by Greg Hair
Nicholas followed the woman’s direction and, moments later, found the care home he was looking for.
“Yes, sir, may help you?” asked the woman behind the front desk as he entered.
“Hmm,” he said, looking around the foyer, noticing a lack of surveillance cameras. “Well, the trust that those who really run this place have in their fellow man certainly doesn’t hurt. But, no. You, yourself, can’t help me.” He pulled out a thermos from an inside coat pocket, sitting it on the desk.
“Keeps cold things cold, and hot things hot,” he said, looking down and tapping the top of the canister. Then he resumed eye contact with the receptionist. “Don’t worry. I can get what I came here for, myself.”
A short time later, Nicholas emerged from the gothic façade, tucking the now blood-spattered thermos back into his coat. The screams from inside the building trickled onto the street outside.
As passers-by ran toward his location, the werewolf casually descended the gray stone steps that led into the care home, and headed back toward Loch Awe.
Chapter 3: Requiem
LillyAnna knocked lightly on the entrance to Landon’s tiny, condemned-looking room on Poveglia. He quickly turned off his small radio that sat next to his modest sleeping area. The CD playing Johnny Cash’s The Beast in Me ended mid-song.
“Busy?” she asked, with some trepidation evident.
“No. Come in,” Landon said, sitting up on his small makeshift bed, feigning a smile as he looked into her big, brown eyes. “I’m glad to see you. I’ve been wanting to talk about what happened last night.”
“Let’s take a walk.”
“Okay.”
Landon timidly followed, his nervousness about the coming conversation growing with each step they took. Walking out of the main building on the island, Landon trailed LillyAnna slightly, letting her lead. A simple gesture he hoped would help add to his apology.
“I’m sorry,” he said, sheepish in every possible way, physically and verbally, as they walked.
“I know.” LillyAnna took his hand. “This isn’t going to be easy for you.”
“You’re right. I really hurt you last night, and apologizing for something like that isn’t easy.”
“I wasn’t talking about your apology,” she said, increasing her grip on his hand as she led him around a group of trees into a clearing.
“What do you mean?”
Suddenly, Ryker and the teens emerged from the surrounding trees and into the open area.
“What’s going on?” Landon asked.
“This has been a long time coming,” said Ryker, moving behind Landon, blocking the path that led back the way the couple came.
“I love you,” LillyAnna said. “Please, remember that from this moment on.” Then she backed away, joining the others in a circle. Landon was now surrounded.
“What the hell is this?”
“An intervention,” said Ryker.
“This isn’t happening. I don’t need an intervention.” He started walking toward Ryker, intending to circumvent the blockade. Ryker stepped in front of his friend.
“It is happening,” said the Dane. “Landon, I need to get under way very soon to go after my wife, so let us please move this along. Stay. Listen. Don’t make me—“
“Don’t make you what?” Landon asked, squinting his eyes. The tension was palpable and Landon saw in his peripheral vision the teens look nervously at each other.
“We’re here to help you,” said LillyAnna, approaching. “No one’s here to attack you, metaphorically or literally.”
“No?” Landon said, turning her way. “Sure looks like it.” He moved back into the larger space in the clearing, giving himself some breathing room.
“Look,” he began, addressing everyone, “it was an accident. I wasn’t paying attention, wasn’t aware of my surroundings. You know that’s unlike me. You know that’s uncommon. So obviously, there’s no other problem to be dealt with, since I just addressed it. I said I was sorry, Lilly.”
“I know. I know you’re sorry. It’s okay.”
“Don’t coddle him,” said Ryker, looking sternly at LillyAnna. “That’s not going to help.”
“Don’t tell her how to talk to me.”
“I’m not trying to tell her what to do. I’m trying to help her help you. I’m trying to help you. I love you like a brother, Landon. If you’d been alive when I got married, you’d have been best man.”
“I’m sorry,” said Landon. “I think of you like a brother, too, and I know you think I need help with something, but I really don’t. I’m in complete control.”
