by L. A. Boruff
My voice echoed up the stairs as I yelled again, “Guys, we're driving somewhere in a car. You don’t need to pack for a journey to Mordor! We can stop and pick up anything we’ve forgotten!” I sighed when their shuffling and running didn’t slow.
After a couple of minutes, they thundered down the stairs. Each carried a bag of clothing and an overstuffed bag of guns and ammunition.
“Do guns even work on Supay?” I asked as they ushered me out the door.
“They’re not as effective as they are on a human, but a direct hit to the heart or brain will usually kill us.” Elias rushed me toward the car. “It doesn’t help that we can’t go to traditional hospitals, so our medical care is often limited.”
Well, at least I know how to get my kids out, if it comes to that.
“So I sharpened my stakes for nothing then, eh?” I joked awkwardly. Anthony ignored my joke and grabbed my bag with his own. “I can get it. I’m a big girl.”
Anthony stopped in the driveway and turned to me, wasting precious seconds. His eyes bored into mine. “It's my pleasure.”
Shivers ran down my spine, and my happy place perked up. No, happy place, no! Calm down. We’re still mad at him.
After relinquishing my bag, I climbed in the rear seat of Anthony’s blue SUV to give them the front to drive and navigate. Anthony looked disgruntled when I reached the door first and didn’t let him open it.
“Boys, I realize you both like to be proper Southern gentlemen, but it’s not necessary for you to hold my door or carry my bag every damn time.” I slammed the car door in his face and pretended I didn’t see him roll his eyes.
Anthony drove and Elias turned in his seat to talk to me. “Riley, there's still so much of the story you don’t know. We told you a lot, but we need to tell you more.”
My arms crossed defensively. “Seriously? More? How much more could there be? The only thing I can think of is I need to know details of how you feed.” I laughed, nervous and a bit horrified at what I might learn. Maybe they’ve found a way to adopt a lettuce diet.
Anthony’s voice drifted back. “We eat blood, Riley. Well, we drink it. Human blood.”
“Right, okay. But how do you get the blood?”
“Nowadays we mostly use donors.” Elias sighed. “It’s a little underhanded, as they think they’re donating to humans in need of blood transfusions, but it’s forbidden to drink directly from a human. The majority of Supay agree with the law.”
“Mostly? Mostly use donors? Please clarify mostly.” The burning taste of bile rose in my throat.
“There are those among us that refuse to drink from donor bags,” Anthony explained. “They still draw in humans to drink from.”
“Don’t freak out, Riley!” Elias watched my eyes widen. “We have to be secretive. We aren't allowed to kill a human—if for no other reason than it draws too much attention. Vampires sometimes go rogue and kill, but they're rapidly hunted down.”
The scenery raced by as I contemplated the new information. “If it’s such a secret, how are you able to bite a human and drink their blood without them freaking out?”
Elias turned to talk directly to me. I went a little dumb as the sunlight hit his profile, lighting up his blond hair and making his eyes pop. I felt the urge to caress his cheek. Hah. Maybe caress it with a baseball bat.
“We don't really know. We’ve long been forbidden from studying the sciences. But most of us get the same education as your average human. We do a sort of homeschool program.” I began to ask another question, but Elias cut me off. “We aren't allowed to study the sciences because if any of us were scientists, we would be too tempted to study ourselves. And if we study ourselves, there's a chance the information could get out. We aren’t the only Unseen creatures that are hiding. There’s a high council for the Unseen called the Junta of the Tipua. They make final decisions, settle disputes between species and clans and are the final authority. They recently elected a young Fairy to be the new lead, and he’s making some positive changes for the Unseen across the world—but it'll take time.”
Quiet for most of his long explanation, I raised my eyebrows at the term Unseen. “The Unseen?”
“Yes, that’s how we refer to anyone in the supernatural world. That way we aren’t specifically saying the witches, or the shifters, or the merfolk.”
“Ah. Wow, I have a lot of information to process.” The Merfolk? “How long until we reach my boys?”
