Paul rose to his feet again, slowly and with faltering steeps. They had lost the upper hand and he knew it. He gave me a penetrating look. “You mentioned that three of your friends were murdered because they smelled of you. Trust me, none of my grown wolves would make such a mistake, and we’re never sending pups to do the dirty jobs for us.”
“Then how come you recognized my smell earlier?”
“That was not your smell I recognized, but Michael’s foul odor all over you. I swear we didn’t kill anyone. Your Peri is responsible for the deaths of a number of family members from my pack however. He is the monster!”
“At least take responsibility for what you did. We might just let your pack live, if you tell us which of you committed the murders. Or we’ll kill everyone but the white wolf.” I sighed. So much for my impression that Stefan was more level-headed when it came to these werewolves!
Thomas and the other wolves growled angrily.
“Michael, would you come here as well? Maybe you’re the more reasonable one after all.” He was there to embrace me a moment later. “Can’t say I disagree with Stefan’s suggestion.” He hadn’t forgiven the werewolves for threatening me. The air around us crackled with hostility. A bloody fight seemed imminent. I started yelling at the lot of them: “You bloody idiots, don’t you see what is happening here? Somebody is trying to pit you against each other, in fact has been doing that for a while. First the vampire attack on Michael’s house. If Daniel hadn’t been there, if he hadn’t realized that the attackers were under a spell – what would you have concluded?”
Michael looked extremely annoyed, but he grudgingly admitted: “We should talk. Paul, can we go inside and discuss this? Melanie, Jeremeia should be part of this, too.”
“Jeremeia, would you–” Before I could say more, he stood next to me. “Thought you’d never ask.”
The others tried to follow him through the barrier, but were thwarted by the invisible wall, just as Michael had been earlier. Meanwhile he went into the house with Paul and Jeremeia. The rest of us stayed in the garden, although it was still freezing cold. Thomas was the only one to briefly slip away, but he was back in a flash, and fully clothed at that. “So. What does your father think about you being with Michael? He used to be so very strict about anything supernatural. I wasn’t allowed near you, both two days before and two days after the full moon.”
“He doesn’t know about any of this. I wanted to protect him and Mama, so I simply told them I was fine, and that nothing out of the ordinary had happened.”
Thomas gave me an incredulous look and burst into laughter. “You wanted to protect your father, really? Come on, you’re kidding me now, aren’t you?”
“My Papa knows what you are?” I asked, dumbfounded.
By now Thomas was sitting on the floor holding his belly, which hurt from laughing so hard. “He knows a lot more than that. You really wanted to protect him?”
“I would have let Daniel break my bones one by one, just to protect him.” That finally cut off his bubbling laughter, and he looked up at me. “You still don’t know?”
“Don’t know what? Do you know what I am?”
“Yes, I do. Why don’t you simply ask your father?” I couldn’t do that, because my parents had vanished without a trace. That thought brought the tears to my eyes. “My parents have disappeared.”
Thomas got to his feet and hugged me. “Don’t worry about them. They’re not in danger, I’m sure of that. They probably have good reasons for disappearing. You should not go looking for them.”
“What am I?”
“I’d tell you if I could. But I’m bound by magic and can’t.”
Stefan had followed our exchange closely. “If we help you break this spell, will you tell us what she is?” Thomas wasn’t happy about Stefan’ interference. “No, I would only tell her, nobody else. But that’s neither here nor there, for I know you won’t be able to break this spell.”
He was the only one who saw how tired I was. He put his arms around me, let me lean on him, and I was grateful for it. His chin rested on top of my head. My eyes kept falling shut. I was about to fall asleep standing, but Stefan wouldn’t have it: He took offense at the way Thomas was holding me, so he swatted his hands away and pulled me out of the caring embrace. Thomas flared: “Can’t you see that she’s utterly exhausted?”
“I forgot that you were still in Nikelaus’ grip mere hours ago,” Stefan said apologetically. He guided me to the car and started the engine, so I would be warm while I waited. I sank into the backseat and fell into a deep sleep. When I woke again, we were already on the way back to Salzburg, my head was in Michael’s lap, and Stefan was behind the wheel. They were talking. “It’s absurd, don’t you think? She’s so strong, no spell can touch her, and she’s practically impervious to manipulation. On the other hand her body fails so quickly. She’s no stronger than an ordinary woman in that respect.”