“If you were in complete control, you wouldn’t have ended up at the bottom of a canal in the first place. You’re so focused on whether we can beat Nicholas, and thinking that we can’t, that you’re only helping to ensure our defeat.”
“It was one night. I was a little down.”
“It’s not just the one night,” said LillyAnna. “You’re drinking has gradually, sometimes not so gradually, increased over time. Ever since Savannah and your father, you’ve grown more distant from us, and closer to alcohol.”
“Oh, come on. Don’t be so dramatic, Lilly.”
“She’s not being dramatic,” said Jacinda, stepping forward. “We’ve all noticed a change in you.”
“Yeah,” Connor said, “you’re the closest think I have to a father-figure as a werewolf. I try to be like you. But I don’t want to be the person you’re turning into. Imagine what it’s like for your real kids to see you change.”
“They’re not seeing anything, Connor. They’re little kids. They don’t know what’s going on.”
“Now, you know that’s not true,” chimed LillyAnna. “Think about all the things you saw as a kid, you just didn’t talk about it. You didn’t know how to process it. And what about Jamie? Think about everything he’s seen with you. That’s had to weigh on him and his decision to follow Nicholas.”
“Wait just a damn minute. Don’t blame me for Jamie siding with Nicholas. That’s not my fault. He’s made his own choices. You guys really are making this a bigger issue than it really is.”
“No,” said Ryker, “the bigger issue, the biggest issue, is Nicholas.”
“That’s right, so let’s focus on him instead of me.”
“Well, the problem with that, is your connection to him. Obviously, for some reason, you are the key in all of this. We need you in order to defeat him. And he knows that. But we can’t do it if you’re always looking at the bottom of a glass. Or at the bottom of a canal because of that glass.”
Landon turned his back to the group, looking out across the Venetian waterways.
“You’ve got to get a grip, or we’re dead,” Ryker continued. “We’re all dead. Everyone on this planet is in danger and we’re the only ones able to stop it. You are the one standing in Nicholas’ way. I know that’s a lot of pressure on you, but we need you to become the werewolf you’re meant to be, the one he’s obviously so troubled by that he’d send someone all the way down here to kill you, in order to beat him. To save us all.”
“You must be clean, Landon, my friend,” said Bijan, the Persian Werewolf, stepping into the clearing and approaching the group, putting his Koran, and rosewood Misbaha prayer beads, into the gray pocket of his Bampur jacket; his blue turban hat covering his black hair.
“One does not need to be Muslim,” he continued, “Christian, Jewish, or any other religion, to understand that it is vitally important to be clean, both mentally and physically, when fighting for one’s life, possibly confronting death.
“You must be clean as you enter into the fight, if you wish to exit triumphant, or into the next world, should death be your fate. One of these may be your destiny, maybe both, perhaps neither, only Allah knows. He has chosen you for this special purpose, you above all others. Allah will guide you, but you must be healthy in mind, body, and spirit, to complete the task assigned to you. You must be pure if you wish to defeat the seemingly undef
eatable.”
“We need you, Landon,” said LillyAnna. “I need you. You’ve got to quit drinking. And I think you know that, you’re just not admitting it.”
“What do you mean I know it?”
“I was listening to the song you playing before I knocked earlier. That Johnny Cash song. I think you know what kind of beast he’s referring to. And I think you weren’t listening to it in reference to the literal beast in you.”
Landon remained silent.
“I’ve known you a long time,” said Ryker. “I’ve seen what you can do, the things you’re capable of. I know how powerful you were before you ascended. I know why Nicholas fears you. The funny thing is, I don’t think you’ve reached your zenith, yet. I think there’s still more coming.
“Nicholas is scared. For good reason. But he’s not your greatest enemy. You are. That damn bottle is. Imagine what you can become, will become, if you quit drinking and really focused on winning this thing. Which you can do. If we couldn’t win, this would have been finished long ago. But we’re still here. There’s a reason for that, and you know it. You may have lost your faith in yourself, but you still understand there are reasons for certain things. There’s a reason you ascended and it’s not just because you were elected Consul.”