A sigh slipped past my lips when they told me half an hour. I was sure we’d been driving for hours, but we’d only been moving for about twenty minutes. Tears slipped down my cheeks as I realized my boys had been living less than an hour away from me the entire time.
I fought for control so I could continue siphoning information from them. “Where are we going?”
“We have a home base up in the mountains. The locals call it Thunderhead Mountain. We asked a witch to hide it years ago when we moved to this area. It’s the safest place for an Unseen for a good three hundred miles.”
“Are any Unseen welcome there?” I asked.
Anthony shifted in his seat. “Not anymore. That’s why we moved. We created a hidden fortress in the mountains, and the location is given to select few. The story behind that move would take far more time than we have now.”
“To answer your earlier question,” Elias said, “when a Supay bites a human, the human feels like they’ve had an intense orgasm. Our venom heals the skin, so no wound remains—if done properly. It’s a bit like a sexual trance, and the human might think their partner had a bit of a biting kink. We don't know how or why it works.”
I glared at Elias in consternation and tried to control my rogue thoughts. As if I wasn’t already fighting sudden, strong desires. They’ve got an orgasm bite. Great.
Mountains as familiar to me as my own living room gave me a modicum of peace as we drove. I’d driven, hiked, and swam in the rivers of these mountains for as long as I could remember. “Elias, where exactly is this place? I’ve hiked from one end of Thunderhead Mountain to the other and haven’t seen any houses up there.”
“I mentioned we had a witch hide it. You would find the wood and brush impenetrable and have to walk around the border. If you tried to hack through the brush you’d be transported straight through to the other side of the property.” He spoke about magic as if I would understand and be okay with it. I kept my cynical thoughts to myself since I was on my way to see my children. The snark could wait.
Halfway up the winding mountain road, Anthony slowed and parked at what we always called a pull-off: a spot to be able to get out and take pictures of the view. The river snaked in a ravine beside us.
“We have to walk from here, and there’s no trail. We’re going to sneak onto the property and let you see the boys. You won’t get to speak to them, and they won't see you. You must agree to this, or we won't take you, and you'll never find them on your own,” Anthony said.
“I agree.” I’ll do anything.
Elias put his arms around me from behind. I sank into him, appreciating the comfort of my best friend as I contemplated seeing my children again. Then I caught myself, remembering that the arms around me belonged to a lying traitor. I sprang forward, scooping up one of the packs we were carrying with us. “Let’s go.”
The only thing I disliked about hiking was the mosquitos. My blood must’ve tasted like sweet honey to a mosquito, because they loved to bite me. I chuckled at the irony of slapping little blood suckers off of my skin as I climbed a mountain with two big blood suckers.
“What’s so funny?” asked Anthony.
“Mosquitos. It’s nothing,” I said. Elias shrugged. I continued to chuckle, elated to be heading toward David and Daniel.
I stopped abruptly, the bag full of weapons banging against my butt. They could’ve been leading me up into the densest part of the mountains to kill me. When did I get so comfortable with the two men that had essentially kidnapped me?
“What’s wrong?
We don’t have much farther to go,” said Elias.
Anthony inspected me over Eli’s shoulder with one eyebrow quirked.
“Are you two taking me up here to rape and kill me? If you are, just tell me so we can get the fight over with, because I won’t go down easily.”
Anthony huffed. “Here I thought you’d begun to trust us.”
I peered up at the clear blue sky, pondering his words. Realizing I had begun to trust them, I soldiered on. Why do I? What the hell is it about them?
An overwhelming bolt of pain shot through my temples. It made my previous headache seem like a paper cut. I hit the ground hard and was so focused on the agony in my head, I didn’t register the pain in my knees and hands. Elias and Anthony reached me so fast that I was surprised they didn't catch me on my way down.
A voice shot through the pain. "Riley! They're right behind you, and they're gaining on you! RUN NOW!" As swiftly as it came, the pain was gone.