“The wolf thought it was beyond ridiculous that her father might be in need of protection. He knows what she is. Maybe she’s only half human. You know what that means, right?” I moved my head and Stefan fell silent. Michael stroked my hair. “Could you please stop getting into pickles like this? From now on if we go anywhere together, you’re staying with me. You’re not taking a stroll again, okay?” My answer was a sheepish nod. He had one other question: “When did you find out that your friend is a werewolf? You recognized him in wolf form, so you must have seen him like that before. Right?”
“Nope. First I saw him as a man, a naked man. I could only see the white wolf after I blinked. The other wolves remained naked men to me. Trust me, I’d have preferred a pack of wolves.” I yawned before continuing. “Michael, what would it mean if I was only half human?”
“Nothing, my love. Try to sleep.” I was too sleepy to protest. I closed my eyes and woke the next morning, in our bed and screaming. Michael came rushing into the room, sat down beside me, and comforted me. “Please, I’m going to watch over you from now on. Nobody’s going to harm you again.”
“It was just a nightmare I keep having. Nothing to do with the events of the last few days.”
“Care to tell me about it?”
“Another time.”
16 THE OUTING
It was Thursday. Since the werewolves were no longer a threat, I was allowed to attend my courses again. Michael and I had decided we would drive to my parents’ house the following day. We were sitting in the kitchen when Iveria came in. She’d visited Katja, who was in the hospital again. She greeted me with a hug, saying: “I’ve heard about your latest adventure,” and then threw Michael a loveless and reproachful look. They started talking, and our outing was postponed another day: Iveria and Michael planned a trip abroad for two days. Shortly after, they left the house together. I got a call from my boss at the cinema, asking me to take Silvia’s shift. Since I could use the money, I agreed. I still had a few hours to kill before my first seminar. I went and bought cookies, and paid Iveria’s girlfriend a visit in the hospital. She was glad to see me, and told me that Iveria had been rather cross with Michael recently. At first I had no idea what she was talking about, but it turned out she meant Michael’s attempt at using magic to subjugate me. I had all but forgotten about that, what with all the other things that had happened since then. Katja then went on to explain all sorts of details about her medical situation, though I understood only a fraction of it. The old lady was exactly as I pictured a cool, loving grandma: funny, sympathetic, open-minded and frank. Her illness had weakened her considerably. Talking exhausted her, but she didn’t want to be alone. I sat on the edge of her bed, combed her hair, fluffed up her pillows, and helped her find a comfortable position. Then we watched TV together, a soap opera she never missed. I almost forgot the time, because I was so caught up in whether the neighbor boy would finally declare his love. I had to hurry, but I made it to campus just in time for my seminar.
After I was done, I went to the nearest sports equipment store a
nd bought two ten-yard ropes and two rappelling aids. The sales clerk was happy to explain the correct usage of these devices. From there I rushed to my temporary home. I hid one of the ropes and one aid under the loose base panel of the closet in Michael’s bedroom, the other set under the couch in my den. The whole mission made me a few minutes late for my shift at the cinema, but I felt that it was worth it, even if my boss of course chose that day to be there waiting for me with an impatient face.
Around eight in the evening, I got a call from the police department. The crime scene unit had completed its job in my apartment, so I was free to use it again. I went there after I was finished. I opened the door with a feeling of dread in my stomach. My heart threatened to leap from my chest as I anxiously peeked inside. I took a few steps into the apartment, a silent scream frozen on my lips. All I saw was blood. A large, dried-up pool on the floor in front of me. Blood spattered everywhere, on the kitchen counter, the bedsheets, the closet, the walls, and the ceiling. I sank to the floor feeling dizzy. Now I could see the underside of my desk. A shred of bloodied tissue stuck to it. I put a hand over my mouth and felt sick. I could feel the taste of acid and bile creeping up my throat, so I clamped my hand even harder over my mouth, jumped to my feet, and barely made it to the toilet. My stomach emptied itself in fits and bouts. I cowered before the white bowl and tried to calm down. She didn’t deserve this. Her life had been hard enough, why did her death have to be this horrible?
