by brett hicks
“I need another glass of blood; this conversation is confusing as hell!” My mom looked like she actually agreed with me on that point. She followed me into the kitchen and produced a bottle of Jack Daniels from the cupboard.
“Let’s skip the light stuff kiddo and get right to good ole Jack.” I pulled a few liquor glasses that are never used from the top shelf and handed them to her. She poured a few finger lengths of Jack into each glass and handed me one, then I followed her back into the living room.
I never would have imagined this day would come. It is Sunday morning and I am drinking hard liquor with my mom of all people! Neither of us spoke for a long time. We both grimaced with each swig of amber Jack burning down our throats. I had migrated to the couch with my mom and I had my head rested on her shoulder. She was generally a great example for any teenager, but we both just needed to it the delete button on our stress right now and we are New Orleans girls.
I slurred out, “Shoo who isss the fourth heir?”
My mom takes another sip of her Jack for courage and says, “Darla Cloud of the Voodoo priestess line, more necromancer than priestess if you ask me.”
“Damn, she is always such a bitch to me at school. Sally always threatens to eat her for lunch.” My mom bursts out laughing and says, “God that Sally cracks me up. She is hilarious, just like her father was at her age. He had a huge…”
“Ok TMI mom! I am not drunk enough to hear about your conquests yet!”
She laughs girlishly and I realize that she does look much younger than the age she claims to be, to the human world. All supernatural sects age slowly or stop ageing completely in their early to mid-twenties. Vampires are the only ones who seem to have no natural start, unless you count dyamphyr births.
My mom fell asleep on my shoulder and I join her shortly after. I was tipsy enough to let my stress roll away and let sleep claim me. I would worry about the ramifications of this new information later.
Chapter: 10
I woke to the sound of my mom’s voice. She was talking to someone lowly on the phone. “… No I am not going to just keep her in the dark… “I heard her exasperated sigh and she says, “Mother, I will personally kill you if, anything happens to my daughter!”
I could hear the hushed tones of the other person, who was apparently my grandmother? I stay silent and unmoving in hopes of hearing more of her voice. I could make out some of what she was telling my mom.
“…Is…danger…Sects in…upheaval… cannot back…” My mother sighed and said, “You really don’t change at all do you mom? Your granddaughter has been left to her own devices for far too long. You will either take a stand or accept her as your heir, or I will challenge you for leadership, maybe I should have just done that all those years ago. If I had then maybe Philip would not have ended up in their hands. You called it a necessary sacrifice then too.”
“…Be…foolish…I hold…binding…”
“Yes and I know all of your spells and secrets mother. Do you really think I could not snap you feeble bindings?”
“…Better…dies…”
“I guess that means taking you to brunch to meat Kayla is out of the question then?” I could hear more of a French Cajun tone in my mother’s angry voice now. I had never heard her with such a thick accent before. I just don’t know her nearly as well as I thought.
Judging from the anger level raising from the phone call, I decided that I would best clear out of the house. I snagged a few bottles of water on the way out, because I might not feel any after effects of alcohol, but I did need to re-hydrate. I was bouncing back faster now that I had a lot more human blood in my system. It was really disturbing to me, just how close to a true vampire I was becoming.
I had always healed very quickly, my whole life, but now I was truly healing like a creature and not a person. I chugged the first bottle of water, as I drove to Sally’s house. I was halted at the gate to the pack’s grounds and asked to wait for their apex. Sally’s dad came to my car, about five minutes later. I could smell a level of hostility in the air that was not natural, even around me. His aura of power radiated from him as if he was directing all his malice to me. I felt myself stiffen and my instincts were screaming for me to put my car in reverse and leave now!
“Kayla you need to stay away from the pack grounds and its members from now on.” I did not even recognize his voice, much less what he had just said, at first. I felt the instinct to retreat growing in me, but my anger had snapped me from my logic base. I climbed out of my car and paced to stand right in front of him. I heard low threatening growls erupt from the betas at the gate. I saw Dylan swing around the corner to investigate the source of the noise.
I looked Mr. Early in the eyes and they were hardened and cold now, distant from the man I knew so well. I found my voice and my anger gave me strength. “What the hell is going on here Mr. E? You have never asked me to leave your lands before.”
He looked down at me and I saw his fist clench in the corner of my eye. I kept my focus on his eyes, never dropping his gaze, challenging him.
I saw his face redden slightly in anger, by the moment, but he remained in control of himself. “It is in the best interest of the pack that you no longer come on our lands, lest we invite your enemies with you.”
It hit me like a truck, what he was saying. “So the nut shell is, thanks for letting me screw you, but now that you have pissed off the vampires in order to help us, I am sending you home still wet.”
He snarled and punched me in the right cheek and I landed nine feet back, with my ass planted at the base of a tall oak tree. My cheek and my back were throbbing. I felt my eyes go completely silver and my magic poured out of me like a dam had burst. I felt my canines grow to full length now and I instinctively hissed at the man, who I loved as a father. I felt my emotions white out and all that mattered right now was fight or flight. I was never one to back down from a fight, nor was I a coward. I would be in shock that Mr. Early had actually assaulted me later, but now I wanted blood!
