by Olivia Harp
He arched his brow. What was she talking about? Did she harm herself?
“Hey look at me. It’s not what it looks like.”
She walked to the dining table, picked up a small bottle full of blood and gave it to him.
“I told you I don’t feed on people.”
He wasn’t understanding, “you did.”
“Or animals.”
She was enjoying being this mysterious, he could tell.
“So... you drink your own blood?”
Her eyes went wide and she covered her mouth, muffling her laughter, “No! I wish I could do that!”
“I don’t understand.”
She looked at him inquisitively.
“I get blood from the hospital. Plasma. Distilled, clean, victimless.”
That was good, he guessed. He wasn’t how to feel about it.
“People donate that and—”
“Wait, Mister Know–it–all, I haven’t finished.”
She looked at the wound in her palm, it was practically healed now, so she put the napkin away.
“Can I have that bottle again, please?”
“Sure.”
“This,” she said, showing it to him, “is what I have to give back for that sweet plasma.”
He still didn’t understand, why would the hosp—
“Vampires are immortal, right? They heal fast, can’t get sick, and why?”
He shrugged.
“There’s something about our blood. We take it from living beings and it somehow becomes much more than mere sustainment. Vee’s use blood for many things. Don’t ask me how, I’m no scientist. I donate some of mine to the hospital.”
He gasped, the hairs on the back of his neck raised. Human’s getting vampire’s blood would turn them.
“Chill. Out. Bear man,” she said, “I know what you’re thinking.”
“You’re turning them into—”
“No, you ass!”
“We found out that a drop or two of vee’s blood mixed with people’s IV meds helped them heal faster. Way faster.”
He sighed loudly.
“Oh crap, man,” he said, “you really got me scared there.”
“Really. I got you scared. You almost turned into your bear and started after me!”
“I’m sorry, I—”
“Do you think I’m a monster?”
She wasn’t joking. She genuinely wanted to know what he thought about her.
“No,” he replied, solemnly, “I think you’re amazing.”
“Good,” she replied, more relaxed, “I think you are kind of okay, too, for a shifter.”
He rolled his eyes.
“So, how did you...”
“I’m not telling you how we found out, who I know, where I do it, or any additional information that could jeopardize the individual —or individuals— I work with.”
He laughed, she sounded straight out of a 1960’s James Bond film.
“All right, that’s fair. So, people get cured with this?”
“People get cured if they take their meds. Vee’s blood helps the body fight the disease harder. But they can only have a drop or two every few weeks. We don’t wanna risk it.”
“You’ve been doing this a long time, right?”
She considered the question.
“Long enough to know what I’m doing.”
“Interesting.”
She put the bottle on the table and said “wanna go see the fireworks?”
His eyes narrowed.
“Wasn’t it too dangerous for you?”
She grabbed a small black purse from a chair and headed to the door, giggling.
“Yeah, I might have lied about that, I love fireworks.”
***
They walked to Chapman’s park, she said it was close, and they’d have trouble finding a parking spot anyway, so why not walk?
They arrived early. The park was right next to a small lake, the grass area was huge but almost empty, Mav and Faith could pick any place they liked.
“We’re in luck,” she said, “last year the sky was covered in clouds, the year before it was drizzling. You can’t really enjoy the fireworks when you’re getting wet.”
People started to arrive, coming from all directions. This celebration was a tradition in Rosenberg, a welcoming to the colder months of the year. It was a more or less pagan tradition to appease the weather and avoid hard winters. Funny thing how it remained part of the town’s customs, Rosenberg being so close to Salem and all.
“Aren’t you cold?” Mav asked.
She turned to him, she was the only person wearing shorts. She had tights underneath but they didn’t seem very warm.
“I’m fine, thanks.”
He studied her, not saying anything. She smiled and rolled her eyes.
“Yes. Vampires can feel cold, and hot, and those days where the sun’s high in the sky and humidity is above eighty percent? Those days are the worst.”
He huffed.
“And yes, we have trouble resting if outside’s burning hot. That’s why vampires get A/C.”
Okay, was she reading his mind?
“No, I’m not reading your mind.”
“Excuse me?”
She turned to him.
“What?”
“I just wondered about you reading my mind and you answered my question out loud.”
Surprise covered her face, her eyes fixed on his deep green ones.
“Think about something...” she said.
“Like what?”
“I don’t know,” she laughed, “a fruit, think about a fruit, any fruit!”
Okay. He thought of an apple. No wait, an apple was too easy, a banana? No something rarer. Okay, a pomegranate. Yeah, that was it. He focused his mind, thinking hard on it. The image, the words.
She looked at him, then closed her eyes. Then she touched his arm and grunted.
“An apple?”
“Really? An apple?”
“A coconut?”
“Are you pulling my leg?”
“No. I can’t read minds. I thought maybe like, I gained that power or something and I hadn't noticed.”
“You suck at mind reading,” he said laughing.
“Not entirely.”
“How so?”