“He’s right,” LillyAnna said. “I know you hurt. I know so much has happened so quickly. I understand. We all do. Any one of us could have taken the route you have if we’d been put through the same stuff. But you can beat this. You can beat him. We’re here for you. And we’ll continue to be here, because we know it won’t be easy. We know the temptation will continue to be there.”
“Once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic,” Landon said, breaking his silence.
Ryker walked up to his friend, putting his hand on Landon’s shoulder.
“You have a fight with Nicholas,” he began, “and you have a fight with yourself. And we’re all here to fight with you. On both fronts. I know you blame yourself for Annelise, but don’t. It’s not your fault. Believe me…I’ll get her back.”
The teens walked up behind Landon, and joined Ryker. LillyAnna moved around to his front, placing her hands on his face.
“I love you,” she said, tears in her eyes. “You are my life, and I’m not about to let my life fade away. No matter what hell is coming our way, we’re going through it together.”
Suddenly, feeling an unsteady hand on his shoulder, Landon spun around to catch Bianca as she collapsed. LillyAnna rushed to her side.
“What just happened?” asked Landon.
“Nothing,” said LillyAnna. “She’s just been feeling a little ill lately.”
“Ill?” He looked at her as if he was calling her bluff. “A sick werewolf? Let Bijan take a look at her. He has a background in medicine.”
“It is true,” said Bijan, “that I have experience in medicine, having studied extensively the works of the great Avicenna, as you call him, but I must admit that an illness that befalls a werewolf is something new to me. I’m not sure how much I can contribute. What kind of illness is this, LillyAnna, if I may ask?”
“It’s a woman thing,” LillyAnna said, motioning for Jacinda and Catalina to carry the girl inside. “I’m sure you don’t want details.”
“Oh. No. Nevermind,” said Landon. “I hope she’s okay, though. But, I’m sure you can handle it.”
“That’s what I thought,” she whispered, following the other girls.
Chapter 4: Requiem
“That was smart telling Landon it was a woman thing without really telling him,” said Jacinda, helping Catalina lay Bianca on the bed.
“I knew that’s what it would take to get him to leave us alone about it. That’s all you have to say to any man—it’s a woman thing. Remember that for future reference.”
Bianca moved her hand slowly to her head as she gradually came around.
“What happened?” she asked.
“You fainted,” said Catalina. “It was pretty cool, though. Landon caught you before you hit the ground.”
“Remind me to thank him later.”
“I think you’re okay,” said LillyAnna, taking a seat on the bed next to the young werewolf. “It’s the pregnancy.”
“Great. Just one more thing to add to the list of side effects.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way,” began Catalina, “but you were a bit heavy on the way here. You look bigger than yesterday.”
“Don’t take it the wrong way? You just called me fat! I’m not fat. It’s not like I can just go on a diet!”
“That’s not what she meant,” said Jacinda, stroking Bianca’s hair. “It certainly looks like your emotions are definitely becoming amplified. She was talking about the rapid weight gain. This baby will come in half the time of a normal pregnancy.” Everyone looked at her. “One shift, one change to wolf form, and the baby will die.”
LillyAnna lowered her head as Jacinda continued. “The body knows that a shift at any moment will terminate the pregnancy, so it speeds up the process in order to protect the baby, to get the baby out quickly before that happens. If you were a mortal woman, pregnant with Jamie’s baby, it would be a standard, nine month pregnancy. But you’re not, so it’s not.”
“I’m sorry, Catalina” said Bianca, wiping a tear away. “I know you didn’t mean it that way.”
“It’s okay,” Catalina said. “Like she said, you’re very emotional. I understand.” She paused. “I mean, I would be too if I could get pregnant.”
Bianca reached out, grabbing her friend’s hand.
“Bianca, how’s everything else?” LillyAnna asked.
“The cravings are so intense. All I want is raw, red meat. I can’t stand it. The hunger, I mean.”
“Have you been eating?”