“At least you didn’t see the body.” I lifted my head and saw my neighbor Leoni standing in the doorway of the bathroom.
“Do you know who found her?” I asked reluctantly, even though I was sure I already knew the answer, and felt sorry for her. If the sight of the room was enough to turn my stomach, I didn’t want to imagine how she must have felt when she’d found the mangled body.
“It was me. Damned werewolves!” My jaw dropped. How did she know it had been werewolves? Was she involved in any way? I was tempted to call Michael immediately. But if she was thinking of doing something to me, she’d stop me before I could dial his number.
“Let me guess, they actually wanted you, just to provoke and hurt your Peri,” she stated without reproach, signaling that she didn’t belong to the killers.
“As far as my understanding of the supernatural goes, you are human,” I ventured. She started to giggle. “I sure am, but I’m also a witch. I’m capable of a few handy little tricks. Are you capable of working magic, or did you simply manage to draw the attention of a Peri? Well, if we’re honest, he’s not just any Peri either. You netted the big boss.” It sounded like an accusation, an insinuation that I had ulterior motives.
“I never meant to seduce any big-boss-slash-Peri.”
She gave me an incredulous smile and then voiced her disbelief anyway: “Oh, I’m sure it was pure coincidence.”
I didn’t feel it was necessary to justify myself to her. “Believe whatever you want. If you would leave me alone now, I have to clean up this mess.”
“You know what? I’ll help you.” She followed me and grabbed a bucket. We cleaned in silence, until the last little spatter was gone. The bedsheets went straight into the trash. I poured her a glass of Coke and finally broke the silence: “Tomorrow I’m going to the hardware store to buy paint, and then I can move back in again soon.”
“Does Michael want you to leave his house?”
“Ha, I wish. He’s probably going to be really pissed when I tell him that I want to sleep here.”
“Then why don’t you stay with him?” she asked, perplexed.
“First of all I feel dependent enough as it is, and second of all there are way too many Peris, vampires, and other creatures in his house.”
She didn’t believe her ears. She raised her hands in a gesture of defense. “Whoa, stop right there. You really aren’t one of the crazy ones?”
“The crazy ones? What do you mean?”
“I’m sure you can guess that nobody simply becomes a witch or a wizard, just like that, right? Each of us has at least one magical creature for an ancestor. There are lots of those capable of magic that would do anything to hook up with such a creature. We call them para-groupies. They treat Peris like rock stars. Trust me, there are many people who are jealous of your connection with Michael.”
“Well, he is special. If he was human, he would be the perfect boyfriend. Do you know how many times I was hurt or attacked because of him?”
“We’re neighbors. How many times did you say you fell down the stairs in the last few months?”
We continued to talk for another while. Leoni returned to her apartment around two in the morning. We had gotten rid of most of the blood stains, but the spatters on the wall wouldn’t go away completely. My tiredness and the cost of a taxi at this time of night made me decide that I would spend the night. I would simply ignore the ghastly blood stains on the wall. I put new sheets on the bed and slipped in under the covers. I was soon plagued by nightmares of Silvia. I kept trying to save her from the werewolf, but failed. My phone woke me at six in the morning. It was Michael. His business trip abroad hadn’t taken as long as he’d thought, and he’d missed me when he came home. Shortly afterwards, he stepped into my apartment and lay down next to me. “Oh yes, I see why you had to sleep here. The blood makes for such a homey atmosphere.” Offended, I jabbed him lightly in the ribs, but then I snuggled up to him. “It was late and I wanted to save the cab fare.”
“What are your plans for today?”
“Buying paint and painting the walls in here.”
“That will be taken care of. “ He grabbed his phone from the bedside table and told someone named Sigi to take care of the renovation. When I raised my eyebrows at him, he shrugged it off. “I know that you’re able to paint your own room and all that, but if he does it, you have the time to drive to your parental home with me. I already packed a bag for you.” I raised my eyebrows even higher. “Okay, you got me there. It was Magda who packed your bag.”