“Well, apparently I read your mind a few minutes ago, right?”
“Well did you?”
She shook her head, half smiling.
“Nah, I didn’t, it was a coincidence, I swear,” then she got serious, “wait... are you going to think everything I do is because I’m a Vee?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean I’m a person first. Not everything I do or say has to do with me being a...” she turned around, the park was already filled with people, “you understand.”
He put his arm on her waist and softly pulled her closer to him.
“I understand,” he said.
The first firework went up with a wheezing noise, and then a couple more followed. The sky lit up and he kissed her. She hadn’t felt like this in years, like she could connect with someone on a deeper level.
He was, in many ways, just like her. After all, they both knew it was wrong, but couldn’t resist the temptation. It had been simply magical.
The pang of regret hit her deep inside. What are you getting into this time, Faith? Then he bit her lower lip and whatever worries she had disappeared. This couldn’t last, obviously, but both of them knew it. That doesn’t mean we can’t have something good right now.
They looked up, the fireworks going off in a perfectly controlled explosion, a flash of green, blues, yellows and reds tinted the sky.
She looked around her and saw happiness. Maverick looked up, not noticing how human this was. Having people around, enjoying themselves in a simple light show. Being part of a community, knowing that you haven’t fallen off the edge of the world, that you still mean something.
He held her close, still looking up, and she felt somethin
g she hadn’t felt in years.
She felt alive.
Chapter 9
After the show was done, they decided to walk around the park, there were a lot of people still enjoying themselves. Even on a Saturday, families didn’t have that many options. It was either stay there, go to a restaurant or go home. Rosenberg wasn’t exactly known for its exciting night life, after all.
“Do you want to get a snack?” Faith asked.
He arched his brow, “I thought you couldn’t—”
“Eat?” she finished, then looked at him as they walked, “no, Maverick, I’m still not a mind reader. I knew you were gonna say that.”
“I don’t want to eat anything if you can’t, seems... unfair?”
“Not unfair at all, don’t worry. But you’re wrong by the way.”
She had her arm on his, like an old friend. Both walked slowly, enjoying the cool and gentle night breeze. Children were laughing around them, their parents buying candy and pastry. To be honest, it was a bit romantic. A Latino man in his forties was selling cotton candy a few steps away.
“It’s been years since I’ve had cotton candy,” she said, taking his hand and rushing ahead.
Mav got her a pink one, and a blue one for him. She took a bite and moaned in delight.
“I forgot how it just disappears in your mouth,” she said.
“Yeah, I know, I think they actually look better than they taste.”
“But you can’t go to a fair and not get one, right?”
“Absolutely right,” he chuckled.
“I can still eat and taste things, I just have to make myself digest it,” she said.
He glanced at her, “that must be difficult.”
“It is, at first. But you have to learn to make your body work as if it was alive, or you can put yourself in danger without realizing.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well... people don’t like vampires, right? But they rarely see one. Nowadays saying you saw a vampire is like saying you saw a UFO or Big Foot. Yeah, you might have seen a real one, but you probably didn’t. We can put ourselves at risk by forgetting about the simple stuff.”
“Like not eating or drinking.”
“Or worse. I heard a story about this woman, a valued member of her community and all, up in Alaska. She even went to church, she couldn’t help herself, you know how Catholics are. She helped with the church’s finances, sometimes played the piano, the whole thing. People generally liked her, she was the pinnacle of a normal, if a little reserved woman.”
They saw an empty bench in front of the lake and sat on it, it was a lovely evening, the small lake reflecting the yellow tinge of the night lights looked like an impressionist painting.
“Turns out, a kid took a video of the choir rehearsing Silent Night outside the church, two or three nights before Christmas. The Vee woman was helping the teacher with the final arrangements, making sure everything was ready for the big night. So far so good, right? Well, the kid goes home and takes a look at the video and notices something weird: it was cold outside, of course. You could see people breathing. But after playing it several times, frame by frame, reversed and all, he never saw her exhale vapor. He then realizes how he’s never seen her during the day, and things just escalated from there.”
“Yikes, that sucks, what happened to her?”
She fell silent for a second, then finished her cotton candy.
“She had the Human Protection Services called down on her, had to run away, leaving everything behind.”
“Shit. You know her?”
She sighed audibly.
“Used to, yes.”
***
They walked back to her home after playing some games at the fair, Maverick pretended to lose in some, because, as competitive as he was, he loved seeing her face light up in laughter whenever she won against a shifter.
But you don’t know if she was letting you win, vampires aren’t known for clumsiness. He’d have to ask her later.
The streets were empty now. Yellowing trees the only remaining witnesses to the end of their date.
“This is me,” she said as she stepped on her houses’ porch.
“It was a great evening,” Mav said.
She slowly nodded, looking tiny in front of him. Shifter’s bodies were much different than everyone else’s. She fitted perfectly in his arms.
He leaned in for a kiss and she conceded, giggling as the kiss ended.
