead in five years—my only lead. I would play along with anything if it meant seeing my boys.
“What danger?” I frowned down into the cup.
“There are rules. We have laws and a governing body. There are good and valid reasons behind most of our laws, but some are extreme.” Elias rolled his shoulders and let out a grunt of exasperation. “The main rule is that we're to never, under any circumstances, tell a human about the Supay. This rule is punishable by death.”
I rolled my eyes, unable to continue the interested act. “Punishable by death? So if anyone finds out you told me about your mysterious race of vampires, you’ll be killed?” I’m going to get serial murdered before this day is over. I wondered where they had the other bodies buried—I probably wasn’t the first. I surreptitiously glanced out the kitchen window to see if I could find any freshly tilled dirt.
“I know you’re still skeptical, but Elias and I are here to help you. We’ve been watching over you since Michael died.” Anthony’s face was too intense. Not only was I worried about being ax murdered, I was also creeped out at the thought of him peeking through my curtains to watch me.
“You’re a freaking stalker, I get it. Whatever, moving on. You said you could also explain my headaches?” I rubbed my forehead, remembering the sta
bbing pain.
Anthony lowered his eyes. “I’m so sorry. Your headaches are my fault.” He walked into the kitchen warily. “I have an ability. Most Supay don't have any special abilities aside from the obvious. I am, however, able to calm humans.”
“Calm humans? Like, give them warm tea and sing them a lullaby?” I snorted.
“In a manner of speaking, yes.” Anthony took my hand and concentrated on my face. My eyes darted around the room as my head hurt again.
I cleared my throat. “Are you trying to choke me with your mind? That doesn’t work. I’ve tried. On you.”
He chuckled. “No, I’m trying to exert calm over you, and it still isn’t working.”
My shocked eyes landed on his. “What do you mean it still isn’t working? Oh my god, I thought I was having an aneurysm at my house, and you’re telling me that was you? How? And stop doing it, it hurts!” Not that I believed his story, but if somehow he was doing it, he needed to stop immediately.
He backed away from me. “I don’t actually know. I sort of focus, and I can feel chaos. Once I can feel the chaos, I push calm emotions onto the chaos. With you, I can feel your chaos, but my calming has no effect except to give you headaches.”
My jaw unhinged. “I’m flabbergasted, Anthony. My husband and children disappeared, and I never got past it, not in the slightest. Then out of the blue, you show up and flip my meaningless life on its ass. Now I’m being told you’re both vampires. Oh, and vampires exist!”
I flailed my arms around in consternation. “Michael is dead, but hey, he was a vampire, and my children are alive, safe, and are also vampires?”
I stopped flapping my hands and paced the kitchen. “Oh, yeah, by the way, Riley, nobody can calm your ass down! I don’t know how to react! I don't have the first clue what to do. I’m incredibly confused. I’m angry and hurt. Elias, how could you lie to me for so long?” I leaned against the counter and ran my hands through my hair.
A stray thought entered my head, and I voiced it without thinking. “What else exists? What about elves or werewolves? Maybe Cthulu is real too?”
Elias, quiet during my tirade, entered the kitchen. “Elves and werewolves exist, as well as a host of other creatures. Cthulu goes by Chris, and he’s a nice guy. We had drinks in Wurzburg.”
Panicked laughter burst from my mouth. I gasped and bent over, clutching my stomach. My knees wobbled and tears streamed down my cheeks. It was too much.
“Riley, I realize it’s a lot to take in, but it’s not a joke.” Anthony seemed offended by my mirth.
“I know, I know. But, guys, seriously. Cthulu? Come on! My emotions currently are junk, you’ll have to get over it.” I rolled my eyes and sighed. “We have to come to some sort of resolution. I need some sort of proof of both the vampire thing and my children.”
Elias pulled out his phone. “Daniel and David are safe with my sister Tammy. She’s raised them since the day they left you. She’s unable to have children of her own and has treated them as if she gave birth to them herself. I know that may not be comforting, but at least you know if they couldn’t be with you, they're cherished.” He swiped through several pictures before turning the phone to me.
I closed my eyes as he put the phone in my hand. Even though I was still skeptical, I prayed that he was telling the truth and I would recognize the boys. I’d give anything to find my boys safe and whole. Opening my eyes, I focused on a picture of two beautiful children. They were the appropriate ages. The older appeared to be about eleven and the younger around six. Zooming in on the older boy, I brought the phone close to my face. Dark blond hair hung down low over his eyes.
The sob—stuck in my chest for half a decade—broke free. Michael’s brow line and cocky smirk teased me from the image. David. The phone shook as I swiped the picture over to study the younger of the two. A warm hand touched my back. Anthony—he couldn’t stop himself from trying to calm me physically since his mind tricks wouldn’t work.
Daniel was still a baby when I’d seen him last, with my strawberry blonde hair and cheeks so round that everyone he met tried to pinch them. He’d been delightfully chubby, although he’d begun to slim down once he’d learned to walk a month before he was taken.