“Alright, let’s go then; I have until tomorrow evening.” We took the car and he went on the freeway to Klagenfurt. I inspected the clothes in the bag he’d brought. All the underwear was fancy lingerie. I pulled out a lacy bra, held it up for him to see, and said with raised eyebrows: “Oh, sure, Magda packed my bag.”
“Let’s just say I assisted her with the intimates.”
The drive to my home town would take at least two hours. “I just realized something exciting. I have more than two hours to pepper you with question,” I stated with a mischievous grin.
“Will you do me a favor?”
Not this time; I wouldn’t let this opportunity slip by again. “Nope, I’m going to ask you as much and for as long as I want. So far I’ve only met your father, but what is your mother like? She and your father don’t live together, do they?”
“My parents have been a couple for more than a thousand years, which is rather untypical for my people. We normally get married for political reasons, and for a limited amount of time that is determined in advance.”
I was confused. “When you father asked if he could have me, I thought he meant to … well you know.” Once again I had managed to amuse him. “Your impression was not wrong.” I didn’t get it, so he went on to explain: “My parents live together because they inspire each other and enjoy spending time together. They have lengthy conversations, and when they are in the mood, they also have sex. And yet they live their own lives, independent of each other. My mother has two or three humans at the moment. She loves being with women, too, and my father is the same. I told you that we crave and need your company because of your energy. They don’t hide anything from each other.”
“Wouldn’t your mother be jealous if your father fell in love?”
“No, the love between them is more like a strong friendship. Plus the problem would go away after twenty or thirty years. They have only one rule: Lovers are not turned.” Iveria had told me that Daniel had offered to turn Katja, so I knew what he me
ant. Then a disconcerting thought hit me: “Are you married?”
“No.”
“Do you sleep with other women?” He laughed out loud. “If I did, I wouldn’t have told you about my parents just now. Do you think I’d be that stupid? You would leave me if I touched another woman, I know that.” I made a skeptical face, so he went on to explain: “Before I met you, I hadn’t had a woman in a long time. I simply couldn’t find one that didn’t bore me right away. Most of the time, I drew the necessary energy from people on the dance floor, and then afterwards left the club as quickly as I could. The night you joined as at our VIP table, I had promised Stefan I would stay for another while. He insisted that I finally have some fun again. Thanks to you, I actually did. In the beginning I was incredibly annoyed and waited impatiently for the call that would allow me to leave. But then I wished it would never come.”
“You have no idea how creepy I thought you were. I’m glad I didn’t act on my instincts, even though my life has become a lot more complicated and dangerous. I can’t say that I regret it, because it led me to you.” I gave him a naughty smile and added: “Not to mention it led me to the wonderful, one-of-a-kind, breathtaking sex we keep having.” I ramped it up with a wink. “That’s actually the main reason.”
He raised an eyebrow and gave me a sideways glance, but didn’t say anything. I was getting scared he might have taken my words seriously. When I opened my mouth to clarify that I had been joking, he left the freeway and pulled into a parking lot. There was nobody else around. He stared at me in a way I couldn’t place, and then killed the engine. I felt queasy. What was he up to? His movements were slow and deliberate, which further unnerved me, because he was usually so fast in everything he did. The adrenaline surged through my body. “What are you doing?” I asked, my voice nervous. He didn’t say a word, but unbuckled my seat belt, still staring at me in this disconcerting manner. My own hesitant wariness brought a superior grin to his face. He flipped back the seat without warning, lifted my hips, and slid in under me. Before I realized what was happening, I was sitting on top of him. As if I had asked my question only a moment ago, he answered: “Reminding you of the reason you’re not regretting that night.” A heady mix of the adrenaline and his prophetic words caused a hot tingle in my crotch. When he pulled up my shirt and brushed my nipples gently with his lips, I was his. He kissed his way from my left breast to my right, then up to my mouth. I moaned and received his lips with a fiery, passionate kiss. He slipped his fingers inside me, and I shuddered with my first orgasm. Michael pushed down both our pants. I was more than ready when I straddled him. I moved slowly on top of him and breathed: “Michael, you said that it would feel pleasant if you drew on my energy. Do it now!”
Peris Night: Terakon (Secret Language) Page 21