I sprung to my feet and tightened myself, like a snake coiling to strike, when I felt a hand on my breastbone. I saw Dylan coming to stand between me and Mr. Early. “Apex with all due respect, what the hell?”
I heard the lowest and most ominous sound rumble from Mr. Early now. It could nearly shatter the glass in my car, it was so powerful. I felt the magic of the apex predator in front of us promising death for defiance.
“You question your apex child?” He roared the question and I felt my bones vibrate from the low tone beneath his human voice. He could have actually killed a human with the level of primal power wafting off of him now. Dylan stayed very still and did not move out of his way, but he did not let me do anything stupid either.
“I simply wish to know why Sally’s best friend is being assaulted at our gates, by her father. I wish to know why my apex is baring the person who has just put a target on her back for us, from entering our grounds.”
“Move now boy or you will not like what fate awaits you!” He said through grit teeth. Dylan may not be apex, but he was the third ranking male alpha for a reason, he did not move or show fear. He did nothing accept stand between us.
“I demand an explanation or I will challenge you for one.” Dylan’s voice boomed through the early afternoon, as if he had just set off a bomb. Mr. Early moved forward at inhuman speed and was directly in Dylan’s face now.
“You will stand down now pup or I will end you!”
“Why are you abusing Kayla? This is the last time I am going to ask nicely.”
Mr. Early was already swinging his fist at Dylan and it was moving much faster, than Dylan could reacts. I knew, because Dylan sparred with me daily. I could see the path clearly, but I could not intercept the blow from behind Dylan.
I pulled him to the side and is slid about two and a half feet out of the way. I brought my left hand up in time to catch his right fist in my palm. I grit my teeth, as I felt small bones in my hand breaking under
the collision. I gave him a look that promised true death.
“SO my mom was right after all. No sooner does she warn me that you will betray my trust that you actually act on it. And for what? Because I am some kind of witch rejected heir?”
I saw his eyes widen for just a moment and I capitalized on his shock, less he actually try to kill us. “Yes I know the truth now Mr. E. I just can’t believe that you could actually stoop to such depths. You must think it is pretty fucking funny to twist a knife in my back, right after I have assured a death mark on my own head, just to help your ungrateful ass.”
I dug my nails into his fist and I felt the warm liquid of his blood running down my hand. “If you know this much, then why did you dare come to my lands?” He looked at me with some sort of twisted rage. I could not find the man I knew and thought loved me.
“I came because I wanted to see my best friend. I came because I told myself, that my mother may be a real witch, but she is not possibly right about you. I came because I thought that you were a decent man and I could just hang out with my best friend.”
I studied him, but I saw Dylan recovering now. I held my right hand back and pointed to my car. “Dylan I am leaving, you can come with me, unless you want to stay with this Neanderthal?”
Dylan shrugged himself free from my hold and said, “I will stay and face the consequences of my actions, if he allows you to drive off,” he looked over to his apex and said, “Without farther harm of course.” I saw Mr. Early tense and his eyes narrowed, calculating for a long moment. He then nodded and said, “Go, before I settle up with you little half-breed.” The venom in his tone startled me out of my adrenaline induced stupor.
I felt the first pangs of the hurt blooming in my chest, from the true wounds. The ones that were on my heart, not the now blooming bruised skin of my face. The betrayal was like a festering wound inside me now. I looked and studied Dylan, he nodded calm and cool now.
“Go Kayla, please. Sally would never forgive me, if anything happened to you, she will never agree to his insanity. I promise you that much and neither will I.”
A dozen betas were damn near circling me at this point and Dylan drug me to my car door. “Go now, while you still can, they are not playing around.” His voice was barely more than a whisper. I was hurt and furious and I was not one to back down ever, but I knew the odds of surviving whatever happened next.
“What about you Dylan? What is going to happen to you?” He shrugged and said, “Nothing too bad, I am third after all. I will see you as soon as I can, you will always be my friend.”
I gave under the press of his hands, to enter my car. I lowered myself into my car and no sooner had I begun to drive in reverse, then I saw Dylan being led away from the gate, like a common thief.
My pride was raging at me, wanting to get out and end every one of those cowards that dared touch my friend, but I knew it would make his life worse, if I did. I made myself keep driving away and I fished out a large pair of sunglasses from my glove box. I could clearly see the purple bruises on my cheek and above my eye.
I did not want to drive home, with this evidence on my face, so I drove back into the city. I drove until I reached the Quarter.
Chapter: 11
I found myself at one of my local haunts on Royal Street. A small local café, that served strong espresso and great sandwiches. I found myself ravenous after being assaulted a short time ago. I was brooding over a delicious turkey club sandwich and mocha with four shots of espresso. The bitterness of my delicious espresso did nothing to cut the taste of being punched by my best friend’s dad.