"Run!" I took off, launching from my crouched position, trusting them to catch up and lead me to our destination. "Whoever is chasing me is right behind us." My feet pounded the forest floor as I weaved between trees and leaped over roots and fallen branches. I again found myself glad for the years of training that had increased my stamina. Anthony pulled ahead of me, out of sight, and Elias kept right on my heels.
"Riley! What happened? What made you run?" Elias asked.
"I heard the voice again.” I panted the words out. "Whoever it is, they must've pushed pretty hard to get through whatever that barrier is." I couldn't say more. Even in my good physical condition, I was moving fast enough to lose my breath.
Anthony's voice came out of nowhere. I was too focused on making sure I didn’t kill myself by falling flat on my face in the undergrowth to see where he was. "We’ll hide in the old stables. I'll scout ahead and provide a distraction in case anyone is out on that side of the property."
A few minutes later, we broke through the forest onto a lush green lawn. I spotted an old horse barn to our left and sprinted there, Elias breathing down my neck. Throwing the doors open, I ran in and doubled over, hands on my skinned knees, gasping for air.
Elias wasn't winded. His hair was barely ruffled, the jackass.
I inspected the barn as I caught my breath. The smell of fresh hay made my nose tingle, and I almost squealed at the sight of a couple of horses peeking out of their stalls at me. The interior was stuffy and oppressive after running through the unseasonably warm October mountains, though it would become cozy and inviting when winter decided to eventually move into eastern Tennessee.
"Who’s after me? And where did Anthony go? Is he safe?" Once I could speak, the words came out in a rush and almost a yell.
"Shhhh, we're trying to keep you hidden, remember?" When he put his arms around me, I had an even harder time catching my breath. His strong chest smushed my face, so I pushed him back a little—but didn't make him let me go. I’d already decided to trust them, if not forgive them, so allowing a small bit of comfort seemed fair.
"There’s still more to tell you." He let go and clenched his jaw. "We don't have time for details, but your boys are showing some traits that typically only turn up in pure Supay. That’s why we were tasked with watching you after Michael died, why they allowed me to integrate myself into your life. David started showing his powers a few months after he came here." The familiar gape was on my face again. Every time they opened their mouths to explain something to me, I became dumbfounded.
"We watched you to see if you were some sort of supernatural being, another Unseen. Different species of Unseen have always intermarried, but children produced by the unions have been one species or the other. It depends on which species has the dominant traits. We’ve learned enough about science and biology from our human lessons to recognize that the Supay are always the dominant species, dominant genes."
"So you think I'm some other species besides human?" I asked, the incredulity clear in my voice.
"We thought you might be. That's why we watched you. When it became clear that you lived as a human, we needed to get closer. That's when I began to train you. I didn't expect to come to care about you. Being your friend wasn't a part of the assignment. It happened naturally, and I won't apologize for it."
"You sure could apologize for betraying that friendship, though. That, you could well and truly apologize for," I replied, the anger fresh again.
"I know. If you let me, when we get out of this mess, I'll find a way to make it up to you." His words left a tiny warm spot in my heart. I mentally stomped on that nasty little warm spot.
"For now though, I need to go see if I can figure out exactly who the Junta sent to chase us. They've figured out that we've told you the truth, and they won't be happy about it."
Elias pulled me over to an empty horse stall. "Hide in here for now. There shouldn't be many Supay here; there was a big party at the Collins’ house in Charleston this week. Most of the adults will be there." I stood, arms crossed, one eyebrow raised. “The Collins are another old Supay family. I can’t explain more now.” Elias shut the stall door and motioned for me to get down. "Anthony or I will return as soon as we can."
I listened to the creak of the barn door and crouched down. The hay was surprisingly soft and smelled fresh. At least he put me in a clean stall. I burrowed myself into the corner to wait. And wait and wait. I pulled out my gun to have something to do. I unloaded it and practiced twirling it like in an old western movie. Then when that got boring, I waited some more, until my eyelids started to droop.