I didn't recognize myself or Michael in the child on the screen. Except for the hair that could’ve been swiped from my own head, I wouldn't have known him if I passed him on the street. He was skinny and tall for his age, and I couldn’t tell his eye color in the grainy cell phone photo.
Once again, my emotions warred. I was ecstatic that my sons were alive and healthy, yet I was tortured that I didn't recognize my Daniel.
“Do you have more?” I asked.
“I do. Swipe through, that album is full of them.”
I carried the phone to the living room and tucked myself into the corner of the couch. Elias sat on the floor at my feet, and Anthony settled in beside me, pulling my feet up onto his lap. Distracted by the pictures, I didn’t even notice him slipping my sneakers off.
Scrolling through the images gave me a sense of peace. I swiped through them several times before sighing and handing Elias his phone. “Please, E. Please take me to see my children. There’s got to be a way. You don’t have to tell them who I am.” I pleaded with Elias. “I’m sure it would confuse them. We’ll have to reintroduce me into their lives carefully.” I would forgive the betrayal—I could let everything go if they'd take me to my boys.
“I’ll believe everything you tell me, without complaint. I won’t fight you. I’ll listen to your entire story. Please, let me see them.” My heart bled as I begged.
“The only way I can think for you to be able to see them is if no one knows you’re there,” Anthony replied. I met his gaze, amazed to find a possible ally. “Our government, they take this stuff seriously. We wanted to tell you every moment of the last five years. We just didn’t want to die.”
“Why now? Why are you coming forward now?” I clutched Elias's phone to my chest. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll do whatever you want if you take me to them.”
Elias grabbed my hand. “Riley, the first thing you must do is sleep. You slept what, a couple of hours last night? Honestly, you look like hell. Sleep while we plan a way to let you see the boys,” he said. He continued before I could scream at him to take me to them immediately. “Riley, we can’t take you up there willy-nilly. We have to make a plan, and you might as well rest while we do.”
Maybe Anthony’s mind tricks worked better than he realized, because when they insisted I needed sleep, my body became exhausted. I finally registered that Anthony was rubbing my feet, and it was heavenly. I glared at his hands. “Okay, I’ll sleep. But I’m sleeping on this couch, and you have to stop rubbing my feet.” Anthony jerked his hands away. “I’ve agreed to do whatever you both say, and I will, in time, get over your disgusting betrayal, Elias, but that doesn’t mean I’m comfortable with either of you.”
Elias jumped up and pulled a blanket out of a corner cabinet. Anthony stood and grabbed a throw pillow from the chair next to the couch. They handed me the bedding, and I tucked myself in for a nap. “Now, go plan. When I wake up, I want to hit the road.”
My body relaxed into the overstuffed sofa, and I watched the men walk into the kitchen. I could see them sitting at the table from where my head lay on the pillow. My eyes grew heavy watching their lips move and I fell asleep with a heart swollen with hope.
Chapter 4
They found you; they’re on their way. You still can't trust Elias, but he'll keep you safe until I can find you. Wake up, Riley and run! Remember this, remember my words, and hurry. Wake up, Riley. Run!
* * *
I sat up, terrified, my skin clammy. “Elias! Anthony! Where are you?” They ran in, alarm on their faces.
“What’s wrong?” asked Elias.
Throwing the blanket off, I leaned over to snatch my sneakers off the floor. “Do either of you know of a vampire—”
“Supay,” interjected Anthony.
“Supay,” I mocked. “Do either of you know of a Supay that could send me messages while I’m asleep?”
They shook their heads. “No. Anthony’s ability is pretty rare. I don’t know of anyone else with a power associated with controlling or communicating with another person. Why?”
I shook my head. “Just tell me.”
Anthony quirked his eyebrows at me. “I’ve got a Great-aunt Roselyn that can move small objects with her mind, and my grandfather could tell if a person’s soul was good or evil.”
“Since Michael died, those are the only ones I know of,” said Elias. “If I have an ability it hasn’t manifested itself yet.”
My fingers quivered around my laces. “Michael had an ability?” I wasn’t sure I wanted to know what else Michael had hidden from me.
“Yes,” replied Anthony, “Michael could lure a human, almost put them in a trance.”
My heart dropped. Did he use that power on me? It was love at first sight…
“As much as I want you to expand on that information, we’ve got to go. There’s a vamp—or some sort of creature—out there that can communicate with me when I’m asleep. Maybe the barrier that keeps you out, Anthony, is gone when I’m asleep.” They looked at each other skeptically. “I don’t know. I mean, hell, it might not even be a Supay. But he told me that someone has found me and they’re on their way to get me.” Elias's eyes widened, and Anthony’s jaw dropped.
“I take it you know who he meant?”
They took off running, faster than I ever could. I yelled up the stairs after Elias, “Get my guns! You never know when we’ll need them!” I grabbed my bag from its spot beside the couch and waited for the men to join me. Footsteps pounded overhead as they ran from room to room gathering supplies.