Hell I grew up without a dad of my own, so I cherished having a male role model; even if I had to endure the barely veiled threats of violence from of the pack in the process. I was out in the mild air of fall. I listened to a jazz band playing across the street at a local bar. This is New Orleans; we have at least five bars on every street in this area. One of the best things about this city is the live music on all days and all hours. There is always a band to hear, if you know where to hang out.
I must have been caught up in the music, more than I thought, because I did not notice the man, until he seated himself across from me. I jumped a little at the sudden mental plummet back to the land of the living. Me scared?
I was only vaguely alarmed, when I realized my companion with human and a cop. Detective Jon Divichi had helped himself to my table. He sat down a coffee and a grilled sandwich, it smelt like ham and cheese to me. I gave him a vague look of annoyance and said, “Detective Divichi a girl might begin to feel like she is being stalked.”
He did not seem bothered by my smart assed mouth much and he took a bite of his sandwich. He washed it down with his own espresso blended coffee. He looked at me quizzically with his hazel eyes and said, “Damnedest thing happened last night. I respond to a shots fired scene, with over half a dozen dead vampires. One killed with nine millimeter silver hollow points. Two had been killed with what the lab techs are saying is a silver and cold iron forged blade.”
I shrugged my shoulders and made myself look like the picture of disinterest. “Sounds like someone deserves a medal, so be sure to recommend that, when you track them down.”
He gave me a fiery look of annoyance and said, “I know it was you Kayla. I have witness reports of a little blonde girl that matches your description having a damn sword fight in that bar. It was not hard to get someone to come forward, since it is not actually a crime to kill vampires in this country.”
I studied him closely and could not figure out where he was headed with this. I did not get the sensation that he wanted to arrest me, though he already had a few good reasons to, if that was the case. I just looked at him casually and I took a bite of my club. The hat crispy bacon mixed with turkey, cheddar, lettuce and mayo was to die for.
“If you’re not here to throw me in handcuffs, then what do you really want detective? I am not having the kind of day I enjoy being on the receiving end of a fishing line.” He studied me closer and I realized that he must have seen the light purple on the very edge of my sunglasses. I was going to move out of his way, but I did not want to sacrifice my sandwich to do so. He snatched my glasses from my face and I saw his eyes widen a fraction and his eyes light in anger.
“Who hit you? That did not happen last night, from the looks of it, I would say it is three days old.” He scrunched his eyes and said, “But I met you three days ago and you definitely had not been hit, nor were you the day before. What happened to you and who did it?”
I picked up my coffee and I stood abruptly, letting my chair make a loud dragging sound. “I am leaving detective good day.” I turned my back on him and began pacing towards my car, which was three blocks away. Finding a parking spot in the Quarter this time of day was serious business!
I had made it to the ally and I felt the detective’s warm hand on my arm pulling me to a stop. “Kayla please, I am not trying to upset you. I just want to know what is going on and why a pretty honor roll student, about to graduate at the top of her class, is wearing a bruise big enough to have come from a giant’s fist.”
I turned completely and stared at him. His intense gaze was focused on my steel grey eyes. “Look if you are going to arrest me, then arrest me.”
“I’m not here to arrest you. I just want to know what happened last night and how it might be connected to over half a dozen other murder cases I have open at the moment. I want to know who to hit for punching you.”
I snorted in amusement at that last statement and said, “I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself detective!”
“Yeah I know that, because I have two dead vampires, with your personal signature on them. I also know witnesses said you were stabbed a few times last night. You were carried out by the person identified as the apex of the wolf pack, but you’re not a wolf.”
I just stared at him and did not let him see any emotion. He was skirting way too much truth right now. “You already saw me trying to
help the wolves, so what of it?”
“You are clearly not in any pain from your stomach wounds, so I will have to assume that bruise is fresh right?” I could have predicted his next question, even if I were completely stupid. “What are you Kayla?”
I sighed and said, “I am just a fucking freak of nature ok. This,” I pointed to my cheek and said, “is the thanks I got from helping an investigation, so just leave me the fuck alone. I am not helping anyone else. If you find dead vampires, you will know that your suspect pool is getting smaller ok?”
I gave him the full weight of my gaze and I put just a little bit of my magic into it. I wanted to make him feel afraid now. I wanted him to leave me in peace. I could see the beads of sweat forming on his brow, despite the mild weather today. He still held on to me and said, “I will go pay Mr. Early a visit and maybe charge his with assault, while I am there.”
I felt my shock bleed into my expression and he said, “I am good at what I do Kayla, that is why I have my job, despite my age.”
“Th that is a pretty big jump in your logic detective.” My voice was a lot calmer now due to my shock. He shook his head and said, “I am having a hard time believe that you let a less powerful wolf land a blow on you. If it had been a pack attack, then even you would not look as good as you do now. So naturally I assume the big wolf himself inflicted the damage. Will you allow me to file charges for you?”
I shook my head and said, “I hope to work in law enforcement soon too, I am not going to get accepted into any police academy, if I am an assault victim detective.”