Damn, I like this girl already too much.
“What are you doing?” she said.
“About what?”
She chortled, “you think you’re so handsome, probably think I’m going to invite you in, am I right?”
“Quite the opposite, little lady,” he said, “I think I’m going back home and will resume with the courtship tomorrow.”
“The courtship,” she said incredulous.
“Sure, I like you too much to let this just be a physical thing.”
She bit her lip, her eyes fixed on him.
“We can’t do this.”
“I know,” he said, “I don’t care.”
She smiled softly and said “okay,” raising her arms to pull him towards her, his lips connecting with hers. The cool autumn breeze grazed their bodies, the trees above welcomed him to a feeling he had yet to define.
His bear purred, finding in this wondrous embrace more than he had found in a dozen other beds. The mere thought of being with someone else made him sick. The only place he wanted to be was in her arms.
Mate, his bear purred inside as a jitter of butterflies fluttered inside him. He leaned back, his heart beating harder now.
Shit, he thought, his confused look giving him away instantly.
“Are you okay?”
He nodded, her voice was music to him. Mate? My bear is going crazy.
“Time to go,” he said stepping back to the sidewalk, “I’ll see you... tomorrow?”
She shrugged, trying to hide her smile, “Sure, yeah.”
“Done deal,” he said, as she entered her house and waved goodbye.
A faint, acrid scent escaped through the door.
“What’s that smell?” he asked.
“What?” she said, taking a deep breath, then her eyes bolted open.
“Oh no,” she said.
A blinding light lit up inside, sending her screaming against the door, shutting it in Maverick’s face.
What the fuck?
“Faith!”
He tried to open the door but it was stuck, her muffled cries hinting that she was pressed against it.
He heard a man yelling inside and in a flash, the door exploded in a million pieces, her body hit him hard as she flew out to the street, sending them both to the ground.
She had been tossed as a rag doll.
A man in a cowboy hat walked out the door, his heavy steps echoing against the silent evening. Every step he took was sure and measured, the bright lights behind him painted a dark, evil silhouette.
Mav stood up fast, taking a glimpse at Faith, she was standing up and he immediately put himself in front of her, making sure she was safe.
“Who the fuck are you?” he asked.
This was a direct attack on his mate.
“I want to know before I kill you.”
The Cowboy laughed.
“Kill me?” he said, his low, guttural voice was like a saw against rock, “I was going to give you a chance to leave, but now I’m going to rip you apart piece by piece.”
“Let him go,” Faith said with a trembling voice, “he has nothing to do with me.”
For some reason, that hurt Maverick, what the hell was going on?
“No, dear, he just sentenced himself to death.”
He disappeared in a puff of smoke and the next second his stony claws were holding Maverick’s neck, lifting him up in the air. Mav couldn’t breathe, the Cowboy’s hands tightened hard, trying to kill him.
Mav’s eyes shuffled toward Faith, who
yelled in anguish as the lights inside the house hit her again. The skin on her face was burning in front of his eyes, her shoulders and legs looked as if she had scraped them horribly on the pavement. She blinked out into the darkness.
The Cowboy had picked him first, that gave him relief. Mav turned to him and saw his black, demon eyes, his corrupted smile, fangs protruding from it, an aberration to everything that is of this world.
Maverick smiled. You picked the wrong person to fuck with.
He grabbed the Cowboy’s hand and twisted hard and slow, the demon’s face turning from a confident smile to a questioning, fearful gaze. He lowered him, incapable of getting away.
“What are you?” the demonic thing asked, bending slowly towards the ground, his arm twisted to its limit, its bones cracking one by one.
“You’ll find out,” Mav replied, as he let out a huge roar and twisted the Cowboy’s arm completely, his elbow snapping like a twig under his strength.
The Cowboy screamed in pain. His legs gave in, making him kneel at Maverick, his strength was much more than he’d expected. Maverick was blinded by fury, no one could harm his mate and come out alive. No one.
“Watch out!” Faith said, from afar, half of her body badly burned, “He’s playing with you!”
The Cowboy snarled and turned burning hot under Mav’s arm, then flashed out of existence and was free, his arm still broken and twisted outwards in an impossible angle.
“Fuck you, bear! She belongs to me!”
Faith leaped forward, crossing the beam of light to kick him in the back, but he turned to smoke and was now behind her, his good arm twisted on her neck.
Mav roared harder than ever and in an instant he was no longer a person, he was a huge Kodiak bear leaping at him.
The man jumped back towards the light, pulling her with him. Mav saw him sinking his canines on her, he wanted that. His eyes met Faith’s and she blinked away just in time, her vampiric powers letting her escape from the hold.
The Cowboy’s eyes widened as Mav’s jaws tore open half his face, his claws ripping his torso apart.
He was dead.
For a moment, Mav breathed the empty air between him and the monster.
There was no time to waste. He turned to Faith, laying on the floor, bleeding profusely, the deep bite on her back flowing like a river of crimson.