“Yeah, but it’s like I can’t get enough.”
“Well, just keep eating. You’re eating for two now.”
“Yeah. Hey,” Bianca said, sitting up slowly in the bed as Jacinda and Catalina propped her up with extra pillows, “does Landon know? I mean, since I fainted out there with him.”
“No. No one outside this room knows. This is a very delicate situation, and I’m not talking about just being pregnant. You’re pregnant with Jamie’s baby. I haven’t come up with a way to tell Landon, yet.”
“He’s gonna figure it out soon,” remarked Jacinda. “The ‘it’s a woman thing’ is going to work for only so long. Normal women, sorry Bianca, you know what I mean, they start showing at a couple months. This is gonna be in a couple of weeks. Even us here in this room are starting to see a difference.”
“I know,” LillyAnna said, rising from the bed and pacing around the room. “But I’d still prefer to break it to him gently.”
“Did I do something wrong?” Bianca asked. “Is it wrong that I’m pregnant with Jamie’s baby?”
“No.” LillyAnna rushed back to the bed. “Not at all. No one here is mad at you or holding anything against you, or that baby.” She put her hand to the girl’s stomach. “We’re gonna take care of you. All of us.”
“Yeah, the men, too,” said Jacinda. “Connor’s been talking about finding some sleepers for the baby, though he doesn’t know they’re called sleepers. He just calls them pajamas.”
“You and Connor have a great relationship,” said Bianca. “Maybe that’s kind of what I was looking for with Jamie.”
“Well, don’t be too jealous. Connor and I have our ups and downs like any other couple. We fight about the same stuff other couples do—money, sex, him being too friendly with the waitress. Sometimes, our fights get brutal. He’ll make me really mad, and I’ll shift, then his eyes will turn bright blue, or vice versa, and then we’re going at it. Neither one of us ever really hurts the other, though. It takes a lot of work to make a relationship function.
“Then you add the environmental factors. Thankfully, much of the world has progressed enough to the point that when people see a black woman and a white man together, they don’t bat an eye. Unfortu
nately, it’s not like that everywhere we go. We get these looks of disgust. Then you wonder, what would those people think if they knew that Connor and I weren’t even the same species? They see that we’re different on the outside, but they have no idea what’s on the inside. And I mean that both ways. They have no idea of the types of creatures we really are, and they don’t know that we are both very loving people, kind-hearted, compassionate people, that could, and would, jump to rescue those racists in a heartbeat.
“My parents were like that when we met. Him being a vampire and much older than me, I never got the chance to meet his parents. So, one day, he asked me to run away with him, and I did—and never looked back. That was five years ago. And you know what? At the end of the day, even after a big fight, I’ve never regretted leaving with him. It takes work, but we both realize that the other person is worth all the effort.”
“See, that’s what I’m talking about. That’s what I want. I’m sure you guys are wondering, though, why Jamie.” Bianca rubbed her lower back and relaxed into the pillows. “And the answer is that I love him. I don’t know why. Does anyone ever really know why they fall in love with someone? I mean, we all meet multiple people that we’d probably be happy with, could live with. But why do we fall in love with only certain ones? That’s how it is for me with Jamie.”
“But,” began Jacinda, the caution in her voice audible to everyone, “even after he was obviously into Serinda? Your sister? And now, the last you heard, she was with him. Your own sister. Connor looking at another waitress is one thing; I know nothing would ever come of it. It’s natural to look. But he would never do to me what Jamie did to you. And she’s just as guilty.”
“I don’t know what going through Serinda’s mind, and I can understand what you mean about me falling for Jamie even though he was into her, and we all knew it. But I can’t give you a reason why. Maybe I had hope.” Bianca paused, running her hands across her stomach. “Maybe there’s still hope.”
“What kind of hope did you have?” asked LillyAnna.
“I don’t know. Maybe the same kind you have for Landon. Hope that you could help him, save him. Hope that he would love me back. I thought all he needed was someone to love him. Especially after the life he’s had. And I hope that when he finds out about the baby--.”