My mind drifted into a semi-conscious state, as I was too freaked out to actually sleep. I heard the soft sounds of the horses eating and padding around their stalls. I dreamed of my boys, my mind bringing up the images from the picture.
The sound of the barn door opening and masculine voices broke through my dream. I jerked awake and rose to my knees. My gun was still in my hand, so I trained it on the stall door. Fucking hell. It’s not loaded. I had dozed before reloading it. I loaded the oiled gun quietly as I listened.
"We had a tail, Danyelus. Someone knew we were coming and tracked us up the mountain. We tried to lose them by hiking in through the woods, but they followed on foot. I could hear them crashing through the brush behind us as we broke through the barrier. They’re probably still out there."
A strange voice replied. "I know, Anthony, these are grave times. The Junta are accusing you both of telling the human woman our secrets. They believe you are plotting to return her children to her. Please tell me they're wrong and this is a power play on their part to undermine the authority of our last two male pure Supay."
Neither spoke for several seconds. "We have no plans to return her children to her. The Supay belong together. They’d become rogue as they aged if they stayed in the human world with her."
Danyelus seemed to take him at face value and didn't question him further. "Good man. I didn't truly believe you would betray us."
The words unsaid hung heavy in my ears. Anthony hadn’t mentioned telling me the truth. And he didn't say anything about taking me to my children, just that they wouldn't take my children from the Supay. If they were truly vampires, they really would need to stay with their kin. I could understand that. As long as they let me stay too, I wouldn’t argue.
Heavy footsteps fell past the stall where I hid. Anthony's eyes peered briefly into the stall, and then he turned, blocking the other man’s view of me. "Let's go see the children, Danyelus. I've missed them." I relaxed and sagged against the stall wall as their footsteps quieted.
I settled in to wait for Elias to appear, but didn't wait long. I jumped and hid the gun as the face of a child peeked in. Black hair framed a perfect heart of a face. She was all chubs and cuteness with wide eyes, and a little rosebud mouth set in an O. "Who are you?" she asked.
"Hello, little one," I replied. "My name is Riley. What's yours?"
"I'm Jaime," she said, opening the stall door. "I'm six."
"It's nice to meet you, Jaime. I'm thirty-two."
She wrinkled her pert little nose."You're so young, Riley. How'd you get to be a grown up so fast?"
My brow furrowed in confusion. "What should I look like at thirty-two?"
"My brother Stephen is thirty-four, and mom says he's in his knees and elbows stage. He's skinny, and his voice keeps squeaking."
Like a kid going through puberty. Oh my god, do vampire children age slowly? Why then do David and Daniel seem to be the appropriate ages? Do they mature slower as well?
"What brings you to the barn, pretty girl?" I asked, hoping no adult would come searching for Jaime.
"I love the horses. I take care of them by myself. My horse's name is Stardust, and he runs faster than any other horse ever has." Her eyes twinkled with excitement as she talked.
"I'm sure he does. Don't you think your mommy will be calling for you soon?" I hoped not.
"No, my mommy is gone. She died when I was a baby, and my daddy brought me here to live with Auntie Tammy," she said.
I wondered if her mom was a human and if she was another child ripped from her mother's arms."What’s your daddy's name?"
"Anthony," she said.
A rock dropped into my gut. I didn't know why I imagined he didn't have children. For all I knew, he was married to a goddess with a slew of adorable little hellions. I knew squat about him, except that he had a jaw dropping face, a body that would require me to carry a wet floor sign, he was a pure Supay, and could calm people. Why I was disappointed that he was a father, I couldn’t say.
A woman's voice floated into the barn. "Jaime! Come inside now, your daddy wants to see you!"
Pure delight hit Jaime's beautiful face, and it nearly took my breath away. I was struck with a wave of sadness at my lack of a daughter. I would likely have no more children, not after what I’d been through. How could I bring another child into a world without Michael or my sons around me?
